the iF design award honors the top 10 interior architecture projects of 2015

at the annual iF design award night, this year held at munich’s BMW welt, a host of successful interior architecture projects were celebrated as part of the prestigious event. iF CEO ralph wiegmann presented the coveted trophies in front of more than 2,000 guests from a host of businesses, agencies, cultural institutions, and media outlets.

of the discipline’s 345 submitted schemes, 96 were granted an award bearing the iF label, while ten specially chosen projects were selected for the organization’s highest honor – the iF gold award. although submissions span a range different categories, seven of the ten works originate from either the exhibitions and trade fairs category, or the shops and showrooms classification.

from corporate architecture to exhibition stands, the jury took into account evaluation criteria, such as tasks and objectives; architecture and design quality; the quality of the implementation and of the details; choice and implementation of materials; spatial concepts and atmosphere; functionality and flexibility of use; corporate design; and environmental sustainability.

‘these days, a jury has to be very international – only in this way can we deal with the wide variety of international parameters of the submissions’, explained head juror fritz frenkler. ‘it is striking that, in every design discipline, it is very tempting to orient yourself to the design benchmarks of the corresponding branch, not daring to do something new, which is unfortunate. in general, we are trying to slow down the developments. in this way, we can once again concentrate on what is really important in design – such as creating products and interfaces that are easy to understand and intuitive to operate, creating a product DNA as well as specifying it in the CD of the company, thus setting the company off from its competitors.’

as the prize continues to expand and diversify, from april 2015 the iF design awards welcomes projects that fall into the entirely new category of ‘architecture’. scroll down to view each of the gold winning entries in the iF design award’s interior architecture discipline.

(main and above images) cultura bookstore by studio MK27 (shops/showrooms)
all images courtesy of iF design award

cultura bookstore by studio MK27: a bookstore with a meeting place. this was the main premise of the architectural project of the bookstore livraria cultura at iguatemi. more than just merely a place to shop, the store is inviting to stay and hang out. thus, we sought for visitors to not only find a book that they might be looking for, but rather that they remain there. the books encircle the space, supported by eleven large tables arranged orthogonally in the large room and on white stands on the peripheral areas. these shelves have built-in LEDs and delimit the space like a cube internally clad with books.

confession of design by vasku&klug (exhibitions/trade fairs)

confession of design by vasku & klug: confession of design was the 2014 edition of austria’s contemporary design exhibition during milan’s salone del mobile. located in a former church, the exhibition concept aimed to respect and utilize the sacred atmosphere of the venue. this ensured that the exhibits did not enter into competition with the site, looked out of place or became lost within it. otherwise the show ironically referenced the design pilgrimage milan evokes every year. religious elements were the inspiration for both the exhibition architecture and all complementary media output. the curatorial selection itself was a search for potential heirlooms.

confession of design by vasku&klug (exhibitions/trade fairs)

time machine by tamschick media+space (installations)

time machine by tamschick media+space: wu kingdom helv relics museum: the 400 square meter interactive audio-visual installation immerses the visitors in a 15-minute story about 2,500 years of chinese history. a unique visual style combines cinematic martial arts scenes with painting-style animations. the linear storytelling is enhanced with interactive elements that reinforce the visitor’s feeling of being transported back in time, away to the rise of the kingdom of wu during the spring and autumn period. a complex network of projectors, computers and tracking cameras generate real-time graphics and blend them with pre-produced footage. to enhance the immersive experience, the walls are fully covered with mirrors.

time machine by tamschick media+space (installations)

audi quattro bar by schmidhuber (hotels/spas/restaurants/bars)

audi quattro bar by schmidhuber: the exclusive audi quattro bar has just opened, directly in the corviglia skiing region at an altitude of 2,486 meters. the traditional concept of an alpine ski lodge has been reinterpreted in an exciting and novel way – an invitation to enjoy the quattro lifestyle in an extraordinary setting. branding and art, fire and ice are all brought together in a timeless symbol for boundless freedom. original materials, purist design and a clear communication of the brand message stand at the focal point. a striking eye-catcher is provided by the 10 meter long quattro lettering, a 3D relief set into the elegant granite walls.

audi quattro bar by schmidhuber (hotels/spas/restaurants/bars)

occhio evolution plus by martin et karczinski (exhibitions/trade fairs)

occhio evolution plus by martin et karczinski: every other year occhio’s brand essence – ‘light is evolution’ – is reinterpreted at light+building. nine plus signs convey the brand’s current messages – key issues like quality, design and sustainability are thrown up by headlines such as ‘plus design’, ‘plus quality of light’ and ‘plus value’ on the plus signs. with its bold concept the stand, divided into a brand level and a product level, makes its mark in the best sense of the term. thanks to a spectacular, previously unseen design the trade-fair concept lets the brand and its values speak – not just the product itself.

occhio evolution plus by martin et karczinski (exhibitions/trade fairs)

camper store by atelier marko brajovic (shops/showrooms)

camper store by atelier marko brajovic: for our first project for camper, we discovered our inspiration in traditional folkloric brazilian festivities, where involving environments are created by dense layers of colored stripes. using that strategy we used shoelaces to model different shapes that implement in our space a sensitive and scenographic experience, where the visitors are the everyday actors.

undo by d’art design gruppe (exhibitions/trade fairs)

undo by d’art design gruppe: for already the eighth time in a row, d’art design gruppe faces the task of arranging its own appearance at the euroshop. this year’s motto on the 247 square meter large brand world is ‘undo’ and visualizes the process of design by means of a media exhibition area. the exhibition is embedded in a spacious wooden architecture of oversized wooden building stones, which visualizes the process of design with its playful elegance. inside the wooden architecture visitors can discover and virtually experience the milestones of design. last but not least, visitors can experiment in the interplay of ‘do & undo’ with the help of thousands of wooden building stones.

undo by d’art design gruppe (exhibitions/trade fairs)

gu yuan·specious feeling by deve build (shops/showrooms)

gu yuan·specious feeling by deve build: preface: ‘shui long yin’. a garden or not a garden, nobody cares what it is. but I feel the sorrow when it turned into wilderness. searching for the garden in my dreams, only wake to hear the birds warbling. I couldn’t stop missing the lost culture of china as it lingers in my mind and soul. now, where has the garden gone? only the tears remain. awake my garden is not worship or prostration to the past, but a vague specious expression. wandering through the garden, you may or may not walk into the dream that I had. this is guyuan.

gu yuan·specious feeling by deve build (shops/showrooms)

vierkanthof by eins:33 (exhibitions/trade fairs)

vierkanthof by eins:33: the esteem of craftsmanship. concluding the trilogy begun in 2010 with the ‘factory concept’, this year’s booth leads to the origins of culinary culture. gaggenau stands for exclusive culinary culture and sophisticated lifestyle and the return to traditional production methods, linked to a quest for original and natural food is becoming an important influence. as a format for the booth, a square farm-typology had been chosen as a symbol for the combination of agricultural production and craftsmanship. in this context, the gaggenau appliances are staged as tools, embedded in the culinary process, not as the products at the end of the story.

vierkanthof by eins:33 (exhibitions/trade fairs)

MINI icehotel by BMW group designworks USA (hotels/spas/restaurant/bars)

MINI icehotel by BMW group designworksUSA: commissioned by mini and in collaboration with the icehotel in lapland, the ‘mini evolution deluxe hotel suite’ was created by designworksUSA. each year artists are invited to create individual suites of inspiration and art. the hotel is characterized by a state of perpetual transformation, part of a recurring cycle of awakening and slumbering, departure and arrival, vibrancy and tranquility. for the MINI suite designworksUSA drew its inspiration from this natural process that the icehotel is experiencing as it is rebuilt every year and melts away when nature decrees. the design concept of the room tells the story of transformation.

MINI icehotel by BMW group designworks USA (hotels/spas/restaurant/bars)