The American Hardwood Export Council (Ahec), a trade association for the American hardwood industry, is inviting nominations for its Commercial Interior Design (CID) Awards 2012.

For the second year in a row, Ahec is sponsoring the CID Awards where a new category - Outstanding use of American hardwoods in a project - has been created.

Ahec’s involvement as the Gold Sponsor is part of its extensive outreach campaign championing the usage of American hardwoods amongst the region’s leading architectural and design firms.

The CID Awards will be held on September 25 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers.

Last year, the new library at the Zayed University campus in Abu Dhabi grabbed top honours, winning the award for ‘Outstanding use of American Hardwood in a project’.

The new library was part of the overall Dh3 billion ($816 million) project designed by Hadi Teherani, which included 28 new buildings completed for the new campus inside Khalifa City.

It is also the university’s premier learning resource facility for both students and faculty and the award recognised the usage of American black walnut to create a conducive and inspiring ambiance for reading and learning.

“The new Zayed University Campus library is exemplary in terms of its design and its use of American hardwood,” said Roderick Wiles, Ahec director for Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania.

“We have been extremely pleased with this project from the moment it started to take shape, till the moment it won the award for ‘Outstanding use of American Hardwood in a project’ at the CID Awards 2011.”

“Our intention to partner with the awards was to draw attention to projects that best utilized American hardwoods and the ZU library does this beautifully.

“The positive response and feedback we got following the awards has encouraged us to continue this association in 2012, and we are confident that the 2012 edition of the CID Awards will receive impressive nominations for this category from across the region,” Wiles added.

In the Middle East, American hardwoods are well-established as a preferred material for interior projects and furniture due to the wide range of species, their performance, aesthetic appeal and environmental credentials.

“The CID Awards is a well-established event for the design sector and our continued association with it will allow us to throw the spotlight on American hardwoods in the Middle East,” Wiles added.

“Given that wood has not only enjoyed a renaissance, but has become an essential material for architects across the globe, we are eager to raise awareness about American hardwoods within the specifying community across the Mena region.

“These awards continue to provide a unique and exciting opportunity to see some of the very best projects and we are looking forward to seeing the nominations for this year’s awards,” concluded Wiles. – TradeArabia News Service