On Carnaby Street: “London Fog”
This dynamic, Oklahoma-born advertising agency turned to Rand Elliott Architects to establish offices in the heart of London’s iconic Carnaby Street. Created to serve international clients, it would complement the firm’s presence in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Colorado Springs.
The space was in a multi-tenant building with street-level retail and offices above. Flower boxes along the windows added ambient charm.
The location would include a videoconference center and space for executives and private meetings. The intent was to make a statement, a promise of fresh ideas and enigmatic excitement. The concept was “Fog.”
The theatrical, soft white setting was facilitated by a series of innovations, techniques and materials to deliver on the iconic London environmental condition.
It was quietly beautiful, immensely memorable, and very modern. Precisely the effect the client sought.
“Fog” was so successful it earned Rand Elliott Architects’ a revered National AIA Honor Awards, known as the highest award the profession is known to bestow for architectural excellence.
The firm had already collected a phenomenal nine National Honor Awards, and this was its 10th (comparable to the total earned by Frank O. Gehry). All ten hang in the REA offices in OKC. But for now, the AIA has put the award’s design emphasis on pause, focusing instead on community involvement in AIA. Hopefully, the design award – christened in 1948 will one day return.
AIA Honor Awards 2007
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