Flooring & Ceiling Design Competition

Armstrong World Industries recently announced the winners of the first i2 (ideas 2 reality) professional design competition showcasing Armstrong Commercial Ceiling & Flooring products in either an “idea” or a “reality” stage. Four winners were selected from almost 140 projects submitted from throughout the United States. The competition was held in conjunction with the International Interior Design Association (IIDA).

According to contest judge Anne-Marie Gianoudis, IIDA, LEED AP, Senior Interior Designer at Gresham Smith and Partners, the competition recognizes that the right floor and ceiling add immeasurably to the beauty and function of an education, healthcare, retail, corporate, or hospitality environment.

“Client satisfaction is key, and architects and designers recognize the value of specifying the highest quality materials along with the latest in design and technology,” Gianoudis said. The i2r 2011 recipients for their commercial flooring and commercial ceilings projects are:

Commercial Flooring
Reality Winner (seen at right): Eckles Architecture & Engineering, Inc. of New Castle, PA, for the McIntyre Elementary School. The project is designed to consolidate multiple communities of students into one school building, grades K-6. The concept used to design the interior is exploration through transportation. The electric railways or trolley system has been influential to the growth of the North Hills. One of the most notable design features within the building is the corridor flooring…. trolley tracks meander through the hallways and stop at destinations along the way.

McIntyre Elementary School

The designers achieved this concept through the use of six colors of Armstrong vinyl composition tile (VCT). The stops for the trolley are designated by circles of color or “nodes” similar to dots on a railway map used to denote towns or stops. The Armstrong VCT trolley floor patterns take many twists and turns through the building, and the nodes pinpoint those stops along the way—the Media Center, the Cafeteria, the Gymnasium, the Classroom Entrances, the Music room, and the Art room.

Idea Winner: Adam Rohaly of Mount Pleasant, SC won for his VCT Floor Mosaic. A proposed in-lay to a standard VCT floor, 2″x2″ VCT samples are used, forming a mosaic of a selected image. Proper sizing allows it to fit seamlessly within the typical 12″ tile floor system to create an elegant focal point. The inspiration for this idea is sustainability and design impact with minimal expense. The goal was to reuse surplus VCT flooring samples which can be found in large quantities in many architectural/interior design offices.

Commercial Ceiling & Wall Systems
Reality Winner: Vision 3 Architects of Providence, RI for NaviNet, a large real-time healthcare communications network in Boston’s historic Leather District. By distinguishing both sides of the elevator lobby, the Armstrong WoodWorks® wall/ceiling detail serves as a gateway into NaviNet’s office space. A wood ceiling detail is repeated throughout the design of the space. A linear band of Armstrong MetalWorks™ and WoodWorks ceilings, accented by custom light fixtures, serves as a design element that designates the main circulation paths throughout the large open office space.

 

NaviNet office in Boston, MA

The arched WoodWorks ceiling becomes a focal point in NaviNet’s cafeteria. The ceiling, illuminated by an indirect linear light fixture, follows the radius of the new interior storefront that mimics the existing historic archtop exterior windows of the Beaux Arts-style building. Contest judge Stacy Reed, an Interior Designer at Gensler, cited the success of incorporating contemporary elements into a historic space, and the architectural statement made through the use of Armstrong WoodWorks on both the ceiling and walls.

Idea Winner: Interior Image Group, Inc. of Dyer, IN for Destinations, which showcases Infusions® Accent Canopies. The space plan ties together an indoor patio, grab and go counter with a dually functional host station, and café/bar. By incorporating Armstrong Infusions into the ceiling of the indoor patio area, the designers added an interesting design element and also gave a better sense of proportion for dining in the patio. The blue acrylic color of the Infusions canopies tie into a similar color that will be used in a partial height wall along the perimeter of the indoor patio.

All submissions were judged on the creativity of the design, the use of Armstrong products, originality of the design, and the successful incorporation of other interior products.

Idea category winners were determined by an online popular vote. The panel of judges determining winners for the Reality category were IIDA professionals included Anne-Marie Gianoudis, IIDA, LEED AP, Gresham Smith and Partners, Birmingham, AL; Susanne Molina, IIDA, CID, LEED AP, ID+C, Klawiter and Associates, Los Angeles, CA; and Stacy Reed, IIDA, LEED AP, ID+C, Gensler, Austin, TX.

Each of the two winners of the idea portion of the competition receive $2,500. The two winners of the reality portion each receive a crystal trophy and an exclusive catered event for their firm. All winners also receive an Apple iPad2.


Comments are closed.