A Frame Club by Skylab Architecture; Photograph by Stephan Werk
GRAY Media announces the commercial architecture finalists for the 7th Annual GRAY Awards.
SEATTLE, December 18, 2023 — Now in its 7th year, GRAY Awards — the international cross-disciplinary design awards program — continues to recognize the outstanding work happening around the world. Finalists have been selected in the fields of ARCHITECTURE, INTERIORS, LANDSCAPE, and PRODUCT DESIGN.
JUDGES CATEGORIES
Designers and manufacturers were invited to submit their projects in nine judges categories plus an editors’ pick Design for Good category. An esteemed panel of international design luminaries will select a winner in each of the initial nine categories. The winning designers will receive print and digital recognition as well as a custom designed trophy by acclaimed glass artist John Hogan.
GRAY CATEGORIES
GRAY encourages designers and manufacturers to create "Design for Good" projects —projects that have made a positive impact through design on a humanitarian, community, or environmental issue — and offers an award dedicated to these works each year.
In 2020, when the GRAY Awards expanded from a regional to international program, GRAY added a Legacy Award dedicated exclusively to a Pacific Northwest-based designer's lifetime achievement, honoring the region where GRAY began and the home to the GRAY Awards Parties. GRAY will name the next Legacy at the Party.
BREAKOUT CATEGORIES
Newly introduced at the 6th annual GRAY Awards last year, GRAY added several Breakout Categories, opening up opportunities to win GRAY Awards in micro-categories from Kitchens to Collaborations.
All winners will be announced at the GRAY Awards Party held in Seattle in March, 2024. The party is one of the most highly anticipated design bashes of the year, where all guests are treated like winners.
To purchase tickets, visit the 7th annual GRAY Awards Party page.
JUDGES
It is our privilege each year to welcome an international group of distinguished creatives to the GRAY Awards judging panel. Each working at the top of their game, these professionals now focus a discerning eye on determining the winners of the coveted GRAY Awards trophies.
7th annual GRAY Awards judging panel: Lee Broom, Brigitte Shim, Alessandro Munge, Silvia Tcherassi, Stephen Burks
FINALISTS - ARCHITECTURE, COMMERCIAL
Photograph by Aaron Leitz
The repositioning of 800 Fifth Avenue, a LEED Platinum building in Seattle’s downtown core, updates the role of the modern urban workplace by creating an experience that is better than home. Designed largely during the COVID-19 pandemic, as offices throughout Seattle effectively emptied and individuals adapted to remote work, the project is informed by a desire for flexibility in where and how to work, personal connection, and social engagement. 800 Fifth Avenue captures the elements that made remote work attractive while underscoring urban amenities that serve both tenants and the wider public.
Photograph by Stephan Werk
The A-Frame Club is a new hotel brand that takes design cues from 1970s American ski culture and the iconic A-frame cabins of that era. The first Club consists of 31 newly-constructed cabins along with a bar and restaurant in a historic saloon building in Winter Park, Colorado. Situated on a two-acre wooded site adjacent to the Fraser River, the stand-alone cabins are nestled among mature pine trees. The cabins are connected by a network of boardwalks, providing solitude to guests, and fostering a relaxing atmosphere after a day of skiing or mountain biking.
Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 by HEMAA
Photograph by Rory Gardiner
Trapped between a narrow street and the old tracks of the Cuernavaca Railroad, it was hard to imagine that a slender tower would be built on this narrow plot of land - seemingly destined to be a leftover space in the city.
Formally speaking, the building is the result of the analysis and reinterpretation of the assembly of classical architecture, the understanding of steel, concrete, and glass construction in modern architecture, and the response to the specific conditions of the site. Its volumetry is configured by a base, shaft, and capital, revealing its character through different modulations and sizes of glazing, and its structural facade appears as the solution to free the floors from obstructions. This construction approach generates modules that optimize space and organize its facades, which are almost entirely glazed with the intention of capturing the maximum amount of light and connecting the building with its surroundings.
Photograph by Adam Šafránek
Masaryčka, the flagship project of Penta Real Estate, is slowly becoming the new central pulsating heart of downtown Prague. The unique design has created a new landmark, and regenerated the huge brownfield adjacent to Masaryk railway station. The entire project pays respect to the history of the area, while offering generous space with an emphasis on office and commercial use, including the reconstruction and modernization of the historic Masaryk station.
Photograph by Andrew Giammarco
At a soaring 44 stories, the U.S. Bank Center lives in the heart of Seattle's downtown retail core. Constructed in the late 1980s, the tower had weathered the passage of time and needed a revitalization. The building gave little in terms of public amenities and street-level experience. The challenge was to transform this iconic space into a modern, dynamic workplace with a public-facing offering that would attract tenants and give back to the community.
The design process began with stripping away all post-modern ornamentation to create a distinctive building within a building. The original design concealed the ADA ramps; the reposition celebrated the opportunity to create accessibility and equitable circulation. Introducing porosity within the ground plane while bringing clarity to the boundaries between public and private spaces created an asset for exploration by the public and a desirable location for potential tenants.
7th Annual GRAY Awards finalists' announcements began December 18, 2023 and will continue to publish daily until all categories have been announced. For more information, visit our GRAY Awards Party page.
Thank you to our 7th annual GRAY Awards sponsors and industry partners:
