TH!NK and Oslo Opera House nominated for design award
TH!NK City and The Oslo Opera House are nominated to the prestigious Brit Insurance Designs of the Year. The award presents the most innovative and forward looking design solutions internationally.
The nominated products fall into seven categories – Architecture, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Interactive, Product and Transport, and a winner for each category is selected by an international jury, and one overall winner will receive Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2009.
Apples’ iPhone, Nintendo WII and Fiat 500 are amongst the previous nominees for this award.
TH!NK City. Photo: Think.no
Brit Insurance Design of the Year is an annual exhibition and award, hosted by the Design Museum in London and supported by Brit Insurance. The Museum has invited a large group of experts in the field of design and architecture to nominate their top three projects launched in the last 12 months which has then been considered by a panel at the Design Museum. The panel has narrowed the nominations into a shortlist of approx 100 projects.
TH!NK City was nominated by the acclaimed British designer Sebastian Conran, who stated: “Cute-but-purposeful, it exudes ‘form, follows function’ and fashion too. The styling of the shoulder line and well-defined wheel arches give the car a stance that promises a good driving experience.” TH!NK City will be exhibited – along with a selection of other nominees – at the Design Museum from Feb. 12 – June 14.
Operahuset. Photo: NRK
The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, in Oslo is located on the Bjørvika Peninsula overlooking the Oslofjord. The design by Snøhetta won the international competition in 2000 with the plans to provide Norway with a landmark building, offering a stage to showcase Norwegian culture. Also at the centre of urban redevelopment, it now provides a new dynamic public space, attractive for visitors as well as an area for locals to enjoy. The building features dramatic angles that literally dive into the fjord, allowing the visitor to take in the entire structure from ground level as well as appreciating the views as they ascend to the top of the building. The structure also combines a series of architectural features created in collaboration with a number of artists.
The judges commented, “This is more than a beautifully designed building and an opera house; it’s a living part of the city, a place for music, but also an outdoor space, somewhere all kinds of people like to go. Its mix of indoor and outdoor spaces attracts not just opera enthusiasts. It’s a building that gives people the chance to roam through, across and on top of it, all the way from sea to roof level.”
The winners will be revealed at an awards dinner at the Design Museum on March 18.
For more information visit: designsoftheyear.com.
