This year alone, the Society of British & International Design awards program received entries from 41 countries, including Canada, Egypt, Qatar, Scandinavia, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, New Zealand and more. The increased volume of entries has resulted in the biggest selection of finalists to date. The winners will be announced and awarded with the crystal SBID International Design Awards 2015 trophy at the official ceremony, held at The Dorchester hotel London on November 27.

The 14 categories range from best Healthcare Design, Retail Design and Intelligent Design to best KBB Project, Public Space and Visualisation. The public were invited to vote for their favourite finalists, which will account for 30% of the final results. The closing date for the public voting was on September 18.

Listed below are five Canadian entries.

Durham College Centre for Food, Whitby, ON
Category: Public Space. Design practice: Gow Hastings Architects Inc. The centre distinguishes itself in the highly competitive field of culinary education by taking advantage of its rural setting on a large suburban campus in Whitby to narrate a story about the process of making a meal from “field to fork.” This and the surrounding cropland will be planted with vegetables and herbs that will be used in the school’s culinary and hospitality programs, showcasing the school’s emphasis on regionalism, sustainability and wellness.

Inside, students and visitors journey through the inner workings of the school, showcasing food distribution rooms, a 150-seat lecture theatre, change rooms, faculty offices, classrooms and an array of hospitality and culinary labs that circle a central atrium. Drawing users to the heart of the building, the atrium, with a two-storey herb garden living wall, serves as a central meeting place and a venue for events and celebrations. In contrast to the clinical nature of most culinary institutions, the feeling will be warm and open. Windows give passersby glimpses into the labs, establishing a dynamic energy within the building.

The sequence of spaces culminates on the second floor with Bistro ’67, a soaring 60-seat, full-service, green-certified, teaching-inspired restaurant open to the public and featuring expansive views of the campus. Students learn to prepare fresh, seasonal dishes from a menu that celebrates Durham’s local produce and fresh flavours. Real-time video monitors enable diners to see their food being prepared while staff and students can observe how it is received, gaining practical hospitality experience. http://internationaldesignexcellenceawards.com/finalist/durham-college-centre-for-food/

Olympia Tile Showroom, Toronto, ON
Category: Retail Design. Design practice: II BY IV DESIGN. As front-runners in the industry, the client has great influence over styling and demand, particularly within North America and also worldwide. Occupying an entire block and featuring over 37,000 square feet of public showroom space for this tile manufacturer is nothing short of grand. Inspired by the world’s greatest galleries the retail space highlights the many stone varieties using a high contrast backdrop of black and white. The primary material used in the space is natural stone. To enhance the characteristic of the product the design team selected a neutral high contrast colour pallet to add drama to the space. This creates a strong sense of space and acts as way secondary way finding for consumers who may be visiting the showroom for the first time.

The retailer is in high demand and could not afford to close during the renovations. The risk of customer attrition was too great and the client did not want to disappoint their many loyal customer. Knowing this upfront the design team worked with the construction team to create a detail schedule to address each of the retailers zones one at a time.

http://internationaldesignexcellenceawards.com/finalist/olympia-tile-showroom/

Luxury Condominium, Toronto, ON
Category: Residential Project Over £1M. Design practice: Douglas Design Studio. Located in the museum district, this 4,000-square-foot condominium is situated in the cultural epicentre of the city. With an affinity for the 1920s Art Deco period, the owners have a sophisticated and refined style. The concept was to incorporate their love for the period, into contemporary living. The result is a blend of traditional comfort with modern convenience, executed at the highest level of luxury.

Everything in the space is optimized for functionality, using only the finest quality of materials. Unique wall finishes include goat-skin tiles, top-stitched leather, Venetian plaster and stone slab. Each room was considered sculpturally, to draw the eye to main focal points. This is evident in the barrel-vaulted hallway and the oval-vaulted living room ceiling.

The overall success of the design lies in the fact that it feels like a home rather than a condominium. An acute respect for craftsmanship and artistry went into each space, creating a spectacular and functional residence.

http://internationaldesignexcellenceawards.com/finalist/submission-1-14/

Chateauesque Jewel, Burlington, ON.
Category: Residential Project Over £1M. Design practice: Regina Sturrock Design Inc. Underpinned by modern Châteauesque architecture, this residence articulates a grand classicism, and a dynamic and fresh personality. There is an undeniable and timeless glamour that spans centuries and settles into one majestic jewel-box of a home.

Situated on an idyllic plot of land along the prestigious Lakeshore Road in Burlington, Ontario, the light-filled home enjoys panoramic lake views and sits in beautiful harmony with its surroundings of lush gardens and sun-kissed waters.

The home unfolds gracefully, drawing one in and embracing the human component despite its stately scale of 10,000 square feet. There is dimension and depth, and a faceted quality exists.

Upon entering, one is naturally guided from the foyer and inwards towards the central light that radiates from a beautiful leaded-glass skylight. This is the pinnacle of the grandest space, the rotunda, where the design revolves and evolves in a beautiful rhythm of tracery, sparkling mosaics and elegant ironwork. Here the home sets its tone of softly layered classicism and gracious personality.

The residence is infused with a fresh and vibrant energy; artful jewels from the sea, lighting, and saturated hues of gold and coral play within a soft envelope of creamy white panelled walls. Textures are rich, accents are bold and sculptural, and line is feminine and curving with a distinctive French flair.
Regina Sturrock Design Inc, curated this home from the ground upwards, with a strong focus on integrated architectural casing and a vivacious layering of luxury materials and colours. An in-depth design journey led to a highly individualised home for the client, including distinctive architectural detailing, millwork and custom furniture design, alongside exquisite soft furnishings, art, and accessories.

http://internationaldesignexcellenceawards.com/finalist/chateauesque-jewel/

Gina Wall Light
Category: Residential Product. Design practice: Purple Design. The Gina Wall Light is part of a collection of special pieces by Purple Design under the name DIVA, which include lighting pieces, mirrors, tables and occasional pieces. Created by Orla Collins, the award-winning Irish interior designer, this capsule collection fuses contemporary flair and inventive use of metals and precious stones with traditional British furniture-making and glass-blowing skills. The result is an entirely unique collection of individual but coordinating pieces.

The concept behind the Gina Wall Light is art versus function. The fitting comes in an up/down wall light option in a range of finishes: leather, eelskin and horsehair. The range has recently been expanded to include a hand-blown glass version in opal and frosted glass, which emits light through the body of the glass cones to either end. Both versions use LED technology. The fitting ranges from 750mm long up to 1.5 metres long.

http://internationaldesignexcellenceawards.com/finalist/gina-wall-light/

TM Slim Light
Category: Residential product. Design Practice: TM Lighting. Following the success of the tm picture light and the recent tm classic picture light, tm lighting has combined the same innovative led technology with a slimmer and more discreet frame to create an exciting new product for the art market, the tm slim light.

The tm slim light is specially designed to illuminate small canvases up to h900mm x w900mm. The minimal 17mm diameter body is complemented by fantastic glare control and great light distribution across the canvas, meaning for small artworks at home it offers the utmost flexibility.
Available is brushed aluminium, black, white, gold, bronze or custom finishes it is suitable for environments.
Colour rendition is at the heart of the led engine that tm lighting use across their product range. Tm lighting use LEDs with almost a full colour spectrum.

http://internationaldesignexcellenceawards.com/finalist/tm-slim-light/