Foster & Partners
Website – AKQA
The judges said Foster & Partners website is “a tour de force in making so much content accessible and easily navigable”. One judge said that “technology is used in a restrained manner that reflects the firm’s design ethos and the projects and information are beautifully presented with a fantastic level of detail. Judges said: “This is a very polished and high quality website, as it should be, and communicates perfectly to the practice’s broad international audienceWinner – Heatherwick Studio\
Runner up – Page\Park
Website by – Morse Studio
Judges praised Heatherwick Studio’s new website for its “distinctive and confident aesthetic which communicates a message that is recognisably relaxed and original but still good on detail”. The balanced mix of architectural and process focused imagery speaks easily of the studio’s craft centric approach and demonstrates a confident, creative studio at the top of its game.Winner – Trahan Architects
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Website by – For Office Use Only
Judges agreed the winning homepage is “a perfect balance of beauty, intrigue, information and functionality”. They particularly liked the mixing of still images and film and the way the introductory text fades away to allow the latter to be fully enjoyed. A simple arrow allows smooth access to the deeper content of the homepage where the tiled, mixed-media approach retains an exploratory feel, yet allowing visitors to quickly access the content they’re looking for.While “the project clearly required a lot of work to execute, the judges liked the way “the app allows the user to learn about the planned regeneration project in a playful way and features interesting 3D animations that will appeal to a wide age group”.
Winner – Bennetts Associates
Website by – Red Box Media
It was the “great use of video” with fast loading speeds making the user experience “very smooth” that won it for Bennetts Associates. Judges also singled out the interactive projects in the ‘technique’ section that they said “show good use of technology”.Winner –Foster & Partners
Video by – Foster & Partners
Judges were unanimous in their praise of the winner’s entry which they said is “magnificent technically and compositionally” leading one judge to comment that Foster has “brought a gun to a knife fight here” They agreed that “it’s an engaging story well told”, which held their interest.Winner – UNStudio
Website by – Lava
Judges were struck by the innovative use of different platforms including podcasting and praised the winners for using social media as an experimental tool to convey ideas during the design process, as opposed to an afterthought or for self-promotion. One judge commented that UNStudio’s “use of social media channels to convey office culture as part of the online identity of the practice is also very effective.Winner – Trahan Architects.
Imagery – The Boundary
An excellent range of images that covey both atmosphere and mood and beautifully illustrate the participants full range of skills in this area” said judges who liked the “ great use of technology” which they felt provided a high level of appeal to stakeholders.Winner – Jamie Fobert Architects
Website – Burgess & Beech
Content by Benna Schellhorn
The judges all agreed that that the winners had a “no nonsense approach with crisp, honest writing”. They said that the ‘the descriptions of the work have a nice, story-telling quality without too much jargon or too many warm words that lack real meaning”.