Knoll New York by ARO Honored by American Institute of Architects with 2014 Institute Awards for Interior Architecture

January 10, 2014

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has honored Architecture Research Office (ARO) with a 2014 Institute Awards for Interior Architecture for the design of the new Knoll New York showroom located at 1330 Avenue of the Americas.

The 50,000 square foot space, which opened opened in May 2013, spans three floors and houses a showroom, working offices and KnollTextiles. At the street level, the Knoll Shop, a home design store, “features end-grain oak flooring and layers color, textures, and drapery to create a warm residential environment,” notes AIA.

The showroom on the second floor features a timeline that tells Knoll’s history through graphics, textiles, and objects.  A 55-foot wall featuring 2,400 textile, leather, and felt samples. Working offices, located on the third and fourth floor, combine “open plan, private, and Activity Spaces” and are “an extension of the showroom, providing a place where clients can experience the furniture in use.”

AIA also highlights the close collaboration between Knoll and the architects that “led to the design of an interior where furniture and architecture are integrally linked, each highlighting and complementing the other.”

One judge commented: “The interiors of this project have everything. They tell a good story about furniture design, displaying Knoll products and illustrating how they should be used.”