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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 SEPTEMBER 2020 6 CULTURE Atelier Maison, longlisted for the international Dezeen Awards 2020 LOCAL architecture and interi- or design studio, Atelier Maison, has been longlisted for the inter- national Dezeen Awards 2020 Emerging Interior Design Studio of the year. Dezeen is the world's most popular and influential archi- tecture and design website. The Dezeen Awards is the benchmark for international design excellence and the ul- timate accolade for architects and designers everywhere. Atelier Maison applied for the competition with two of their latest completed projects, both of which happen to be of a spiritual nature – The Sacred Auditorium and The Student's Chapel. Although both pro- jects differ in scale, the spaces created are both aesthetically beautiful and highly functional. The Sacred Auditorium was the result of a 5 year long ren- ovation and refit of the audi- torium at the headquarters of the M.U.S.E.U.M. society. The concept was simple: to create a beautiful place where you feel like you belong and to create a timeless interior that will be enjoyed by generations to come. The aim was to make the au- ditorium appear as though it was carved out of stone, thus making visitors feel grounded and almost embraced within a honey coloured travertine. The space that is coined The Student's Chapel was original- ly a very standard room, made up of four walls and 2 large windows. The interior archi- tecture of the space was rede- fined by introducing a number of layered planes. Each layer appearing to be isolated, and geometric shapes – like arches and squares – ap- pear cut out from these planes, while giving the illusion of depth. Earlier this year, Atelier Mai- son was the winner for the Emerging Architect award at the Malta Architecture and Spatial Planning Awards 2019. Atelier Maison was estab- lished in May 2014, by two architects Paula Agius-Vadala' and Katja Abela. As a practice, they focus on innovative ideas in the form of custom designs and attention to detail, whilst looking at ar- chitecture holistically. This is translated through the balance of form and volumes, timeless materials, colour and geome- try, which all unite as part of a new contemporary architec- ture. For Atelier Maison, new con- temporary architecture should be an architecture of hope – one which is responsibly de- signed, and one which gives a worthy past to future genera- tions. The Dezeen Awards is now in its third year, and it identifies the world's best architecture, interiors and design, as well as the studios and the individual architect and designers pro- ducing the most outstanding work. "We are so honoured to be even considered for the emerging interior design stu- dio, as these awards recognise talent from all around the world," says Paula. Katja adds "It really shows that Maltese architects and designers can compete on an international level." Architects Paula Agius Vadala and Katja Abela established their studio, Atelier Maison, in 2014, and mainly focus on architectural design and interior architecture (Photo: Alexandra Pace) When designing the interior for the Sacred Auditorium, the composition and balance of all the elements making up the space had to work together to create one holistic experience, providing a sense of belonging (Photo: Alexandra Pace) The ceiling was one of the most challenging and important elements of the entire project. It had to be both function and beautiful as it definitely had a strong presence within the space (Photo: Alexandra Pace)