TORONTO, December 2020- The Good Design Awards, an annual highlight on the design calendar and one of the most prestigious international awards for design and innovation was announced last week. This year, Nienkämper was honored with two Good Design Awards for the Patkau Twist chair and the Patkau Bench by the acclaimed designers, Patkau Architects.
Nienkämper’s Patkau Bench is a more subtle evocation of the firm’s design philosophy. The two solid wood sections that comprise the bench are contoured to emphasize the natural beauty of wood variations while creating a comfortably sloped seating surface. Resting on stainless steel hairpin legs, the minimal but thoughtfully detailed bench is as well suited to galleries and cultural spaces as office lobbies.
The Patkau Twist Chair is a more playful, kinetic design. Fabricated using a patented process developed specifically for the chair, two layers of birch plywood are “twisted” to form the complex curves that lend the shell of the Twist Chair its declarative shape and style. Like the Patkau Bench, the chair features slender steel hairpin legs, reinforcing a subtly energetic sense of lightness. The Patkau Twist chair was also awarded Best of Canada, and chosen as “Judges Pick” by Canadian Interiors Magazine. In the category of meeting pods, The Patkau Cocoon won the Best of Year award bestowed by Interior Design Magazine. The Patkau Cocoon offers a singularly refined retreat for the modern workplace. Visually and acoustically insulated, the curved plywood and wood veneer cocoon elevates the organic form with a more deliberately sculpted, poetic presence.
About Patkau Architects
Patkau Architects is an architecture and design research studio based in Vancouver, Canada. The practice was founded in 1978 by Patricia and John Patkau. They deliver a wide variety of project types, ranging in scale from art installations, to custom homes and major urban buildings. Over the years, the office has been recognized with numerous awards for excellence in design. A collection of their architectural research, Material Operations, is now available in Princeton Architectural Press.
About Nienkämper
Established in 1968, Nienkämper is an internationally recognized designer and manufacturer of fine office furniture. Nienkämper has been recognized as one of the Best Managed Companies in Canada, and is committed to being at the forefront of innovation; collaborating with forward-thinking designers; and pushing the boundaries of technology. Excellence from design to delivery.