In its seventh year, the Shaw Contract Group recently announced the winners in their Design Is… Award program, which honors architecture and design firms that are changing the very idea of what design is. Through these winning projects, selected from commercial spaces from around the globe, we see how design is redefining the way we work, play and organize our lives. Out of 285 entries from 19 countries, the following five winning firms that won the Design Is… Award for 2012 can be viewed after the break and seen in the video above.

The Siberian Center for Contemporary Art and Siberian Center for the Promotion of Architecture is inviting all to participate in the open international competition for the architectural concept of the symbolic object of city environment dedicated to Russian avant-garde (or to El Lissitzky). In Russia there are no monuments either to the Russian avant-garde movement or to Russian avant-gardist. That is why this project is unique. The realization of this project will be significant for the city and Russia and it will underline the importance of Novosibirsk as one of the centers of Russian constructivist architecture. The deadline to register is October 1 and the deadline for submissions is no later than October 2. For more information, please visit here.

Pracownia Architektoniczna Poznań Projekt, in collaboration with mode:lina Architekci, shared with us their design for the main entrance to the Voivodeship Police Headquarters in Poznań, Poland. The building, which is part of a historic urban structure, aims to adjust the entrance for disabled users as well as set a new standard for Police interiors. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The proposal for the National Library of Israel by ODA takes on special significance as a site where past, present, and future converge. Unlike traditional libraries, often closed fortresses of knowledge, the new library is organized around a variety of platforms of activity that enhance interaction between the users, enabling the library to become a forum for cross-disciplinary conversations. Through the form of a floating monolith that visually connects to the foundations of Parliament, the library underscores the idea that education and learning are the bedrock of democracy. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Taking place September 1-2, the two-day ‘PROTO/E/CO/LOGICS 002: The Field is Open’ Symposium, put on by the Mediterranean Laboratory for Architecture and Urban Strategies (MLAUS), is envisioned as an open platform for rethinking increasingly complex landscape of architecture and asymptotic cultures. Through expansion in material science, cloud computing, transformations in constructability and manufacturing (such as ongoing revolution with 3d printing) and internet of things, boundaries of architecture are becoming fuzzy and the Field is increasingly Open. In recognizing the active participation of nonhuman forces in events and understanding that the agency spawns beyond human, provides a new ground for addressing design ecology. For more information, please visit their official website here.

In conjunction with its current exhibition The Landmarks of New York, the Parrish Art Museum will host an illustrated presentation by multi-talented, award winning architect David Rockwell titled “Untold Stories from an Eclectic, Exceptional Practice.” A brief discussion between Rockwell, who founded Rockwell Group in 1984 to focus on a diverse array of projects that range from hotels to hospitals, restaurants to airport terminals, and Broadway set designs to consumer products, and exhibition curator Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel will follow the talk. The program will take place Thursday, August 23, at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $5 for Parrish members, $10 for nonmembers. Reservations are strongly recommended. For more information on the event, please visit here.

The OpenAEC Challenge is an architectural competition where the criteria for winning is based on how well you collaborate with others and not on how well you design in isolation. In that sense, it’s less a competition, and more a challenge. The sole purpose of this Challenge is to abolish a pervasive myth undoubtedly shared by a vast majority of architectural students around the world: That real-world buildings are designed by a sole, mastermind architect, working in isolation. This Challenge will be centered around a real project—a 48 acre (19.5 ha) sustainable, agro-tourism farm, called Flocktown Farm, located an hour outside of New York City. It will be broken down into eight, two-week long phases or charrettes, over the length of the Fall semester, 2012. For more information, please visit their website here.

With ‘Revitalizing Cities’ as the theme, New Jersey Institute of Technology will be hosting the upcoming semi-annual AIAS Northeast Fall Quad Conference in Newark. As current architecture students, they have an invested interest in what the world will become in 5, 10, even 20 years from now. It is our mission to showcase the potential of urban environments, like Newark, and look forward to a progressive future.

The proposal for the Chilean Pavilion at Guadalajara’s International Book Fair, designed by DAW, consists in generating a great container that permits a greater presence within the exhibition center and the easy recognition as an icon. As a grand “open house” being the principal concept, the thematic exposition of Chile is prepared in outdoor spaces, consisting primarily in a furnished base and a wooden deck. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Designed by Atelier Seraji Architectes & Associés, in collaboration with Mehdi Bakhshizadeh and Tadbir Omran lranian, their questioning started with the debate on what is the most distinguishable aspect of Persian Architecture in trade, bank and stock exchange buildings? The other urgent question was regarding the main difference between western and Persian thought in contemporary cultural debates.

They came to the conclusion that one of the main differences is the description and perception of the idea of complexity and its structure in our culture. The result is a new public space through this new building in Tehran through building an innovative structure that sits intelligently with the site and proves the capacity of Persian engineering. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Pavlo Kryvozub, a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati, was just announced by the SOM Foundation as the winner of the 2012 SOM Prize. He will use the $50,000 award to facilitate travel in Europe and Asia pursuing research on his topic, “Synthesis of Art & Architecture.” Kryvozub says, “The synthesis of the arts within the field of architecture has a long tradition which spans throughout human history…I would like to look for the continuity of development and interaction of architecture with other arts in both historical and contemporary contexts.” More information on the awards after the break.

Nowa Huta of The Future, designed by BudCud, Centrala, and ARUP, is aimed at being a brand new direction of touristic experiences and a recreational map of Krakow. Their strategy has a potential of engaging new groups of potential investors and the residents of whole region. Nowa Huta of The Future is what the city needs to become world class metropolis. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Designed by LAVA, the proposal for the Tehran Stock Exchange fuses visionary geometries and forms with traditional elements of Persian culture. The vision seeks to define a new typology for the next century, mixing virtual and human interaction. Inspired by the local morphology such as cave houses, the building is envisioned as an urban rock, with smartly carved ovoid shapes enhancing natural light, panoramic views, interior spaces and the relationship with the surroundings. An interior light void maximizes fresh air and sunlight, while roof terraces add to the amenity of workers. More images and architects’ description after the break.

A project funded by the city of Bat-Yam, the abandoned Riviera nightclub on the beach of Bat-Yam, south of Tel-Aviv, has been turned into a seaside art gallery and artist colony. Designed by Derman Verbakel Architecture, the 1,200 square meter grid of concrete columns and beams, which had been the décor for a lively night scene in 1950s and 60s, was reconverted within only a few weeks last summer. This project then became a space for artists to live and create on-site art inside and outside the gallery. More images and architects’ description after the break.

The Non-Linear Lab, a two-day workshop by modeLab September 8-9, will focus on growth systems, parametric detailing, and digital fabrication. This lab is the next installment in their coLAB series and is the result of collaborative research undertaken by Skylar Tibbits [SJET + Previous coLAB Instructor] and Ronnie Parsons + Gil Akos . In a fast-paced and hands-on learning environment, they will cover fundamental concepts of programming and parametric design as well as an introduction to laser cutting constraints and best practices. Emphasis will be placed on iterative prototyping, allowing for a thorough investigation of a series of growth, unit, and detailing scripts while working directly with their CNC equipment. For more information, please visit here.

Designed by ANMA to act as a natural machine, the new headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, located in southwestern Paris, includes a health center, restaurants, media and sport centers as well as a crèche. This complex structure, designed around the strictest security requirements, is the largest public building to be built in France for 20 years. The structure aims to present an image of the armed forces, not only as a protective force, but a strong and stately force as well. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Designed by 24° Studio for the Santorini Biennale 2012, Daphne is made entirely of self-supporting paper panels to create an enclosure that intervenes the visitors’ perception of the existing conditions. Their installation, which is being displayed until September 30, achieves this perception as being a container of conglomerated memory as the paper panels age and take their shape accordingly to the local condition. Located within the tunneled stairway, it interplays with the notion of concealing and revealing the ancient interior surfaces of the tunnel leading to the peak of Pyrgos. More images and architects’ description after the break.

Focusing on the relationship between tall buildings and sustainability, the ‘Beyond Green! – Tall Buildings in a Sustainable Future’ international symposium will take place October 10-12 at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Due to urbanization and land being a fixed commodity, metropolitan areas become denser and can only respond with the typology of tall buildings to satisfy the demand for space. However, with respect to the provision of infrastructure, use of energy, shortage of resources and the demand for ecological compatibility there is the inevitable need to design green and sustainable cities. This seemingly contradicts the typology of tall buildings. The aim of the symposium, hosted by the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design at the university, is to evaluate and investigate in detail the green and sustainable credentials of tall buildings regarding their economy, ecology and functionality. More information on the event after the break.