Heartiest congratulations go to Singaporean studio Produce Workshop for topping a strong list of global interiors in the INSIDE awards with the incredible rippling plywood installation Fabricwood at the Herman Miller shop-in-shop at Xtra, Marina Square! The 20-metre-long, 7-metre-wide plywood sail picks up the iconic curves of the Herman Miller logo. “This was a clever, innovative installation with resonance well beyond the brief and specific location of the project,” said the judges. The project was crowned winner of INSIDE’s ‘Display’ category before going on to take the overall prize.

Above: Fabricwood by Produce Workshop. Photo by Edward Hendricks.

We’ve been fans of Fabricwood (and the fusion of digital modeling and hand crafting that created it) since its completion earlier this year. That’s why it graced the cover of Cubes issue 84! Pan Yicheng, Creative Director of Produce Workshop, told us at the time that he took inspiration from the soap film experiments of Frei Otto. “We combined plywood with a new geometry, creating a moulded shape without having to actually mould plywood at such a large scale,” he said.

Highly commended in the ‘Display’ category was another project from Singapore: Loco Local for Hermes by AK+.

Above: Loco Local for Hermes by AK+.

12 Asia-Pacific projects were awarded and commended at INSIDE – forming the bulk of the successful entries.

Other category winners at INSIDE were as follows: WZWX architecture group topped the ‘Retail’ category for the ROU by T-HAM Concept Store in Taipei. The judges praised how the project created a new typology for the retail experience, turning meat into a precious object – worthy even of gift-wrap.

Above: ROU by T-HAM Concept Store in Taipei by WZWX architecture group.

Another two APAC retail projects were highly commended – both in China, and both emphasising the experiential aspects of retail (the Polyphony Store in Beijing by anySCALE, and the Baoding Xinhua Bookstore by Beijing Fenghemuchen Space Design).

Above: Baoding Xinhua Bookstore by Beijing Fenghemuchen Space Design.

Neri&Hu Design and Research Office won the ‘Creative Re-use’ category for their architectural renovation and interior design of an automobile service centre in Beijing – The Garage. The workshop-style space is energised by cafes and offices, and a palette of concrete and steel is softened by a more luxurious layer of textured materials. The judges admired how the project “creates a benchmark for what is possible for the future of Beijing’s industrial neighbourhoods.”

Warren and Mahoney Architects were highly commended for the Mason Bros. Interior in Auckland – a former warehouse turned commercial development.

Above: The Garage by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office.

The Ir-On Hotel in Bangkok by Hypothesis won the ‘Hotel’ category. The designers stripped back the 8-storey building to reveal only beams and pillars, creating a raw industrial aesthetic. All guest rooms are decorated in a monochrome colour scheme enhanced by steel structures at various angles. The judges appreciated the expressive relationship with the cultural context as well as its inventive re-use of materials.

Above: Ir-On Hotel in Bangkok by Hypothesis.

The ‘Bars and Restaurants’ category went to Big Small Coffee and Guestroom in China by Office AIO – a 19sqm coffee bar and a 15sqm guest room linked by a courtyard. The judges enjoyed the project’s “very poetic sense of space” and praised the clear and sensible treatment of location, materials and smart architectural details.

Above: Big Small Coffee and Guestroom in China by Office AIO.

The ‘Residential’ category was claimed by SJB for their Cleveland Rooftop apartment in Sydney – a new structure spanning between two original rooftop elements. The interior has a strong connection to the sky and a courtyard containing indigenous plants attracts local bird and insect species. The judges commented that this project “finely balances the public and private realm and does so with a high degree of design rigour.”

Above: Cleveland Rooftop apartment in Sydney by SJB.

The ‘Health & Education’ category was won by the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Canada by CannonDesign + NEUF architect(e)s, which the judges described as an “urban experience of lively and accessible nature”. Highly commended was a fitness space called Physical in Shanghai created by Panorama International – a “motivating and thrilling user experience.”

Above: Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Canada by CannonDesign + NEUF architect(e)s. 

Airbnb’s European Headquarters in Dublin, by Heneghan Peng Architects, won the ‘Offices’ category, with the judges praising its strong “theatre concept, layered horizontally and vertically to enable both intimate and collective social encounters”. Highly commended was KSM Architecture, Architecture & Design Studio, Chennai, India by KSM Architecture – “humanely and profoundly sustainable,” said the judges.

Above: Airbnb’s European Headquarters in Dublin by Heneghan Peng Architects. Photo (c) Hufton + Crow.

The ‘Civic, Culture & Transport’ category was won by Perkins+Will for their Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, UK, whose interiors recreate the dark and claustrophobic atmosphere found below a ship’s deck.

Above: Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth by Perkins+Will. Photo (c) Hufton + Crow.

A long list of projects from APAC countries also appeared in the shortlist. See the full shortlist here. The awards were presented at Arena Berlin from 15-17 November 2017. Congratulations to all!

Recap the winners at INSIDE 2016 in our review article.

Stay tuned for our coverage of all the winners at WAF 2017, coming soon!