Taking Home the Biggest Trophies:
Louis Vuitton, My.Suit, Express, South St. Burger Co.

Las Vegas (March 1, 2012)—The 65 awards recognized last night by the Association for Retail Environments at a ceremony at the XS Nightclub at Encore Hotel honored all aspects of retail design from all over the world. Winning projects were located in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, India, Singapore and Brazil.

In fact, a project in one of the farthest locations captured Store of the Year, Louis Vuitton Island Maison in Singapore. Designed by leading architects Peter Marino and Moshe Safdie, the project wowed the judges with its scale, visual appeal, and brand integration within the nautical setting.

The other three marquee awards went to stores a little closer to home. The Fixture of the Year was presented to A.R.E. members UnSPACE and Grand & Benedicts for My.Suit: Digital Pod and Bench in the Financial District of New York City. The Visual Presentation of the Year recognized Shremshock, Wonderwall, and A.R.E. members Mondo Mannequins and Quantum Fine Casework for the Express Runway Tables in the retailer’s King of Prussia store. On the greener side of things, the Sustainable Project of the Year was presented to A.R.E. designer member Jump Branding & Design Inc. for the South St. Burger Co. in Toronto’s Bayview Village. Also presented were 15 grand prizes, 16 outstanding merits, 22 individual awards for in-store communications, lighting, store fixtures, visual presentations and wall treatments, and 8 sustainability awards.

Judging the overall competition were Luiz Andrade, Sony Electronics Inc.; Sherif Ayad, id&design international; Tony Camilletti, Design Fabrications (D|Fab); Anne Dinardo, VMSD Magazine; Robert Higgins, Fossil Inc.; and Marc Riera, Nike. In addition, judges for the Sustainability Awards included: Chair Lisa A. Thompson, LEED AP BD+C, EDAC, EcoScapes Sustainability Solutions LLC; John Blattel, LEED AP, EMI Industries; Nancy Everhart, AIA, CDT, NCARB, LEED AP, Little; Bob Johnson, IDSA, b.johnsonDESIGN;  Michael Payne, AIA, NCARB, Callison; Jeff Remtema, LEED AP BD+C, Progressive AE; Bob Riley, DSA/Phototech; Richard Shelley, LEED AP, Fetzer Architectural Woodwork; Rick Troxel, Roseburg; and Wesley Woelfel, Greneker.

In addition to the awards for retail design, recipients of the following prestigious industry awards were announced during the ceremony: PAVE the Way 3D Design Challenge, A.R.E. Above & Beyond Award, and DDI Markopoulos Award.