Color and Architecture Celebrated

KINGSPORT, Tenn., Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Solutia, a subsidiary of the Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE: EMN) has announced the winners of the second World of Color Awards™:  Inspired by Vanceva®.   The international competition honors architects, interior designers, furniture designers and other industry professionals who have demonstrated innovative and liberal use of Vanceva color interlayers for laminated glass in their work between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011.  Photographs of the winning projects will be showcased at the company's stand at Glasstec, the world's largest glass event held in Dusseldorf, Germany.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081029/AQW096LOGO)

An international jury of five celebrated industry professionals reviewed a worldwide portfolio of architectural project submissions, and awarded two winners and two honorable mentions in the Exterior and Interior categories, including a "Fan Favorite" selection from Facebook. Entries were judged on the creative use of glass with laminated color interlayers, aesthetics, and degree of attention paid to the overall benefits and technology of laminated glass.

WINNERS

EXTERIOR Division Winner:    
International Management Institute, Kolkata (IMI-K)

In the midst of a dense and outdated urban fabric, Abin Chaudhuri's design stands apart from its surroundings thanks to the brilliant spectrum of colors spanning its facade. Once a jewel in British India's crown, post-independent Kolkata gradually degenerated into an anachronistic urban region that failed to celebrate its rich architectural history and remained unresponsive towards new developments. The architects of the International Management Institute endeavored to reverse this trend by creating an environment that recognized the art and culture of the area while promoting modern, environmentally sustainable architecture that would "add color to the city life."

The finished design reflects an energetic environment that is conducive to learning and growth. "Excellent use of color in a country where color plays such an everyday part of people's lives," noted juror Jane Stockel. "Gives off feeling of a sari wrapped around a building and I can imagine at night the translucence would add a definite magic.  Well done."

Architect(s)/Firm(s): Abin Design Studio Principal Designer: Abin Chaudhuri   
Glass Laminator/Supplier: Thai-German Specialty Glass Co., LTD.   
Photographer Credit: Pradip Sen

INTERIOR Division Winner:    
"Harmonic Convergence"

Sunlight, sound, and color unite spectacularly in architect Christopher Janney's mural, "Harmonic Convergence." The passage provides a unique immersive color experience for travelers passing through the Miami International Airport. Recordings of tropical birds and thunderstorms play from each end of the walkway and sunlight streams through a wall of laminated glass panels, which shines with hues from the entire color spectrum. Janney worked closely with Solutia's color experts to create a scale model of the wall in Vanceva® laminates to ensure every color was placed in perfect harmony to the adjacent color.

The resulting "synaesthetic" environment is possible only because of the wide range of color options allowed by the Vanceva® interlayer system. Janney had long imagined large, architecturally immersive spaces filled with colorful light, but "had to wait for a company like Solutia to develop a system of colored glass that would allow me to realize one of these childhood visions."

The jury responded with glowing remarks, and particular praise came from Brunette Fraccaroli, one of the world's most inventive architects to weave color into buildings: "I loved it."

Architect(s)/Firm(s): PhenomenArts, Inc.   
Glass Laminator/Supplier: Glass-Pro   
Photographer Credit: Robin Hill

EXTERIOR Honorable Mention:    
29 logements ilot V3A ZAC Seguin

Rather than settling for a bland and conventional apartment structure, architect Bernard Buhler set out to create a dynamic housing facility in a suburb outside of Paris while working on a tight budget. The Vanceva® color system for laminated glass provided the perfect solution.

Buhler wanted the balconies of the building to appear as weightless colored frames floating on the facade. He wanted to produce a "superposition of colors" and a "mix of transparencies." Through the use of the Vanceva® interlayer system, he was able to achieve the look of weightlessness and the richness of color. In cooperation with the manufacturers, he designed a special structural system which maintains the integrity of the glass panel and is barely visible from the outside. 

"Stunning!" wrote juror Jane Stockel during the evaluation. "Great use of the material, the overall appearance of the completed structure is super and with Social Housing, a sense of pride from the residents will no doubt flow through from living in such an excellent building."

Architect(s)/Firm(s): Bernard Buhler   
Photographer Credit: Agence Bernard Buhler

INTERIOR Honorable Mention:    
Frydenberg Skole

Architect Henning Austad's work "Frydenberg Sokle" lights up the interior of a school outside of Olso, Norway with a collage of colorful, bending hands. The inner pane of glass is tempered with ceramic print in a circular pattern; the outer pane is laminated with Vanceva® color interlayers and printed with the image of hands. During construction, the design team faced the challenge of juggling 64 double glazed units of laminated glass. But the result, as juror and architect Pitupong Chaowakul testifies, turned out to be absolutely effective. "The application of the color drives the emotional reaction from the space," he commented.

Architect(s)/Firm(s): Rayon AS (Tone Bergan)   
Glass Laminator/Supplier: Modum Glassindustri AS   
Photographer Credit: Modum Glassindustri AS (Nils Henning Austad)

"Fan Favorite" from Facebook:    
Bush of Schaan

Architect Michael Plorer used the Vanceva® color system to produce hues that glow like flickering candlelight. At night, the laminated glass pillars light up the entire landscape, achieving a remarkable aesthetic and an added element of security. 

Architect(s)/Firm(s): Ritten Jon Architekten AG   
Glass Laminator/Supplier: MGT Mayer Glastechnik Gesmgh   
Photographer Credit: Eddy Risch, Schaan

The Jury:

The jury for the second annual Solutia World of Color Awards consisted of an international mix of celebrated industry professionals in both the architectural, interior design and color marketing industries.  The judges included:

• Brunete Fraccaroli, Founder of Brunete Fraccaroli Arquitetura e Interiores, Sao Paulo
• Andrew Moor, Principal, Andrew Moor Associates, London
• Mark Sexton, Founding Partner, Krueck & Sexton Architects, Chicago
• Pitupong Chaowakul, Founder, Supermachine Studio, Bangkok
• Jane Stockel, Principal, Jane Stockel Designs, Hong Kong and Australia

The Vanceva® Color System by Saflex® offers architects and designers unparalleled creative freedom to incorporate color into glass and glazing systems using tinted interlayers which are laminated in between two pieces of glass.  A palette of 15 colors can be combined in up to four layers to produce more than 3,000 transparent, translucent and opaque glass colors.   This gives designers unparalleled flexibility to create custom colors and one-of-a-kind aesthetics. Vanceva color interlayers also offer all the benefits of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayers for laminated safety glass, including security, solar, sound insulation and UV protection.

The Solutia World of Color Awards™ competition is an international recognition program open to all industry professionals.

About Eastman:

As of July 2, 2012, Eastman completed the acquisition of Solutia Inc. which now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company.  For additional product information, including product brochures, technical data, product offering and samples, click here.

Eastman is a global specialty chemicals company that produces a broad range of advanced materials, additives and functional products, specialty chemicals, and fibers that are found in products people use every day. As a world leader in the diverse markets it serves, Eastman is focused on delivering innovative and technology-based solutions while maintaining its commitment to safety and sustainability. Serving customers in approximately 100 countries, Eastman had 2011 pro forma revenues, giving effect to the Solutia acquisition, of approximately $9.3 billion. The company is based in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA, and, with the completion of the Solutia acquisition, now employs approximately 13,500 people around the world. For more information, visit www.eastman.com .

© 2012 Eastman Chemical Company. All rights reserved. Saflex®, Vanceva®, World of Color Awards™ and Radiance Logo™ are trademarks of Solutia Inc., a subsidiary of the Eastman Chemical Company. As used herein, ® denotes registered status in the U.S. only.

SOURCE Eastman Chemical Company