The winners of the Forum AID Award 2008

The Forum AID Award pays tribute to the Nordic region's best architecture, interiors and design. As one of the largest of its kind in Europe, the competition has both an exciting line-up and a prestigious jury. The winners were revealed on February 5.

The Forum AID Award is awarded by the magazine Forum AID and comprises three categories:

A for architecture
I for interior design
D for design

The winner of the A category is Ørestad College by 3xN Architects, Denmark. The I category was won by Xile by Mats Karlsson, Sweden and the D category by Komplot Design, Denmark.

The winners were honoured by 600 guests at a prize ceremony and party at the Clarion Hotel Sign in Stockholm. The much talked about design hotel, in which each floor has been dedicated to a Nordic designer, opened its doors for the first time that evening. And offered food and drink from Aquavit's first branch outside New York City - Aquavit Grill & Raw Bar.

The jury's verdict

Architecture
Ørestad College, Denmark
Architect: 3xN Architects through Christian Bundegaard och Kim Herforth Nielsen
Client: Municipality of Copenhagen

The Danish architect office impressed with the groundbreaking school building for Ørestad College in Copenhagen. The jury's verdict: "Ørestad College in Copenhagen, designed by 3xN, is nothing less than a new paradigm in learning possibilities. Where new schools often just look different, this building is something different. It actually looks like a place where you want to spend time, and that's no small feat for an educational institution. We believe that the youngsters attending Ørestad gymnasium will develop a different and positive relationship to both architecture and architects. That is truly a quality worth rewarding".

Interiors
Xile, Sverige 
Architect: Mats Karlsson
Client: Interieur Foundation

The tunnel Xile was designed for the furniture fair in Kortrijk, Belgium and constructed in autumn 2006. The jury's verdict: "The concept for Xile is already a design classic. Xile can be used both indoors and outdoors; it's flexible and becomes an object wherever it's placed. There is something transformative about Mats Karlsson's design that also has a dramatic effect. This is a cheap construction and it's designed in a way that responds well to present demands for sustainability. This, in combination with Xile's accessibility and the fact that the ideas behind the design can be understood by everyone who sees it, makes Mats Karlsson's Xile a natural winner in the interior category of the Forum AID Awards."

Design
Nobody
Designer: Komplot Design through Boris Berlin and Poul Christiansen 
Client: Hay

Nobody is an environmentally friendly chair designed by Komplot. The jury's verdict: "With Nobody, designers Boris Berlin and Poul Christiansen and their client Hay have taken something flat and turned it into a piece of furniture in 3d that, for some reason, won't go unnoticed – despite its remarkable anonymity. The Nobody chair is functional and appealing, but what is most striking and innovative about this product is that there is a clear philosophy regarding the choice of materials and manufacturing process at play. The Nobody chair is simple, both in its looks and in the manufacturing process. It is made in one piece of a single and sustainable material. Add the trademark design of Komplot and you have all the qualities of a winner."

This year's jury
The jury consisted of chairman Detlef Rahe (internationally renowned architect and designer), Hans Ibelings (editor and publisher of the magazine A10 - new European architecture), Lorraine Farrelly
(acting head of the School of Architecture at the University of Portsmouth) and Johan Valcke (one of the founders of Design Flanders).

Partners
Main partner for the Forum AID Award is Skanska Fastigheter Stockholm. Partner for the A category has been Arkitektkopia, for the I category  SAAB and for the D category Canon.  Partners:  Nordic Light Hotel och Åkessons Tryckeri. Forum AID thanks all our partners.

Read more about the Forum AID Award and the jury here. For pictures klick here.

For more information:
Elina Smidlund Sigray, Forum AID, Strandvägen 19, SE-114 56 Stockholm, E elina@forumaid.com
T +46 (0)8 555 400 62, F +46 (0)8 555 400 74.