Hundreds of architects, designers and engineers gathered together at this year’s A+Awards gala to celebrate today’s best architecture. While each and every winning project stood out for their amazing contributions to the industry, one design in particular — and the product it is made from — grabbed the spotlight: the official A+ trophy.
Designed by Snarkitecture and made from DuPont Surfaces‘ ultra-strong and super flexible Corian®, the new look and feel of the award itself made everyone feel like a winner that night. Architizer rolled out the red carpet for our gala guests at Manhattan’s Highline Stages, allowing everyone to get their hands on and snap a picture with the sleek trophy. Molded into the shape of the iconic “+”, the trophy truly stands as a symbol of success. Each award winner received a custom trophy crafted from Corian Modern White, with their name, project title and category win engraved on the instantly recognizable sculpture as a celebratory stamp.
Though the new A+Awards trophy was a main highlight of the night’s festivities, two other installations featuring Corian and Zodiaq® Quartz enhanced the cohesive style and chic atmosphere of the gala. On stage with Architizer’s CEO and host Marc Kushner and the evening’s honorees was a striking, geometric podium by Associated Fabrication, created in Corian Onyx with Architizer’s trademark logo centered on the front.
The A+Awards Podium
The marbled nature of this particular Corian color — together with the product’s backlighting capabilities — created a translucent, almost ethereal feel, pairing beautifully with the white tables and light fixtures placed throughout the dark, industrial space.
While the podium drew great plaudits, perhaps the most popular Corian installation was the brilliant Corian Movement Bar, where guests mingled and ordered cocktails and wine before the ceremony. Designed by award-winning studio Birsel+Seck, the striped bar featured two concrete colors from the new 2017 color palette: Corian Neutral Concrete & Carbon Concrete as well as Zodiaq Quartz Portoro.
“[The colors] gives those really clean lines and particularly in this space that’s really industrial and urban,” said a Julie Eaton, global business director, Corian Design. “We thought it was a perfect match.”
The Corian Movement Bar
Created as part of the NYCxDesign Design Pavilion in Times Square, Birsel+Seck sought to mimic the lively and linear atmosphere of the world-famous public plaza by creating a design that’s both bold and sophisticated. After the gala, the bar was prepared for its debut in Times Square where it took center stage for NYCxDesign throughout May this year.
“Birsel+Seck have rethought the quintessential ‘bar’ as a gathering space,” said Eaton, “a place to pause, people-watch, rest and take it all in, using Corian as expression.” While most people are familiar with Corian as a horizontal countertop material, the three on-site activations at our gala show that Corian can be used as external cladding for stunning architectural designs and free-standing furniture as well.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Corian brand, and Architizer was truly proud to utilize this amazingly versatile product for the definitive symbol of our 5th Annual A+Awards.