Select a category

• Restaurant/Casual Dining
• Restaurant/Fast Food
• Restaurant/Fine Dining
• Specialty Food Retailer
• Service Retailer
• Pop-up Store
• Hardline Shop Within a Store
• Department Store
• Hardline Specialty Store up to 3,000 sf
• Softline Specialty Store Under 3,000 sf
• Hardline Specialty Store 3,001-7,500 sf
• Hardline Specialty Store 7,501 - 25,000 sf
• Softline Specialty Store up to 3,000 sf
• Softline Specialty Store 3,001 to 7,500 sf
• Softline Specialty Store 7,501 - 25,000 sf
• Specialty Store over 25,000 sf
• Store of the Year
• Sustainability
• Individual Element

2012 Design Award Winners

Specialty Store over 25,000 sf

Grand Prize

Louis Vuitton Island Maison Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

The newest Louis Vuitton store is an extraordinary island crystal pavilion. Set in the Marina Bay Sands development, surrounded by water and built of glass and steel, it is the first island maison in Southeast Asia. The entire space reflects a nautical theme consistent with its location and with the brand’s historical association with travel. To manage the daylight passing through the glass walls, 315 framed sunshade “sails” feature a UV-resistant translucent textile covering, diffusing light but not hindering the views of the Bay. Light fixtures suspended from the ceiling evoke ship masts and an outdoor loggia is reminiscent of an ocean liner’s deck. A bookstore element presents a curated selection of books on travel, design, art and culture.

Outstanding Merit

Next Home and Garden Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex, U.K.

This fashion, home, and garden pilot store augments the popular brand‘s core market of fashion and home with a new focus on DIY and garden products. Natural stone, dramatic lighting, varied ceiling treatments, flexible and stylish merchandise equipment, and clear and inspiring graphics are standard in the new space. Selling by style rather than product category, the store brings together products in themes (such as Japanese gardens) in one complete display so customers can mimic the look. Fixtures are refined to look more stylized than one would expect to find in a DIY store; primary materials include white oak, charcoal-stained timber, dark grain and galvanized metalwork, and ceramic flooring. In-store communications feature a female-friendly script font; icons acting as navigation appear on gondola ends to denote various departments.

Outstanding Merit

REI SoHo Puck Building, New York City

The first REI retail store in New York, this space served as a platform for the outdoor gear retailer to launch its brand and products to New York and international markets. The 34,000-square-foot store consists of three main shopping levels: one ground floor and two cellar levels. The retailer also incorporates a bike and ski repair area, seasonal gear rental area, a community room, and other features to help connect REI to the community. The historic Puck building was used to blend the company‘s outdoor ethos with the city‘s urban energy. Exposed heavy timber, cast iron, and masonry materials create a warm, textured, rugged space while celebrating the building's New York roots. The original wood ceiling and wall cladding was re-milled and brought back into the project to feature on wall areas integrated withgraphics and photography.