Design ’N Gather 2013
The Winner
Through a blind judging process, Joseph Lyman’s “Building Dreams II” was selected as the mosaic that best represented the characteristics of the innovation district, District Hall, and Gather, both in imagery and narrative.
The Location
Boston’s Innovation District is a new neighborhood initiative that encompasses 1,000 acres of the South Boston waterfront. The area, nestled between Boston’s transportation gateways: abutting historic Boston Harbor, adjacent to Logan International Airport, is quickly growing as an internationally recognized hub of innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship.
At the heart of the Innovation District is the recently completed District Hall, the world’s first free-standing public innovation center. Designed by Hacin + Associates, the $5.5 million project plays a central role in the social infrastructure of the neighborhood and serves as a home base for entrepreneurs to make connections, build relationships, and convene for programs and events.
The location of District Hall – in the heart of Boston.
The front entryway of the newly built District Hall
The Space
The winning mosaic will be installed in Gather Restaurant. Gather is a full service restaurant and bar adjacent to District Hall that serves a menu of affordable, fresh, and inventive dishes inspired by modern-American cuisine. Gather offers guests a bright and airy space with a comfortable and energetic atmosphere.
The restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows beautifully frame Boston Harbor and the unique architecture of the Institute of Contemporary Art. Industrial chairs give the space a casual feel, while the layout and design fuels creativity and stimulates the senses.
The sparse space is a blank canvas – designed to foster innovation, creativity and collaboration. A successful submission will pull inspiration and characteristics from the space while contributing a unique component that elevates the overall design.
The Mural
A successful mosaic mural design is one that blends seamlessly into the architecture of the building, yet stands out as a feature that is admired as a unique work of art. Pull inspiration from the location of the building along with the character purpose of the building itself. The design should not only display the creativity of the individual who designed it, but also excites the imagination of those who experience it.
Collaborate, Invigorate, Innovate, Develop, Technology, Growth – these are words that that should guide the creation of the work. Using ¾” vitreous glass tile and a well-examined palette, the design will fill the wall alongside the bar, wrapping around the doorframe and cabinets – elements that can’t be overlooked in the overall design.
More technical information provided upon registration.
The Production
After we finalized the digital design so that it would fit perfectly within its allotted space in the restaurant, our software output a production file that would get read by our robotic assembly system. The tiles were put through an automated inspection system and then fed into our robot to get picked up and assembled into square foot sections.
Through the use of our robotic assembly system, the fabrication of the 160 sqft mosaic took two days to complete, and only two weeks from the selection of the winner to the final install.
“The Contest was incredibly successful. We were impressed by the creativity displayed in the submissions and would have been delighted to have a number of them produced. Though the winning submission was one that truly complemented the architecture of the space.”
David Hacin
President & Founder, Hacin & Associates
