September 2021 Vol.17 Issue 09 An ITP Media Group Publication Se pte m be r 2 02 1 V ol.1 7 Is su e 0 9 The essential guide for Middle East interior design professionals COMMERCIAL In te rior de si g n A n IT P M ed ia G ro up p ub lic atio n PARTY TIME Celebrating 15 years of the Commercial Interior Design AwardsContents 3 September 2021 commercialinteriordesign.com IN THIS ISSUE NEWS & REGULARS 06 EDITOR'S LETTER Introducing this month's magazine is a word or more from Jane, the CID editor 08 DESIGN NEWS Briefi ng you on the latest headlines and soundbites from the interior design world FEATURES 14 AWARDS RUN-DOWN Every fi nalist in all the 17 shortlists, as we count down to big reveal on September 15 24 CATCH UP WITH KARIM Meet multi-faceted designer Karim Rashid, our celebrated CID Awards guest speaker 28 FIRST LOOK Just a short boatride away from Dubai, the luxurious Sweden Beach Palace awaits us 28 24Contents commercialinteriordesign.com September 2021 4 SPECIAL REPORT 34 CLOCKING ON? Emerging norms for offi ce interior design and fi t-out in the nascent post-Covid world 36 IN THEIR VIEW Noted furniture supplier Herman Miller on how to rewrite the future of the workplace 38 BUILDING BUZZ India's Studio Bipolar create Hive, a cosy co-working space for the millenial market 40 OFFICE ESSENTIALS Two supply companies share their take on industry trends and most popular products WORLD VIEW 43 UNDER THE SKIN British artist Tamsin van Essen and her thought-provoking ceramic creations 46 AGING GRACEFULLY Kirkland Waterfront by Aegis Living is a specially-designed community for seniors LAST WORD 50 DESIRED OBJECT The history and architecture behind the world's fi rst tilting bridge in Gateshead, UK 38 50 43Designed for Life Official Distributor www.global.caesarstone.com INFO@GLAZE.AE WWW.GLAZE.AE 5353 123 World’s No. 1 Quartz Surfaces for CountertopsEditor's letter commercialinteriordesign.com September 2021 6 Jane O'Neill Editor Are you awards ready? Karim Rashid shot by Christian B Can you believe the #cidawards is here again? We're counting down to a glittering ceremony where gongs will be handed out to the region’s best interior design and fi t-out fi rms. Joining us at the ceremony is rock star designer Karim Rashid, a pluralist with a huge portfolio spanning interiors, luxury goods, surface design, furniture and more. We catch up with the Cairo-born creative for a glimpse into his world and hear his anticipation for the 15th annual Commercial Interior Design Awards. In this issue you’ll fi nd shortlists for all the 17 categories, which have now been scrutinised by our panel of esteemed industry judges during our fi rst-ever CID hybrid meet in the upscale ITP offi ces. Speaking of offi ce design, workplace interiors are the focus of our special report this month, with an insightful opinion on returning to work by Herman Miller, plus a colourful case study of a co-working space from an exciting international design agency, Studio Bipolar. If we could choose our workspace for the day, then it would probably be by the infi nity pool at the Sweden Beach Palace in The World manmade islands project. Our First Look feature for September takes us to this luxurious taste of Scandinavia in Dubai; a stunning beachfront property. As always, enjoy, and for the last time in 2021, good luck to the awards fi nalists! Published by and © 2021 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC. PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Alex Reeve EDITORIAL Group Editor Carla Sertin Editor Jane O'Neill Tel: +971 4 444 3626 email: jane.oneill@itp.com ART Art Editor Gerald Du email: gerald.du@itp.com Junior Designer Junemar Tulipas email: junemar.tulipas@itp.com ADVERTISING Commercial Director Saraswati Agarwal Tel: +971 4 444 3352 email: saraswati.agarwal@itp.com Sales Director, Hospitality & Design Rebecca Lockwood Tel: +971 4 444 3268 email: rebecca.lockwood@itp.com ITP LIVE General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549 email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Photographers Efraim Evidor Staff Photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Fritz Asuro, Ajith Narendra PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Coordinator Manoj Mahadevean CIRCULATION Distribution and Circulation Manager Evijin Pathrose Distribution Coordinator Avinash Pereira Circulation Executive Rajesh Pillai MARKETING Director of Awards & Marketing Daniel Fewtrell ITP GROUP CEO: Ali Akawi CFO: Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe online at www.itp.com/subscriptions The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader's particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review.Design news commercialinteriordesign.com September 2021 8 Dubai announces opening of world-record observation wheel Ain Dubai, the world's tallest and largest observation wheel, will open to the public on October 21. The 250-metre high wheel is located on Bluewaters Island, Dubai, with each glass- enclosed capsule rising up to 249 metres in the air and offering 360-degree panorama views of the Dubai skyline. The hub and spindle at Ain Dubai were set in place in 2016 and the fi nal structure will include around 9,000 tonnes of steel, almost 25 percent more than the amount of iron used to construct the world–famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. The wheel will eclipse the 167m High Roller in Las Vegas and the 190m New York Wheel planned for Staten Island. It has 48 air-conditioned passenger cabins, and 1,750 visitors can take in the breathtaking experience in one revolution, which takes just under 40 minutes. Main contractor on the project was Hyundai Engineering & Construction, while Netherlands-headquartered engineered heavy lifting and transport fi rm Mammoet installed the key structural elements of the giant wheel. Expo 2020 Dubai light festival puts spotlight on photography A spectacular light festival will shine on at Expo 2020 Dubai with light sculptures, art projections, installations and photography. Kaleidoscope will be in situ outdoors on the Expo 2020 site for the event's entire six-month duration. Its displays will light up Expo pavilions and structures created by notable architecture fi rms Asif Khan, Foster + Partners, Grimshaw, and Hopkins Architects, as well as landscaped public areas at the site near Jebel Ali, Dubai. On show are images from the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA), archive, which dates back to 2011. They link to Expo's subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability and there'll be a self-guided walk for visitors to fi nd out how, with social distancing in place. Three tiers of tickets are now on sale for Expo 2020 Dubai, which takes place from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. Under 18s, over 60s and people of determination go free. More info: expo2020dubai.com Ain Dubai on Bluewaters Island Photo credit: Mujeeb Rahiman Kizhakkechalil, HIPAAdvertorial commercialinteriordesign.com September 2021 9 WHAT IS DLR GROUP? DLR Group is an integrated design fi rm. Our promise is to elevate the human experience through design. This inspires a culture of design and fuels the work we do around the world. We are 100 percent employee– owned and aspire to be the most creative enterprise on the planet. With offi ces around the globe housing specialised design expertise, integrated design teams are backed by the more than 1,200+ design professionals and the resources of the entire fi rm. This enables DLR Group to scale teams to meet clients' challenges and deliver specialised expertise to any location whenever, and wherever, it may be needed.Core areas of design expertise include civic, courts, cultural and performing arts, detention, energy services, federal markets, healthcare, higher education, hospitality, housing, K12 education, museums, retail and mixed use, sports and workplace. DLR GROUP INTERIORS As collaborative partners with our clients, DLR Group teams approach projects with a value additive and pragmatic mindset. Our interior designers enhance an organisation's brand, culture, and ultimately quality of life by leveraging industry and proprietary research to guide evidence–based design. This integrated approach to design enhances knowledge sharing and nurtures innovation to deliver extraordinary value to every client. LOCAL COMMITMENT DLR Group's Dubai studio works hand– in–hand with the fi rm's global resources to ensure design excellence across all projects. Recent projects include Jubail Island development (Town Centre and Nad al Dhabi apartments, community centres, mosques and Mangroves Club), Abha and Sultan Streets and multiple retail improvement projects in the region. SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS DLR Group is a passionate advocate for sustainable design. We are an early adopter of the Architecture 2030 Challenge, and an initial signatory to the AIA 2030 Commitment and the China Accord. We believe sustainability is best judged by disciplined, systematic evaluation of high performance building metrics to measure the effectiveness of design. The outcome is a high–performance building for a sustainable future. Interior Design Firm of the Year Finalist at the CID Awards 2021 THE DESIGN CULTURE OF DLR GROUP Advertorial Canopy by Hilton Minneapolis Mill District in the USA Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel in Omaha,USADoubleTree by Hilton in Austin, USANext >