Mancini•Duffy/TSC on AIA Broadcastr

Image of New York at Night by Aris Carlot.

This past spring a number of our firm members recorded interviews for AIA Broadcastr, an app now being piloted that, in the words of the AIA, allows listeners to “learn more about New York City’s architecture through the voice of practicing architects and AIA members.”

The interviews are up! If you go to this link, you’ll find them organized by neighborhood. Click on images to hear Senior Associate Ed Calabrese talk about Bloomingdale’s and Saks, Principal Alan Dandron on the Time Warner Conference Center, Chairman & CEO Tony Schirripa on AOL at 770 Broadway, and President Dina Frank on Dorsey & Whitney in the CBS Building, as well as discussions of Starbucks Times Square and OppenheimerFunds’ broadcast center.

The pilot also covers projects in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. As the AIA urges: “Take advantage of this immersive experience.”

Thanks for listening.

The 2012 Floor Focus Vision Awards, Retail Style

Photo by Grey Crawford

We’re pleased to report that our design for Bloomingdale’s Santa Monica took home the Retail category prize in the 2012 Floor Focus Vision awards.

This will be our fifth (!) award for the Santa Monica store. In 2010, the project won First Place in RDI’s International Store Design Awards in the New or Renovated Specialty Department Store category and an Honorable Mention in the Department Store category in Chain Store Age’s Retail Store of the Year Design Competition. In 2011, Bloomingdale’s Santa Monica was recognized by the A.R.E. Retail Design Awards with the Grand Prize in the Specialty Department Stores over 25,000 square feet category, and it also took home First Place in DDI’s 2011 Portfolio Awards for the Best Designed Store of the Year.

The team, which included Edward Calabrese, RDI, Senior Associate, Creative Director; Marian Crawford, IIDA, FRDI, Senior Associate, Project Director; George Winsper, Assoc. AIA, Associate, Job Captain, 1st Floor; and Alex Mai, Job Captain, 2nd Floor, are probably a little exhausted from being congratulated so many times. 

The award carries with it a prize of $2000, which Mancini•Duffy/TSC plans to donate to God’s Love We Deliver. In 2012, the inaugural year of the Vision Awards, our project for Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto took home the Grand Prize, which carried a prize of $4000, which we donated to Americares in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

A Wonderful Evening

On Wednesday, March 16th, RDI sponsored an evening honoring the New York Chapter winners of the “Store of the Year” contest. The Haworth Group generously accommodated RDI for the evening in their beautiful showroom opposite Grand Central Station.

Although the awards were formally presented last January 10th, this occasion afforded an opportunity for each of this year’s local winners to give the membership a short presentation of their project that would outline the project brief and how each solution came about.

Each of us was asked to create a PowerPoint, and each presenter was limited to ten minutes! Ten minutes is tough, and I agonized over how to tell the story of Bloomingdale’s Santa Monica without belaboring any one point. I usually outline in my head what I’m going to say, and I never want to be guilty of reading from notes.

The most difficult part of the evening was finding out that I was “up first” – ! I really didn’t relish being the opening act. But that sudden rush of near stage fright and anxiety was quickly dispelled, and I proceeded with a far more spontaneous talk than planned.

The retail group attended and, to our great surprise and delight, our client Jack Hruska of Bloomingdale’s made a rare public appearance just to demonstrate his support. That small gesture was the greatest compliment to Mancini•Duffy.

Grand Prize for Bloomingdale's in A.R.E. Awards

Photograph by Gray Crawford.

Project Director Marian Crawford emailed us from GlobalShop in Las Vegas today to share the news that Mancini•Duffy has taken home the Grand Prize in the category “Specialty Store over 25,000 sq. ft.” for Bloomingdale’s Santa Monica Place in the 2011 A.R.E. Awards. Once again, congratulations to our hard-working team!

For more images of the project, go here for DDi's project gallery.

Yet Another Award for Bloomingdale's Santa Monica!

Photograph by Grey Crawford.

Looks like Bloomingdale's Santa Monica has won yet another award, this time in the Association of Retail Environments' Design Awards program. As the A.R.E. writes in their press release, "out of a record-breaking 298 entries, 37 projects were singled out to receive 54 awards." We'll see what level of award Bloomingdale's won at the A.R.E. ceremony in Las Vegas on March 28th, 2011. Congratulations once again to the team!

Another Award for Bloomingdale's Santa Monica

Photograph by Grey Crawford.

Congratulations once again to the Mancini•Duffy Retail Group, whose design for Bloomingdale's Santa Monica has earned an Honorable Mention in the Department Store category in Chain Store Age's 2010 Retail Store of the Year design competition.

Best wishes go out to the team behind the Santa Monica Place design, which included Senior Associate Edward Calabrese, Creative Director; Senior Associate Lisa Contreras, Resource Director; Senior Associate Marian Crawford, IIDA, FRDI, Project Director; Stan Kao, Senior Designer; Courtney Kemper, Project Designer; George Winsper, Job Captain, 1st Floor; and Alex Mai, Job Captain, 2nd Floor.

First Place for Bloomingdale’s Santa Monica!

Lanterns that double as retractable dressing room pods. Photograph by Grey Crawford.

The Retail Design Institute’s International Store Design Awards Gala was held on January 10th at the New York Times Building’s conference center. The evening coincided with the Institute’s 50th anniversary, and the awards were the Institute’s 40th presentation.

It was an interesting evening – to say the least.

No red carpet here, but all the “stars” of the retail design community were out in full force. We knew in advance that our Bloomingdale’s Santa Monica store was cited for an award, but until the announcement we didn’t know at what level.

Just to prolong the suspense…the awards presentation this year was set up differently than in past years. This year, each candidate in a particular category was announced and asked up on stage where the winner would be announced. And then the winner was asked to make a short acceptance speech – GULP!

What made our segment highly amusing was not only to have been nominated along with a competitor, but for the same client – Bloomingdale’s – in another location.

Well, it was the longest ten seconds I can remember…but happily, our project won. Off the top of my head all I could think of to say was, “Well, in any event, Bloomingdale’s wins!”

The next day, after delivering the good news, our client was very happy and quite pleased to have had their two newest stores nominated.

Bloomingdale's Santa Monica Wins Award in RDI's International Store Design Competition

Photograph by Grey Crawford.

Congratulations once again to the Mancini•Duffy Retail Group, whose design for Bloomingdale's Santa Monica has placed in RDI's International Store Design Competition. The level of award will be announced at a reception in Manhattan on January 10th. Best wishes go out to the team behind the Santa Monica Place design, which included Senior Associate Edward Calabrese, Creative Director; Senior Associate Lisa Contreras, Resource Director; Senior Associate Marian Crawford, IIDA, FRDI, Project Director; Stan Kao, Senior Designer; Courtney Kemper, Project Designer; George Winsper, Job Captain, 1st Floor; and Alex Mai, Job Captain, 2nd Floor. Go here for more about the store.