SADI Awards 2002

13th time a charm for winners

SCW's 13th annual SADI Awards were presented on April 17. A crowd of the industry's top designers and retailers met at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago to celebrate the winning entries. SADI, which stands for Superior Achievement in Design and Imaging, has grown into one of the retail design field's highest honors. The award itself — a glass sculpture from Atlanta's Fräbel Studios — can be found in the trophy cases of some of the premiere architectural and design firms in the United States.

This year's contest included eight categories ranging from restaurants to renovated shopping centers. The competition was so fierce that the judges elected to award three honorable mentions. SADI 2002 also marks the debut of SCW's very own “best in show” award — the Grand SADI, which recognizes the top overall project out of all entries. Callison Architecture is the first winner of the Grand SADI for its work on the NIKEgoddess prototype store. The Seattle-based firm also walked away with SADI Awards for FlatIron Village and Beverly Center.

What makes a project such as NIKEgoddess a SADI Award-winning design? You'd have to ask this year's judges — a sextet of designers and architects with more than 90 years of collective experience under their belts. Our panel of exacting judges spent an 8-hour day poring over this year's entries and scoring them based on a list of design objectives: construction problem solving, general aesthetics, image-building and implementation. Judges' anonymous comments are included with each award winner's profile.

The judges

• Bruce Monighan
  Principal/Owner
  Monighan + Associates Architects Inc.

• David Avila
  Co-founder/VP
  Avila | Tom Architects

• Rick Casey
  Associate
  Cooper Carry Inc.

• Mark Carter
  Senior Principal
  Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Assoc.

• Brian Wolfe
  Principal
  Perkowitz + Ruth Architects

• Tony Camilletti
  Senior VP
  JGA Inc.

JUDGE BIOS

Bruce Monighan, AIA, Owner/Principal, Monighan + Associates Architects Inc., Sacramento, California

Owner and Principal of Monighan + Associates Architects Inc., Monighan has nearly 30 years of architectural experience as a designer of a wide variety of projects throughout the United States, Asia and Latin America. He is licensed in 29 states and is NCARB-certified. Monighan has significant experience in historical restoration and adaptive reuse, as well as in restaurants, retail and recreational facilities. His firm will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year.

Rick A. Casey, NCIDQ, Associate, Cooper Carry Inc., Atlanta

Casey joined Cooper Carry as an interior architect in 1996 and was named Associate in 2000. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Environmental Design; he became a certified Interior Designer in 1991. Casey has extensive experience working on retail projects including new mall design, mall renovation and expansion, department stores and mixed-use developments. Notable projects include the Houston Galleria renovation and expansion in Houston; Citicorp Center in Chicago; and Kings Plaza in Brooklyn, N.Y. As an interior architect, he brings to his firm extensive knowledge and expertise of all facets of interior design. His knowledge of finishes, materials and spatial design make him a unique and valuable asset to Cooper Carry's design team.

David R. Avila, RA, AIA, Co-founder/Vice President, Avila | Tom Architects, Oakland, California

Avila brings uncommon vision to his pivotal role in shaping the firm's corporate strategy. Driving Avila's passion for architecture is a respect for America's urban fabric. An appreciation of the past informs his work as he revitalizes neighborhoods throughout the country. He is a hands-on leader involved in every aspect of the firm's business.

Tony Camilletti, Senior Vice President, JGA Inc., Southfield, Michigan

With JGA since 1986, Camilletti spearheads the firm's marketing and visual communications groups, providing brand identity, integrated graphic design services and conceptual positioning for design projects and graphic-related work. He also plays an integral role in business development efforts. A featured speaker at numerous industry association conferences, Camilletti spoke at GlobalShop and SPECS in 2001 and was named by Display and Design Ideas magazine as one of the “30 most influential people in the industry.”

W. Mark Carter, AIA, Senior Principal, Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates Inc., Atlanta

Carter graduated from Auburn University in 1979 with degrees in architecture, environmental design, and building construction. Carter's 22-year architectural career has concentrated on the design of large retail centers. His portfolio covers a full spectrum of retail project types, from department stores to specialty stores, to both enclosed and open-air shopping centers. His portfolio includes the Plaza and Court at King of Prussia, Pa.; Triangle Town Center in Raleigh, N.C.; and Plaza Vespucio and Plaza Tobalaba in Santiago, Chile. Among his industry awards are the 1997 ICSC International Design Award for the King of Prussia expansion and the 2001 ICSC International Design Award of Merit for the expansion of the Florida Mall in Orlando.

Brian E. Wolfe, AIA, Principal, Perkowiz + Ruth Architects, Long Beach, California

In his role as Principal, Wolfe serves as team leader for retail centers and mixed-use development projects at Perkowitz + Ruth Architects. His knowledge of design theory combines with his talent for listening to client objectives and directing project teams to meet goals. Licensed in six states, Wolfe has 20 years of architectural experience. A cum laude graduate of California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, with a degree in architecture, Wolfe joined Perkowitz + Ruth Architects in 1987.

A saucy look for Apple

The design of the Apple stores is simple and efficient, honest in its use of materials but almost classical in symmetry and modulation of its elements. The stores reflect Apple's distinctive vision and attention to design, while providing an engaging environment for its innovative products.

The storefront is a model of simplicity. Large windows held in place by a black-metal frame offer a view to the inside. Two Apple logos on both sides of the glass doors identify the store. Once inside, eight zones — four on each side, divided by translucent glass partitions — address particular areas such as professional equipment, consumer devices, music and third-party products.

Each area of the store is supported by software displayed on shelves along the central section of the store. Products and accessories are displayed on white Corian consoles. The center of the store consists of low cabinets of black-stained ash organizing more than 300 different software titles, which guides the customer's eye through the space. Full-height translucent glass panels separate each zone of the space providing a cool contrast to the wide planks of maple flooring below. On the back wall, a 10-ft. diagonal rear-projection screen displays new products, interactive lectures and educational demonstrations. Graphics and signage are contained along the walls. A continuous strip of images contributes to the overall sense of calm and order.

Lighting plays perhaps the most important role. Light fixtures are integrated in the custom ceiling, which includes mechanical elements such as sprinklers, air conditioning and area signs. It consists of rows of luminous and non-luminous panels divided by aluminum channels. The modular nature of the ceiling — designed to allow for a variety of widths and locations — generates an even pace throughout the store, certainly highlighting products for sale, but also providing a sense of ease and familiarity with its environment.

WINNER - CATEGORY A

Eight Inc. Apple Computer

• Project Location: Palo Alto, Calif.

• Firm headquarters: San Francisco, Calif.

• Designer: Eight Inc., San Francisco

• Architect of Record: Gensler & Associates San Francisco

• Design Consultants: Casappo & Associates
  Tokyo, Japan
  Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Berkeley, Calif.
  Yagi Design, San Francisco

• Lighting Consultant: ISP Design, Miami

• Graphic Design Consultants: Apple in-house graphic design team (formerly MarchFIRST), Cupertino, Calif.

• General Contractor: Fisher Development, San Francisco

• Audio Visual AV: Emmacp Pretiss Inc., San Mateo, Calif.
  AMX, Richardson, Texas
  Audiotek Corp., Burbank, Calif.

• Ceiling: George Family Enterprises Inc., Navato, Calif.
  Gordon Interior Specialties, Bossier City, La.

• Fabrics: Maharam, New York

• Fixtures: Fetzers Inc., Salt Lake City

• Flooring: Carlisle Restoration Lumber, Stoddard, N.H.

• Furniture: Theater Carpet: Conklin Bros., San Francisco

• Aalto Tall Stool; ICF Group, San Francisco

• Baleri Italia (Kid's stool): Luminaire, Chicago

• Graphics: March First, San Francisco

• Lighting: Alkco, Franklin Park, Ill.

• Modular International Inc., Pittsburgh
  Cathode Lighting Systems, Gaithersburg, Md.
  Insight, Alburqurque, N.M.
  Cooper Lighting, Chicago
  Lutron, Coopersburg, Pa.

• Glass: Instal-Lite, Houston

• Props/Decoratives: Apple Computer, Cupertino, Calif.

• Signage: Thomas Swan Sign
  Co. Inc., San Francisco

APPLE COMPUTER

Model of simplicity

Products and accessories are displayed on white Corian consoles at the company's Palo Alto, Calif., store.

A palace for porcelain

Lladro, the internationally renowned artisans of fine porcelain, sought to create a new retail environment for their sculptures. The design firm unveiled a most unique retail concept at the opening of Tampa's International Plaza. The design blended music, multimedia and fluid architectural form, creating a rich setting for the display of fine porcelain artwork. The setting is designed to create energy and excitement for the customer.

The store is located on the second level of the International Plaza, and features a sculptural curved facade punctuating the store's exterior. At the entrance, a 4-ft.-by-11-ft. piece of custom designed glass, which contains actual bellflower petals echoing the company's brand mark, is backlit to dramatically silhouette a featured sculpture. A “video fugue” composed of images of the sculptures mixed with Baroque art, contemporary gardens and images of Valencia are projected onto the glass to create a captivating focal point for shoppers.

The 3,000-sq.-ft. interior features curved, white leather walls and concrete floors as a minimal backdrop to the product display. Fresh bellflowers in tray fixtures serve as the base for a pedestal display system. Gently undulant walls, a subtle minimal palette and eclectic furnishings reflect a modern, but serene mood inside the store to highlight the artistry of the collection.

Lladro's Tampa store is the first of a soon-to-be expanded worldwide concept offering the porcelain artwork to the public. Through a multisensory flow, lights, music and visual displays, the customer can truly enjoy the emotions of romance, family and fantasy that are reflected in the Lladro collection.

HONORABLE MENTION

Walker Group/CNI Lladro

• Project Location: Tampa, Fla.

• Firm headquarters: New York, N.Y.

• Designer: WalkerGroup/CNI, New York

• Lighting Design: Dusti Helms

• Contractor: RCC Associates

• Rugs: Mannington Carpet, New York

• Flooring: Congoleum C/C Classic Tile, Elizabeth City, N.J.

• Stone: Innovative Marble and Tile, Hauppauge, N.Y.
  Stone Source, New York
  Worldwide Marble and Granite, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  Custom Blend Glass Mosaic Tile, Bisazza, New York

• Fabric: Blumenthal, New York

• Plastic Laminate: WilsonArt, New York

• Wallcoverings: Innovations, New York
  Garrett Leather, Buffalo, N.Y.
  Majilite, Dracut, Mass.

• Wood: WTP Corp., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

• Glass: Luxar C/O IGT Glass, Scottsdale, Ariz.
  Creative Central, Portland, Ore.
  Bendheim, New York

• Metal Finish: Valley City Plating, Grand Rapids, Mich.
  Wire Design, Lancaster, Pa.

LLADRO

So lovely, so Lladro

The nonintrusive color palette meshes well with the eclectic furnishings, creating a modern but serene look and feel inside the store. This minimal approach allows the collection to be on display, rather than the store itself.

Only a phone call away

The Cingular Wireless store concept is founded on the principle that people shop in different ways. By designing a space that gives people the freedom to do that, the shopping experience itself becomes one more channel for self-expression. The store was designed to address three distinct customer types: the self-navigator, the inquisitive shopper and the non-technology saavy customer.

A curved product wall attracts the self-service shopper. Using the open-sell concept borrowed from cosmetic retailing, Cingular's take on the typical merchandise wall improves on what is commonly found in wireless stores. Rather than just grouping products and accessories by type, vignettes are inserted that present the products as merchandise “stories.”

To satisfy the curious shopper, the Live Bar, an “interactive cafe” element featuring live phones, accessories, wireless data devices and Internet access, offers a highly interactive play station. There are no glass cases creating barriers to what are only “dummy” products. The customer is not dependent on waiting to be helped, but for those who need and want help, the Live Bar facilitates interaction with the sales staff and hands-on product experimentation.

And when it's time for the sales transaction, gone is the imposing sales counter, replaced either by seating areas where customer and staff personal can spend time in comfort, or shoppers can take the Express Service route.

In keeping with the goal to create an enjoyable experience, the look of the store is high-touch; it is warm, welcoming and comfortable. Designed to have a cafe-like ambiance, the store uses upholstered chairs, multiple settings for customers to sit and relax or meet with a sales associate, softer, residential lighting and wood finishes.

Technology tools also are used to support the experience. At the New Feature area, the place to go to learn about new products and ideas, shoppers access information on touch screens. At the Live Bar's e-Station, Cingular customers can access personal account information online.

HONORABLE MENTION

Callison Architecture Inc. Cingular Wireless

• Project Location: prototype store in Dallas, Atlanta, Trussville, Ala.

• Firm headquarters: Seattle, Wash.

• Designer: Callison Architecture Inc., Seattle

• General Contractor: Atlanta prototype, US Communications and Construction, Alpharetta, Ga.
  Dallas prototype, Prizm, Dallas
  Trussville, Ala. prototype, Aztec Construction, Birmingham, Ala.

• Fixtures/Casework: Bon-Art Inc., Newark, N.J.

• Flooring: Oregon Lumber, Lake Oswego, Ore.
  Armstrong, Lancaster, Pa.

• Furniture (standard & custom): Kaas Tailored, Mukilteo, Wash.
  Design Link International, Boston
  Herman Miller, Grandville, Mich.
  Bombast, Vancouver, BC
  Bernhardt, Lenior, N.C.

• Ceiling Systems: USG, Chicago

• Lighting: O'Connor Associates
  MEP Consultant, Consulting Engineers of Omaha

• Signage/Graphics: Dimensional
  Innovations, Overland Park, Kan.

CINGULAR WIRELESS

Seeing Cingular

There are no glass cases creating barriers to what are only “dummy” products. The customer is not dependent on waiting to be helped, but for those who need and want help, the Live Bar facilitates interaction with the sales staff and hands-on product experimentation.

How to beckon a goddess

With its emphasis on a comfortable, modern environment with a residential appeal, the design of NIKEgoddess represents a lifestyle approach rather than the sports imagery themes found in other Nike stores.

Based on a review of research, product information, competitive set, trends in the marketplace and desired personality attributes, Nike's Brand Design Group teamed with Callison Architecture Inc. to create a holistic story: the artful interpretation of the brand revealed in materials, colors, images, textures, lighting, scents and sounds of the store environment.

To accomplish this, store design and merchandising was developed simultaneously, creating a harmonious relationship between product and environment. A runway in the center of the store, made of varying shades of blue mosaic glass tiles, provides a distinct entry and product presentation focus while reinforcing the stores two distinct halves — on one side a “boutique” showcases products in a vignette style, using the display to tell the story about the product, while on the other side the “warehouse” provides density with a higher capacity fixture type.

Fixture and color palettes are neutral. Darkwoods and lightwoods are mixed with pale blues to provide a rich but subtle backdrop for the product. The materials selected reinforce Nike's goal of sustainability. For example, the use of low VOC paints, recycled gypsum board, and glass tiles replace epoxy resin's for the runway. The use of wood-printed plastic laminates replace harvested wood veneers for most of the fixtures and tables. Also, the team used an engineered wood floor certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Lighting throughout the store reinforces the residential feeling. The store is washed with lamps emitting a warm, sunlight base color to bring out the true color of the product, providing an atmosphere of comfort modernism in which to showcase Nike's women's line.

CATEGORY B WINNER

Callison Architecture Inc. NIKEgoddess

• Project Location: prototype store in Newport Beach, Calif.

• Firm headquarters: Seattle, Wash.

• Designer: Callison Architecture Inc., Seattle & Nike Image Design Team

• Retailer's Project Team: Nike Brand Design, Beaverton, Ore.

• Architect of Record: BOORA Architects, Portland, Ore.

• General Contractor: Matt Construction, Sante Fe Springs, Calif.

• Ceiling: Ganahl Lumber, Anaheim, Calif.

• Fixturing: Twenty Four-Seven, Portland, Ore.

• Millwork: Twenty Four-Seven, Portland, Ore.
  Robbins Woodwork, Anaheim, Calif.

• Flooring: ECOTIMBER, Berkeley, Calif.

• Furniture: Full Upright Position, Portland, Ore.
  Knoll Studio, Santa Monica, Calif.
  Modernica, Los Angeles

• Graphics: Nike Brand Design, Beaverton, Ore.
  Photobition, Orlando, Fla.

• Lighting: Benya Lighting Design, Lake Oswego, Ore.
  North Coast Electric Co., Portland, Ore.

• Special Finishes: Glass Mosaic Tile: Ann Sacks Tile and Stone, Portland, Ore.

GRAND SADI WINNER

It's a lifestyle

Nike's new prototype sets a lofty standard for future shops in the NIKEgoddess franchise.

Downright Disney

As part of the $1.4 billion expansion of The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., Downtown Disney connects the two theme parks — Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure — and the hotels with a public esplanade of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Downtown Disney is also key to expanding The Disneyland Resort's core market to include Anaheim residents and visitors to the expanded Anaheim Convention Center.

Downtown Disney occupies 20 acres and includes 300,000 sq. ft. in 15 buildings. As an urban entertainment precinct, the buildings and pavilions are in a pedestrian, urban park setting. The esplanade is comprised of a series of zones defined by architecture and landscape design. Along the edge of The Grand Californian Hotel, buildings are inspired by the Arts and Crafts architecture of southern California. Anchored by the 40,000-sq.-ft. World of Disney store, this zone includes LaBrea Bakery, Naples restaurant and small specialty shops.

The Catal Restaurant and Java Bar is the center of the zone and is defined by the Art Deco architecture found in Los Angeles. Two-story restaurants with second floor exterior terraces immerse the guest in activity and create opportunities to view the strolling crowds from above. The Java Bar itself is a simple pavilion surrounded by 30-ft. tall champagne flutes filled with bougainvillea.

Center Plaza is the hot entertainment core with freestanding food and entertainment venues including the House of Blues, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, and Latin nightclub Arriba y Arriba of Miami. All offer nightly live music with dining that spills out onto the plaza as well as onto second floor balconies.

Finally, the West End connects to the hotel precinct and parking. The 16-screen AMC Cinema, ESPN Zone and Rainforest Cafe anchor this zone. Also located here is the monorail station, which transports hotel guests directly to Disneyland. Underlying and connecting these four zones is a continuous landscape story of embossed vines in the paving and planters, as well as a water story of continuous fountains stretching the length of Downtown Disney.

CATEGORY C WINNER

Elkus/Manfredi Architects Downtown Disney

• Project Location: Anaheim, Calif.

• Firm headquarters: Boston, Mass.

• Architect/Master Planner: Elkus/Manfredi
  Architects, Boston

• Landscape Architect: Fong Hart Schneider, Costa Mesa, Calif.

• Water Feature Designer: STO Design Group, Santa Ana, Calif.

• Lighting Designer: Francis Krahe & Associates, Laguna Beach, Calif.

• Graphic Designer: Selbert Perkins Design
  Collaborative, Santa Monica, Calif.

• Structural Engineer: Krawinkler, Luth & Associates, Laguna Beach, Calif.

• MEP/FP Engineer: ABS Consultants, Denver

• Construction: Turner Construction, Irvine, Calif.
  Bayley Construction, Santa Ana, Calif.

• Landscaping/Fountains: Valley Crest, Santa Ana, Calif.

• Site Concrete: Shaw & Sons, Costa Mesa, Calif.

• Masonry: R & R Masonry, North Hollywood, Calif.

• Stone/Tile: DBM Hatch, La Verne, Calif.

• Ceramic Tile: Mercury Tile, Van Nuys, Calif.

• FRP: Moonlight Molds, Gardena, Calif.

• Sheet Metal: Weiss Sheet Metal, Gardena, Calif.

• Ornamental Metals: Washington Iron Works, Gardena, Calif.

• Wine Flute Planters: National Mallfront & Design, Peoria, Ariz.

• Carpentry: Golden State Framing, Placentia, Calif.

• Painting: Borbon Painting, Buena Park, Calif.

DOWNTOWN DISNEY

Bright lights, big city

The 20-acre development features 15 buildings and 300,000 sq. ft. A 40,000-sq.-ft. World of Disney store anchors the project, which also includes restaurants and specialty shops.

Village people

The goal for designing FlatIron Village was to increase customer visits to an enclosed shopping center by attracting premier local retailers and restaurateurs, as well as national brands to an adjacent open-air village that responds to the community's active, outdoor lifestyle.

By incorporating a low-rise, outdoor “village” immediately adjacent to the two-story enclosed shopping center, the 240,000-sq.-ft. FlatIron Village offers its shopper community both everyday services and amenities and convenient access. About half of the Village tenants are local merchants. Meshed with the enclosed center, the Village is a unique, attached streetscape of stores, restaurants, entertainment venues and service providers. It presents a scene reminiscent of other distinctive open-air Colorado shopping districts such as Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, with its varying public spaces, meandering paths, streams, fountains and plantings. It also links with the local trail system.

Faced with a nationwide dwindling of traffic at regional shopping centers, to achieve long-term success the Village was designed to resonate with and be embraced by the region's residents. The Village provides a unique retail option for both the time-pressed shopper and the sensation-hungry customer and tenants that may not want or need the indoor mall experience.

CATEGORY C WINNER

Callison Architecture Inc. FlatIron Village

• Project Location: Broomfield, Colo.

• Firm headquarters: Seattle, Wash.

• Designer: Callison Architecture Inc., Seattle

• Landscape Architect: Murase Associates, Portland, Ore.

• Masonry: Prairie Stone, Lockport, Ill.
  Central Masonry Corp., Littleton, Colo.

• Storefronts: Kawneer, Golden, Colo.

• Water Features: Murase Associates, Portland, Ore.

FLATIRON VILLAGE

Community center

The project's design reflects the fact that more than 50% of tenants are local merchants.

English lesson

Behind the preserved facade of a former newspaper headquarters in Manchester, England, lies The Printworks, a new district — complete with bars, cafes, restaurants, retail outlets and a health complex — that evokes a neighborhood of winding streets and storefronts. At 550,000 sq. ft., the multi-level development in Manchester's Central Business District defies all preconceptions regarding urban entertainment centers.

The Printworks uniquely solves the design problem of how to place a multi-tenanted entertainment center onto an urban site. By accommodating more than 380,000 sq. ft. of lettable space on a mere 80,000-sq.-ft. site, the development team eliminated the circulation areas at the upper and lower levels adopted by conventional malls. The Printworks is multi-leveled, yet it notably omits upper and lower level walkways. Visitors circulate exclusively at the ground level creating a constant, urban buzz.

The Printworks retained all the original window openings of the facade from the building that was demolished on the site. The newer facades were broken down into smaller pieces through the use of contrasting materials (brick and glass). The development team worked carefully with the lighting designer to light the brick and glass areas of the facade differently from each other in dramatic ways. The use of thousands of fluorescent tubes with colored sleeves behind the glass part of the facade has become one of the most emblematic images of the project.

Within the center itself, the team was adamant that the civic quality of the new street they were creating would not be lessened by the incorporation of the “theme,” faux, look-alike, or otherwise artificial materials that proliferate among traditional entertainment centers. Real materials — bricks, stone, metal, wood — were used throughout the entire length of the new street.

CATEGORY D WINNER

RTKL The Printworks

• Project Location: Manchester, England

• Firm headquarters: Baltimore, Md.

• Owner/Developer: The Printworks Leisure
  Scheme Trust Fund, London

• Owner/Construction Manager: Carillion, Liverpool, England

• Local Architect: RTKL International, London

• Architect: RTKL International, London

• Mall Management: FPD Savills, Manchester, England

• Agents: Jones Lang LaSalle

• QS: EC Harris & Partners

• Structural Engineer: TPS Consult

THE PRINTWORKS

British invasion

Manchester, England's The Printworks is a 550,000-sq.-ft. entertainment center featuring tenants such as Hard Rock Cafe, Tiger Tiger and Old Orleans.

Mediterranean dream

CityPlace is an ambitious 3.5 million-sq.-ft. multi-block, urban, mixed-use development envisioned to become a vibrant part of the newly revitalized City of West Palm Beach in Florida. The programmatic components include 700,000 sq. ft. of retail, dining and entertainment, hotel, office, housing, a convention center, and cultural components including a renovated church for theater and exhibition use.

The design team maintained the original street-grid network and constituted a series of connecting civic plazas along the retail corridor of Clematis Street and Rosemary Avenue. This decision effectively tied the existing business and government core to the new cultural and shopping streets in CityPlace and the neighborhoods around the project.

The masterplan creates new streetscapes that feature highly detailed facades and a variety of building scales. At the heart of CityPlace, the streets converge on a central European-style public plaza featuring fountains that are animated with sound and light, and ringed with two levels of dining, shopping and entertainment.

The use of local and regional materials throughout the architecture of CityPlace adds richness and life to the design while staying true to the region's Mediterranean aesthetic heritage: a combination of Tuscan colors and warm earth tones in a Mediterranean style popular in Florida in the 1920s. Street elevations, replete with arcades, shaded overhangs and balconies, terraces, lush landscaped arborways and colonnades all give the feel of having evolved over time.

Over 900 trees have been planted so far; the palette chosen is semi-tropical. More than 12 varieties of palms are used in formal rows to define public spaces, give vertical scale, act as a natural screen, provide instant shade and unify the residential and commercial streetscape. Seasonal color is provided throughout CityPlace by more than 400 decorative pots. Annuals are rotated a minimum of three times a year to provide year-round color.

CATEGORY E WINNER

Elkus/Manfredi Architects CityPlace

• Project Location: West Palm Beach, Fla.

• Firm headquarters: Boston, Mass.

• Lead Architect/Master Planner:
  Elkus/Manfredi Architects, Boston

• Associate Architect/Engineer:
  Wolfberg Alvarez & Partners, Miami

• Residential Architect:
  Roger Fry AIA, Coconut Grove, Fla.

• Cinema Design Architect:
  Development Design Group, Baltimore

• Landscape Architect:
  Bradshaw Gill & Associates, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fla.

• Performance Hall Design Archite