More on the 2010 Smart Environments Awards

Last week we posted a roundup of noteworthy design competitions accepting entries in the next few months. We wanted to take a moment now to call extra attention to one contest that is particularly important to us at the magazine: the fifth-annual IIDA/Metropolis Smart Environments Awards, which recognize interiors that are more than just pretty pictures. Eligible projects do have to be good-looking, of course, but the jurors are just as concerned with sustainability and accessibility. The idea is that these are spaces that embody the very best in 21st-century interior design, with aesthetics, human health and well-being, and environmental concerns all seamlessly integrated. Perhaps the best way to understand what make a Smart Environment is to study past winners—so here they are:

2009

THE PLANT CAFE ORGANIC
CCS Architecture

TWELVE WEST (above)
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects

KROON HALL
Hopkins Architects and Centerbrook Architects and Planners

2008

ARABIAN LIBRARY
Richärd + Bauer Architecture

SWEETGREEN RESTAURANT (above)
Core Architecture + Design

ALLEY 24
NBBJ

2007

ISLAND WOOD
Mithun

STRATUS VINEYARDS
Burdifilek and Les Andrew

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION (above)
ASD

ECO-SUITE
Kantelberg Design

2006

GREENWICH STREET RESIDENCES (above)
Archi-Tectonics

LETTÜS CAFÉ ORGANIC
CCS Architecture

HOK’S TORONTO OFFICE

INTERFACE FLOR SHOWROOM
TVS Interiors

BANK OF AMERICA TRADING FLOOR
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE
Mahlum Architects

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The deadline to request an entry kit for the 2010 Smart Environments awards is September 23. Click here for the contest guidelines and to download the request for entry form.
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