Architizer’s A+Awards, the world’s largest awards program for architecture and products, is all about innovation. From a single door handle to an entire building, if a design breaks new ground, it deserves to be celebrated. To reflect this spirit of dynamism and the constant search for fresh inspiration, Architizer has crafted something brand-new for the fifth annual competition: We’ve completely reinvented our iconic trophy.
Reimagining a much loved prize is no mean feat. For this reason, we looked to the best for help, teamed up once again with Snarkitecture — the Brooklyn-based collaborative art and architecture practice that designed our trophy for the past four years. We also called upon DuPont Surfaces to become our official trophy sponsor and partner in providing their world-famous Corian® for the fabrication of each award.
“The starting point for a lot of our work is the material,” said Snarkitecture co-founder Alex Mustonen in the video. “The material is almost this magical material because it’s infinitely homogeneous and infinitely [seamless].”
It’s true. The durable and flexible Corian® used for this year’s award can take on just about any form, meaning that the only limit to its application is an architect’s imagination. An ultra-high quality, dynamic solid surfacing material, Corian® is easily moldable and perfect for producing unique, organic shapes — something that Snarkitecture is well-known for.
No longer will the A+ Award be the classic cube of cultured marble that splits in half to reveal the black “+” symbol. Instead, the iconic “+” will be the shape of the award itself — a literal representation of everything the A+Awards stands for, in monolith form.
Corian® in Carbon Concrete, Everest, White Onyx and Cosmos Prima
This year’s trophy will be clad in Corian® classic Modern White, elevating it to a timeless piece of design that is representational of the brilliant projects our winners have created. Five special awards will be made from the new 2017 Corian® color palette featuring White Onyx, Carbon Concrete, Cosmos Prima, Sparkling White and Everest. The trophy is also tactile and even interactive — the winners’ names will be engraved onto one end, which can be pressed into ink and used as a celebratory stamp.
Whether it sits on a bookshelf, desk or mantel, the new A+Award will be an unmistakable definition of achievement. Just like the distinctive designs that will be awarded at the gala in a few short weeks, the trophy itself is a stand-out symbol of success.
For more information on the Fifth Annual A+Awards, click here.