AZURE_2014_07_08.pdf

letter from the editor
THE-BAC.EDU
↑ AZ Award prototypes at the Azure office. Each year, the winners’ trophies
are handcrafted in a unique material, including Caesarstone (2011); glass
by Jeff Goodman Studio (2012); and a combination of wood and Caesarstone
(2013). This year’s A and Z were fabricated in Italy from reconstituted wood
manufactured by Alpi.
Master of Architecture 2014 Graduate Jamie Schwadel, Architectural Designer
at BAC Practice employer Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. (C7A), and Master
of Architecture 2011 Graduate Kirsten Lawson, Associate AIA, Architectural
Designer at C7A.
85% of BAC grads are employed at
the time of program completion
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One advantage of establishing an awards program is seeing it take
off. When we launched the AZ Awards over four years ago, nothing
seemed certain. Prizes form such a large part of architecture and design
culture that they have practically become an official season, when PR
firms (or in-house marketing desks, or interns) sift through the many
possibilities to determine which ones to enter, what documentation is
required and which deadlines loom. Icon magazine recently joked that
there were enough awards out there to warrant an AWRDR app, which
would help firms play the odds, based on their submissions’ “thrill”
factor, or how much it might cause “competitor jealousy”.
Amid a crowded field, the AZ Awards have continued to grow in
stature and numbers. This year, 652 entries poured in from 36 countries,
from as far away as El Salvador and Lebanon. In part, the increased
global reach reflects what this year’s jurors told us, as others have in the
past: that peer recognition is vital to attaining professional excellence,
and it can be difficult to achieve. At no other time can a group of experts
step outside of their own practices and honour the great work of others.
While the 13 winners and 36 finalists exhibit a rich diversity, two
themes emerged on jury day: sustainability remains crucial to great
design; and endeavours that surpass expectations – visually, socially,
budget-wise or with unbridled invention – will always earn judicial
respect and admiration. As juror Ron Arad observed, “I look for things
that make me jealous, and that make me wish I had come up with the
idea myself.”
In light of those themes, it comes as no surprise that the award for
Best Architecture Under 1,000 Square Metres did not go to a starchitect,
but to Kikuma Watanabe of Japan, for his school in an impoverished
area of Thailand simply constructed from bags of earth and sticks of
bamboo. As well, Brian Richer of Castor Design in Toronto won Best
Lighting Design, for a lamp that uses an expired Apple adapter to draw
power. Not all of the recipients fit within these two themes, but if an
app were created for beating the odds at winning an AZ Award, designs
that make an impact on the world and change it for the better have the
leading edge – something to keep in mind for 2015.
Azure congratulates all of the 2014 winners and merit award honourees,
and many thanks to our esteemed jurors: Ron Arad, Diego Burdi,
Jamie Gray, Patricia Patkau and Charles Waldheim.
Catherine Osborne, Editor
30 jul ⁄ aug 2014 azuremagazine.com