FX Awards 2017: The Winners
Global Project
Winner: Uber Advanced Technologies Group
by Assembly Design Studio
Photo Credit: Jasper Sanidad
Sponsored by Interface
Uber opened the Advanced Technologies Group Center in Pittsburgh to research and develop vehicle safety and autonomous transportation. The ciy’s history of production technology and machine manufacturing matched Uber’s desire to build its first self-driving vehicle.
In a renovated 7,500 sq m warehouse Uber envisioned the space as a cathedral to the values of industry. At the head of the plan’s central nave is the showroom, acting as a kind of altar to the autonomous car. Everything here is white, from the stadium seating canted slightly, looking out of a curtain wall at the Allegheny River, to the granite fireplace. ADS contrasted and complemented the white showroom by warming the space with colours and materials associated with the city’s industrial era – the worn Cor-ten steel frames, glass walkways, and natural grain of local hardwoods.
Workstations are equipped with toolboxes, carts, and prototypes. There are studio spaces, informal areas, conference rooms and a machine shop. ‘We built a space based on function first,’ says Liz Guerrero, co-founder of Assembly. ‘They’re builders. We wanted to bring beauty in basic, functional elements by pairing materials in interesting ways to create a rich experience.’
The judges said
‘The quality of materials and the carefully limited palette adeptly elevate the space from a tech company office to a place for making and experimentation. It’s a workplace that is both creative and physical, to reflect the nature of the organisation’
Finalists & judges' comments
UGG Disney Springs by Checkland Kindleysides
‘Great design to reflect and boost the brand. Relaxed and rejuvenating. Light, engaging and beautiful’
Dreamland by CHI-TORCH interior design
‘Wonderfully natural’
TIME BERLIN SALES CENTRE by Domani
‘A sense of calm and elegance from simplicity and lightness...with a richer palette of furnishings and flooring’
Primark Damrak by HMKM
‘Design that reflects the brand’s popular appeal and quality, as well as being fully grounded in the locality and character of Amsterdam’
Gotham Market at The Ashland by Jeffrey Beers International
‘Superb design that entirely fits with the heritage of the building and the neighbourhood’
El San Juan Hotel by Jeffrey Beers International
‘Epic. Details, materials and lighting create a sense of opulence appropriate to its heritage and location’
Deskopolitan, Château d’Eau, Paris by MoreySmith
‘Spot on for how the new power generation want to work. Great design as social catalyst’
NewDay by Oktra
‘Great. Modern interventions that challenge and respect the building’s original industrial design...to achieve inspiring and creative workplaces’
Grain Traders by Parable Studio
‘Effortlessly elemental’
Hotel Mono by Spacedge Designs
‘Rigorously observed concept makes spaces feel solid and considered. Variations in texture and tone lift the monochrome palette’
BIKINI by Travis Walton Architecture
‘Great detail. Playful, seductive, gorgeous, flirty design to move people and create a stage set for the ultimate emotional connection’
TRIBE Hotel by Travis Walton Architecture
‘Given the option, would any of us choose ANYWHERE else to stay in Perth? I doubt it. Modern luxury, nailed’
