The World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards 2011 – “Interiors and Fit Out category” has evolved into an innovative new festival in its own right that celebrates the most inspired and accomplished interiors around the world.

The nature of the Interior Design industry is changing and we now operate in an increasingly global market. With its inclusion of interiors projects from around the world, INSIDE gives great insight into interior design practice today, and is a unique opportunity to look at developments in interior design across a wide range of industries, like health, hospitality and transport.

For INSIDE’s inaugural year, a stellar line-up of judges, whittled down hundreds of entries to a diverse shortlist of 44 completed projects. These nominated designers then battled it out across the 9 Design Categories – Hotels; Bars & Restaurants; Culture; Civic; Retail; Residential; Office, Transport; Display; and Creative Re-use.

The Innovative Awards scheme was judged by some of the best names in the business, including Ilse Crawford, Andre Fu, Ross Lovegrove and Paul Priestman. Rather than schemes being judged behind closed doors, leading design names pitched against each other in live presentations to win the accolade World Interior of the Year.

Inside also featured an inspiring talks programme including topics such as: Can interior design make food taste better?  Heal You?  Make you work better?  Spend better?  Help you escape?

The category winners for INSIDE 2011 are all presented in detail following the continue link below

Hotels : The Waterhouse at South Bund, Shanghai / Neri & Hu / China

Waterhouse is a four-storey, 19-room boutique hotel in a three-storey Japanese Army headquarters building dating from the 1930´s. the architectural expression articulates the contrast of what is old and new, with additions, built over the existing structure in Cor-Ten steel. The interiors blue and invert notions of inside and out, public and private. This notion of public and private space is inspired by the essence of traditional lane houses.

The designers pride themselves on having “a good understanding of how to preserve historical buildings in the proper way.” A rare vision in China.

The judges said:”This project showed daring and provocative vision executed in incredible detail.”

Located by the new Cool Docks development on the South Bund District of Shanghai, the Waterhouse is a four-story, 19-room boutique hotel built into an existing three-story Japanese Army headquarters building from the 1930’s. The boutique hotel fronts the Huangpu River and looks across at the gleaming Pudong skyline.

The architectural concept behind NHDRO’s renovation rests on a clearly articulated contrast of what is old and new. The original concrete building is restored while new additions, which was built over the existing structure, is built out of Cor-Ten steel, reflecting the industrial past of this working dock by the Huangpu River.

NHDRO’s structural addition, on the fourth floor, resonates with the industrial nature of the ships which pass through the river, providing an analogous contextual link to both history and local culture. NHDRO was also responsible for the design of the hotel’s interior, which is expressed through a blurring and inversion of the interior and exterior, as well as between the public and private realms, creating a disorienting yet refreshing spatial experience for the hotel guest who longs for an experience out of the ordinary five-star hospitality outfit.

The public spaces allow one to peek into private rooms while the private spaces invite one to look on to the public arenas, such as the large vertical room window above the reception desk and the corridor windows overlooking the dining room. Visual connections of unexpected spaces not only brings an element of surprise, but also forces the hotel guests to confront with a local shanghai urban condition where visual corridors and adjacencies in tight nong-tang’s define the unique spatial flavor of shanghai

Offices : Barcode Office, Singapore / Ministry of Design / Singapore

Inhabiting six converted shop-house units, Ministry of Design’s studio accommodates the entire office on a single floor. Encouraging innovation and creativity, space was designed without hierarchy or barriers. A series of mixed areas are positioned along ´catwalks´ including a gallery, meeting space, open-plan desks, hot-desk discussion zones and a library.

The judges said:”This scheme delivered a big impact on how people work in the space.”

Inhabiting 6 converted traditional shophouse units at the confluence of Singapore’s historic Chinatown area and the bustling CBD, the approach for our own design studio employs the same principles which govern our projects: typological relevance, a disciplined material/tonal palette and an ‘essentialized’ concept. In searching for a locale to base our creative endeavors, we were determined to find a building large enough to accommodate our entire office on a single floor.

Open communication is key to innovation and creativity; as such, our space would be without hierarchy or barriers, a truly open office. The linear series of spaces within the studio are choreographed in between the perimeter of twin datum lines – which form circulation axes spanning the entire space. Mirrored terminus points elongate these axes and become daily ‘catwalks’.

Resembling a Barcode, a series of mixed program are positioned along these catwalks and range from a gallery space, meeting spaces, open-plan desks, hot-desk discussion zones to a library. All new interventions are conceived as objects within the landscape of the existing shell and are designed to remain visually separated.

The entry Gallery space allows for constant renewal and an avenue to express ourselves without needing to reinvent the entire studio. Our work areas are intentionally pure black and white, which allows us to tackle the wide array of creative explorations against neutral foil. The library is finished in an unfinished timber; tectonically, it provides a more relaxed environment as a counter point to the rest of the space.

Culture & Civic :  Football Training Centre, Soweto / RUF Project / Canada

As an important community project, openness and transparency were key consideration in the design of Soweto’s new Football Training Centre. This resulted in innovative responses to safety and security, including an artist designed chain link fence that surrounds the site. Elsewhere a limited palette of raw materials – concrete, stone, timber and steel, creates a sense of warmth.

The project was described by designer and creative director of RUF Project Sean Pearson as “and intense but fun and worthwhile project.”

The judges said:“This project is powerful gesture for an impoverished community, communicating a proud sense of Soweto as a special place. The scheme displays a sensible, malleable and interesting interior, done in an amazingly short period. Highly sustainable with re-used materials the magic the project displays a remarkable transformation of sketches into symbols.”

Situated in the heart of Soweto, the Football Training Centre is the centre of football in South Africa, where 1200 teams and 20,000 footballers will play each year.

In less than 6 months, the facility was transformed into a state of the art football training centre – the first of its kind in Africa – the facility encompasses 2 new full sized artificial pitches, 2 junior turf pitches, new lighting, a clubhouse & player lounge, an education facility for the Grass Roots Soccer & Life Skillz program, a Training Gym, Physio & First Aid facility, a Product Trial, Catering , Administrative Offices, Viewing Deck and new Change Rooms.

The Clubhouse & Player’s Lounge house regular and in-depth tips and insights from Nike Athletes & Coaches and a place for coaches and players to focus on the tactical and strategic aspects of the game.

The facility has been designed from the outset for and around the player, supporting the various aspects of their training. The concept was to create a clear but intricately woven relationship of spaces with transparency between functions, such that views between spaces to and from other areas of the building are established.

Everything has been considered to make the facility flow and remain “open” while managing the reality of creating a secure and safe place to play football. The existing situation at the football park was a very high solid perimeter fence around the entire property so that you couldn’t see in, and the auxiliary buildings themselves had bars on the windows.

Theft and personal security was a real concern, and it was critical that we provided a safe place for the boys and girls to be able to focus their attention on football, and not worry about some of the issues they may be facing on a day to day basis outside the training centre.

At the same time the project was for the community, and as such needed to convey an openness and transparency while at the same time deal with the realities of the context it was in. We therefore integrated security into the design of the facility itself such that it became ‘invisible’ in a way. We opted for Clear-View fencing to the perimeter, to allow clear views in and out of the grounds to the community.

The building itself has limited access points with roller shutters, and at pitch level the large steel doors can be opened up such that while in use during the day you can really open the facility up without the visual imposition of heavy security. An internal courtyard was created between the main buildings, and the very talented artist Kronk was commissioned to help us turn the security fence into something beautiful, integrating his artwork into a woven chain link fence.

The facade itself, as a timber louvre structure, provides a secure perimeter to the large expanses of glazing facing the field , while at the same time minimizes passive solar gain to the east, north and west. The design of the main building inherently used a series of passive solar principles to minimize the use of high energy dependent mechanical systems, but maintain a comfortable temperature range for interior and exterior spaces.

Over the pitches, the overhang provides shade before and after the game. The south facade has it’s sandstone exposed and houses a growing list of players who distinguish themselves on and off the pitch – their names permanently apart of the building and it’s future. As the main building is quite simple and monumental in form, the materiality was carefully chosen to connect the building to it’s context. Local materials were utilized in non traditional ways, overlapping them and playing with reflection and shadow.

The overlap of the timber louvres and the stone rain screen creates an ever changing facade to the fields, depending on your angle of view and the time of day. From the interior, the shadows create dramatic overlapping patterns and colour, which again speaks to the incredible beauty of the South African sun.

To both the interior and exterior we wanted to play with this idea of refined roughness. We purposefully used a limited palette of raw, straight forward materials such as concrete, stone, timber and steel and then set these off of each other in a variety of ways to play with light and create a sense of warmth.

The training centre was intended by Nike to respond and support both the mental and physical aspects of the game of football and as such we were trying to interweave such ideas as community, learning, health, aspiration, hope, pride and excellence into the design. It was critical that the building have soul and resist the typical concrete-block bunker that is often the case with sports facilities, but at the same time deal with the functional realities of being a training centre.

The intent of the project was to provide a lasting home for football in the dynamic community of Soweto that would continue on past the world cup.

Retail :  Hostem, London / James Plumb / UK

The aesthetic of this menswear store uses antique and reclaimed pieces to create a sense of charm and timelessness. With two rooms – one a warm and light hue, the other a darker and more enveloping – distressed artworks decorate walls, vintage lampshades create a chandelier and clothes are displayed on hand-cast concrete plinths.

Designers Hannah Plumb and James Russell both have backgrounds in fine art and sculpture, which can clearly be seen in the handmade detailing.

The judges said:“This project struck us with its nature, simplicity and honesty – great attention to detail.”

Walking through the doors of East London menswear store, Hostem, one is immediately met with the candle like glow of the exposed light bulbs illuminating overhead. From the solidity of the reclaimed wooden floorboards underfoot to the theatrical hand painted and aged hessian wall canvasses, the aesthetic is based on a deference to history through the re-working of antique and reclaimed pieces to imbue the present with charm and timelessness.

The design duo behind the store’s beautiful interior have bestowed their signature ‘love-worn’ accents throughout. They create a sense of individuality and history, using masterfully reworked mirrors, wood that looks as if pillaged from decades past and simple, honest fabrics to adorn the windows and soft furnishings. The attention to detail creates a harmony and balance that perfectly frames the beautiful products within.

The store has two rooms – one a warm and light hue, the other a darker more enveloping tone. Crackled artworks decorate the walls, vintage lampshades are wittily reworked into a chandelier that bustles like a bouquet, with clothes and accessories displayed on concrete and plaster plinths ensuring they are given the attention they deserve – all in all the store reflects the perfect marriage of modernity and heritage. Vintage US Trouble Lighting hangs from long cables, allowing customers to manoeuvre the glow for closer examination of the clothes.

The creators work alone in perfect design unison, ensuring each piece is built to last with the perfect balance of form and function. The overall effect is one of calm assurance. Of quality, of personality, of history, wit and considered, intelligent design

Residential :  Strelein Warehouse, Sydney / Ian Moore Architects / Australia

This nineteenth-century warehouse is now a one-bedroom residence. With two street frontages at different levels, a new front door is located in the former loading dock. Internally the level change creates a dynamic relationship between double height living room and elevated kitchen. Existing elements have been painted white, with new elements painted black.

“Everything existing was to remain white and everything added to the space was to be black,” said Ian Moore of his striking scheme.

This project is the conversion of a late 19th century former grocery warehouse into a 2 level, one bedroom residence.

In the mid 20th century it had 35 years of use as an engineering workshop before being converted to an artist’s studio and residence in the 1970s.

The property has 2 street frontages, allowing clear separation of pedestrian and vehicle entries. The new front door is located in the former loading dock at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, adjacent to a heritage listed sandstone wall. The entry is defined by a full height steel plate portal, adding to the palimpsest of former window openings and recycled brickwork that make up this façade.

Internally a 1.7 metre height difference between the 2 streets is utilised to create the tall volume of the living space, with its’ floor to ceiling wall of books.

The kitchen occupies the half level above, overlooking the living area and is screened by a black steel plate structure incorporating a built-in black leather bench seat. The garage opens off the kitchen, with its’ internal dimensions defining the major strategic move within the design.

Once the guest bathroom/laundry/storage and the stair opposite were deducted from the internal width, together with the minimum width required for the garage, the remainder was 10 millimetres with which to construct the wall between the garage and stair. This led to the adoption of the 10 millimetre thick steel plate structure that flows through to the entry portals, the kitchen surround and bookcase.

All existing structure has been retained, lined and painted white, while all new elements are painted black. This concept is carried through to the black and white rubber flooring. All joinery is finished in black anodised aluminium, including the bathroom on the upper level, which maintains the datum established by the height of the original window openings.

The clear glazing above allows light from the new clerestory window to illuminate the formerly dark centre of the deep open planned space. Internally the bathroom is lined with Corian on both walls and floor.

The main street façade reinterprets the original but in steel rather than timber, with the address spelt out in water jet cut steel letters reflecting the original engineering workshop signage.

The contrast between the precision of the steelwork and the patina of the original brickwork summarises the transformation from 19th to 21st centuries and from industrial to residential.

Transport :  Wellington International Airport, Wellington / Studio Pacific & Warren and Mahoney in Association / New Zealand

The extension of Wellington Airport had two overarching requirements: to provide a memorable experience and to have an edgy design. Inside space unfolds on numerous levels, encouraging and enabling exploration. Deep window seats offer very specific vantage points, providing a significant alternative to the large areas experienced in the existing main terminal building.

“The brief was to divide opinion by the design” said Studio Pacific’s Nick Barratt-Boyes.

The judges said:”We were impressed that the project celebrated the local heritage through symbolic design that didn’t adhere to the stereotype of a typical transport building.”

Wellington Airport is located on the south cost of New Zealand’s North Island. Facing directly onto the wind swept Cook Strait, the coastline is extremely wild, rugged and exposed.

As a major regional hub, Wellington Airport is expanding its international capacity with long haul flights to Asia. The architectural brief was for an extension to the existing International Terminal allowing increased capacity for almost every aspect of arrivals and departures including customs control, aviation security, duty free, lounge areas, baggage handling and departure gates etc. The brief from the courageous and ambitious client included two overarching requirements that drove the design (i) it had to be a memorable experience and (ii) that the design had to be ‘edgy’.

The interior space is captivating, exudes warmth and resounds with personality. Spaces unfold on varying levels and exploration is welcomed, allowing travellers, when required to spend more time in airports with security procedures becoming increasingly more stringent and time consuming, to meet some respite. It is intimate. It offers a memorable visitor experience which is both arresting and calming. As a counterpoint to the large areas of glazing in the existing main terminal building, the form offers selected and crafted views with smaller defined apertures. Its windows have deep sills that you can nestle into. Glazed fissures in the roof between the rock-like forms offer soft natural daylight to the space and give the interior a warm honey-glow. Further glazing on the bridge-like walkway separates the new terminal from the existing building on both levels. It is this chasm which creates the theatrical and dramatic moment in the building. Arriving passengers on the ground level traverse the fissure from the existing building. Departing passengers on the upper level cross under the glazed roof bridging the two. This link is expressed as a giant seismic gap. At this point, they can look down through small fractured glass apertures in the floor and glimpse arriving passengers passing below and vice versa. The theatrical nature of the experience is extended to the mezzanine, which is carved out of the ramp rock, and to the raised floor areas in the nose of the rock where the café is located.

The construction itself uses standardised and economical building components in a creative way. The lightweight steel portals of the building carcass is lined with plywood and fibre-cement sheet on the interior. The interior floor is stone, windows are aluminium and plywood is used for the window reveals.

Meticulous planning has gone into recycling, refurbishing and salvaging existing elements within the building. This markedly reinforces the green features of the building. Examples of this include: the reuse of the existing mechanical plant, the refurbishment of existing lifts, the reuse and salvaging of existing ceiling tiles, security cameras, PA, toilet fittings, doors, door hardware, lights, emergency phones and gate signs; existing lounge seats have been reupholstered, aerobridges refurbished where possible, toilets are refurbished and existing shear walls which would otherwise have been very expensive to remove were retained.

A strong Environmentally Sustainable Design feature of the new Terminal is the strategy of using ramps for level changes as opposed to escalators or lifts where possible. Other features include; high thermal insulation values, double and laminated glazing, plantation selected timbers, natural daylight via skylights, reconstituted rubber floor coverings, low VOC’s coverings, environmental range paint specifications, low flow bathroom fittings and an efficient low velocity mechanical plant for thermal comfort.

Planning efficiencies and future flexibility have been accommodated in the design in a number of practical ways, for instance, flexible use of baggage swing belts, operable walls to allow for significant variations in operations between international and domestic lounge and gate facilities; two aerobridges that can accommodate code E and code D aircraft, additional AVSEC screening facilities, Customs primary line stations, mezzanine space within the lounge for additional seating, exhibition space or further amenities.

Display :  Ceramics Study Galleries @ Victoria & Albert Museum, London / Opera Amsterdam / Netherlands

Out of public view since 2004, the V&A’s London Collection is back on display, featuring more than 26, 000 ceramics. Senior Designer Jeroen Luttikhuis of Opera Amsterdam asserted that the project was “all about density and multitude”.

The collection is set in four vitrines, two circular and two elongated, that measure up to 30 metres long and more than 3.5 metres high. Standing free in the space, they are distinguished by their simplicity.

The judges said:“With this category we were trying to find one strong idea behind the design – the ability to limit the confusion of too many ideas. This project presented one strong idea and was executed really well – from the materials to its function and lighting.”

The second phase of the new Ceramics Galleries celebrates the vast size and strength of the V&A ceramics collections.

On June 8, the British public can again visit the extraordinary, completely renovated and newly installed ceramics galleries at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The London collection, one of the premier collections in the world, is known not only for its quality, but also for its magnitude and scientific importance. The collection has been off-view at the museum since 2004.

In 2007, OPERA Amsterdam won the commission to redesign the galleries of the prestigious study collection. The objective being to house objects from myriad centuries and cultural origins within a permanent depository on view to the general public.

The previous installation featured only a fraction of the collection with no more than 3.000 objects on display. In contrast, the new configuration brings visitors face to face with more than 26.000 objects. The oldest object dating from 3.000 B.C. and the most recent from the twenty-first century.

OPERA, in collaboration with the V & A curators, developed an ordering system that is informative and cohesive, but doesn’t diminish the clear theatrical quality created by bringing all the objects together.

The strength of the new installation undoubtedly lies in the scope and size of the collection, as well as the spatial density of the display. The complete depository, that until now was virtually inaccessible to the public, is now available for public viewing.

OPERA Amsterdam designed four unique vitrines specifically for the collection: two circular and two elongated measuring up to 30 metres long and more than 3,5 meters high.

The new displays stand free in the space, distinguished by their simplicity and transparency. All technical detailing necessary to carry the extreme load of the collection is all but invisible. A unique characteristic of the long vitrines is the dedicated work area for Museum curators where they can carry out scientific work in view of the public.

The vitrines are designed as a corridor with this purpose in mind, straddled by the fully restored original display vitrines. A study centre is positioned adjacent to the galleries.

The public is welcome by appointment to research pieces from the collection, easily accessible from the nearby depository. Even for the public without an appointment, the curious have the chance to study close-up the history of ceramics spanning five millennia

Creative Re-Use  :  St Barbara Bastion, Valletta / Architecture Project / Malta

The conversion of this three-storey house into offices and residential space, exploits the double-helix principle in the design of a new stair that twists and warps to resolve the existing building’s irregular floor levels. The threshold between new and old is further articulated by benches, peep holes and shelving. The project designer said, “if you know Malta, you will know that it is difficult not to touch history”, with a lot of their projects being restoration and adaptive re-use schemes.

The judges said:“This project was a strong scheme where the winner pushed boundaries to the limit.” Each category winner will go on to present their projects today, Thursday 3 November, to the super jury in a high-energy, informative yet fun environment, to compete for the ultimate accolade; “World Interior of the Year”.

This project – located on the edges of the historic inner harbour of Valletta, Malta – involves the remodelling of an old three-story house into offices and residential space, with separate entrances and two staircases accessing the different quarters.

Addressing the demand for separate entrances and the need for two staircases became the key design challenge of this project: having them spiralling through the same space.

The brief for this project was one which took into account three major elements.

The first was the creation of manageable office space in an old building which would include all the suitable amenities of a contemporary working space; light, clarity, comfort and ease of access.

The second was the creation of a high end, luxury residential space which would be located on the uppermost level of the building.

The third issue was that of creating two separate entrances to accommodate for the differentiating functions of the building; one for the residential space and one for the office space.

We applied the ‘double-helix’ principle and conceived both staircases as one sculptural mass to reach the offices and the residential unit respectively. In order to match up with the irregular floor levels of the original double fronted town house we twisted and warped the structure to its eventual shape, resulting in new and unexpected visual connections between floors and their uses. To highlight and celebrate the thresholds where the helical structure and the old fabric meet a number of events where inserted: from waiting benches to peep-holes and shelving.

The dark, almost eerie atmospheric quality emphasizes the ‘strangeness’ of this architectural feature. The lighting is minimal and unobtrusive. Lines of light create a sensation of one being led through a giant tree bark, or cavernous passageway, where natural light has all but been cut-out. T

he location of the property is one of such prestige that it immediately lends a feeling of luxury to the project. Already being elevated by the outstanding views of Valletta’s Grand Harbour, the interiors for the penthouse suite and the offices needed to be nothing short of the highest specification quality on the market.

Materiality and tone is therefore a key characteristic determining the feeling for each and every one of the rooms in the building

INSIDE 2011 Entries came from the following practices around the World

ARGENTINA – Contract. AUSTRALIA – Bates Smart Pty Ltd / BVN Architecture / Freeman Ryan Design / Gray Puksand / Ian Moore architects / McBride Charles Ryan / Phi Design and Architecture / Russell & George / Woods Bagot / Woodhead. BELGIUM – Bham design studio. BRAZIL – Isay Weinfeld / studiomk27, studio mk27 / Isay Weinfeld. CANADA – II BY IV Design Associates / LEMAYMICHAUD Architecture Design / RUF project. CHINA – Neri&Hu Design and Research Office. CROATIA – DVA arhitekta. CYPRUS – George Papadopoulos Skinotechniki. GERMANY – BEHF Architects / Ippolito Fleitz Group GmbH / MLS Architekten. GREECE – Eleanna Horiti architecte dplg / Kokkinou – Kourkoulas Architects. INDIA – Angstroms / Atelier
Anonyme / Bhagwat and associates / Lotus Design Services / Design Services, Praxis Inc. / Urban Studio, OOZE. INDONESIA – Samuela. Budiono & Associates. IRAN – hooba design. JAPAN – Nikken Space Design Ltd., TAISEI Corporation / SEIBU Kensetsu / Upsetters architects / Yuko Shibata Office. MALTA – Architecture Project. MALAYSIA – Syarikat Pembenaan Yeoh Tiong Lay. MEXICO – ARCO Arquitectura Contemporanea, GFA+G / Bunker Arquitectura / Cadena + Asociados Branding, Proveedora de Arquitectura / Esrawe Studio / Migdal Arquitectos. NETHERLANDS – OD205 / Sander architecten / Verhoeven en Meijerink / Architectuur, KOW / OPERA Amsterdam / Kossmann.dejong. . NEW ZEALAND – Studio Pacific Architecture / Warren and Mahoney. RUSSIA – ITHAKA Architecture & Design Ltd. REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE – Asylum Creative Pte Ltd / Kerry Hill Architects Pte Ltd / DP Architects Pte Ltd / Ministry of Design Pte Ltd / Mirage International. SPAIN – Anna Noguera, arquitecta. SWEDEN – PS Arkitektur AB. SWITZERLAND – Gessaga Hindermann GmbH / GREGO Jasmin Grego & Stephanie Kühnle. THAILAND – ASC Interiors. TURKEY – Architects-International, AVK Mimarlik / 212 Architecture / CM Architecture Ltd. / Mik. Mühendislik Mü / Suyabatmaz Demirel Architects. UNITED KINGDOM – e2 / Eva Jiricna Architects Ltd. / ‘i-am’ Associates / Draisci Studio,van Heyningen and Haward Architects / Gensler / Haworth Tompkins / James Plumb / Project Orange / Shalini Misra Ltd. / Studio db / Wells Mackereth. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – Peter Marino Architect, Peter Marino Architect PLLC. WORLDWIDE – Hassell / dwp