2006 National Design Award Winners

Paolo Soleri

Born in Italy in 1919, Paolo Soleri has dedicated his lifelong work to experimentation in urban planning. Settling in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1956, Soleri established the Cosanti Foundation and began designing Arcosanti, a prototype town for 5,000 residents based on his concept of “Arcology”—architecture in accordance with ecology. Soleri’s work has been included in worldwide exhibitions, and he has received fellowships from the Graham and Guggenheim Foundations as well as three honorary doctorates and numerous international medals.

Paola Antonelli

Paola Antonelli is the curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art. Antonelli’s exhibitions at MoMA have thoroughly explored the role of design in everyday life, highlighting how mindful design enriches, facilitates, and supports our lives. Antonelli’s recent exhibitions for MoMA include, SAFE: Design Takes On Risk, an exploration of products designed to protect and to provide a sense security; and Humble Masterpieces, an exhibition of everyday objects, from paper clips to Band-Aids, that are used with frequency but not often thought of as works of design.

Craig Robins

Craig Robins is a Miami-based real estate developer. As part of his mission to integrate art and design into the local community, Robins has worked with architects and designers including Alexander Gorlin, Craig Konyk, Enrique Norten and Alison Spear on his development projects. He was instrumental in bringing the Art Basel Fair to Miami in 2002, and his work developing the Miami Design District has brought new shops and showrooms to the city. One of Robin’s most recent projects is Aqua, a mixed-use development located on Allison Island in Miami Beach that incorporates architecture, design, and art.

NIKE, INC.

For 30 years Nike, Inc. has created products designed to help athletes of all disciplines and skill levels perform at their optimum. In addition to regularly exploring and employing the latest in technological advancements Nike has consistently incorporated design as an essential element in all of their work, from the design of their footwear and clothing lines, to the creation of their physical customer experience, to their online presence.

Syd Mead

Illustrator and conceptual designer Syd Mead is known for his work on Hollywood film projects such as “Bladerunner,” “Aliens,” and “Mission Impossible-3.” Mead’s diverse career, spanning some 30 years, has included working with clients in the entertainment, hotel, aviation, and automobile industries. Always advocating new technologies, his work has consistently looked toward the future, imagining new possibilities in transportation systems in particular. Mead has exhibited his work internationally and is the author of several publications, including Sentury (2001), Oblagon (1996) and Kronolog Collection (1991).

Thom Mayne

Thom Mayne is principal of Morphosis, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based architecture and design firm. Mayne has won numerous awards for his work in design including the Pritzker Prize for Architecture and a Rome Prize Fellowship. Morphosis’ intuitive and collaborative approach to projects for diverse clients including the state of California, the NYC 2012 Olympic Village, the University of Toronto and MTV has garnered international recognition. A founder of the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Mayne has taught extensively and currently holds a tenured faculty position at UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.

2X4

Founded in 1993 by Michael Rock, Susan Sellers and Georgianna Stout, 2×4 works in print, film/video, Web and environment design for clients ranging from Vitra, Knoll Textiles, Prada and Target to the Guggenheim Las Vegas, the Studio Museum in Harlem, N.Y., and the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. The New York-based design firm develops unexpected content for art, design, architecture and cultural clients, following a rigorous analysis of message, program, context and audience.

Maria Cornejo

Chilean-born Maria Cornejo’s career has spanned London, Paris, Milan and Tokyo. She moved to New York City in 1996 and began her clothing line Zero, noted for its sculptural garments that are at once feminine, architectural, minimal and modern. Cornejo’s personal approach to her designs has won her a loyal following. Ignoring seasonal trends, she instead approaches her collections by continually refining her technique, developing dynamic and intelligent clothing that is both innovative and timeless.

Michael Gabellini

Michael Gabellini is a principal at Gabellini Sheppard Associates, LLP in New York, a multidisciplinary design firm specializing in architecture and interior design projects. With a goal of creating pure, graphic environments that do not detract attention from their purpose, the firm has created interiors for fashion, museum and contemporary art galleries, and has worked on designing and restoring public spaces. Among the firm’s many projects are exhibitions for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the redevelopment of Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Plaza.

Martha Schwartz

Martha Schwartz is president of Martha Schwartz Partners in Cambridge, Mass., and London. Schwartz’s internationally renowned work in landscape architecture spans 25 years. Her diverse commissions have included public and civic buildings, plazas, parks, urban redevelopment, reclamation projects, mixed-use developments, art commissions and private residences, all with a dual commitment to aesthetics and an environmentally sound practice. Recent projects include Grand Canal Square in Dublin, Ireland; the Mesa Arts Center, Mesa Ariz.; HUD Plaza, Washington; Exchange Square, Manchester, England; and the Swiss Re Headquarters in Munich, Germany.

Bill Stumpf

Bill Stumpf, a principal at Minneapolis-based Stumpf Weber Associates, a design laboratory motivated by inquiry and research, is committed to creating leading products and establishing collaborative relationships with visionary manufacturers. Stumpf approaches design as a process of improvisation and discovery and is known for his ergonomic designs. His frequent collaborations with Herman Miller have resulted in the Aeron Chair, the best selling office chair of all time, among other designs.

The Katrina Cottage by Marianne Cusato