The very best of design in Asia-Pacific will be showcased at the upcoming MAISON&OBJET ASIA (M&O ASIA) from 8 to 11 March 2016 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center in Singapore. In line with the salon’s targeted positioning as a curated platform offering high-end interior design concepts and solutions to property developers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, interior designers, and architects, the works by the 2016 Designer of the Year and the Rising Asian Talents are a reflection of the region’s driving force behind the compelling design scene.

Similarly, the 2016 Interior Design and Lifestyle Summit will feature topics ranging from award-winning hospitality projects, art of living, design thinking, cross-disciplinary collaboration to country-focus discussion. Designer of the Year 2016 From Paris, Singapore to Miami Beach, MAISON&OBJET has created and offered an inter-connected worldwide stage for designers to shine. Every year M&O will present four Designers of the Year: two for M&O PARIS (January and September), one for M&O ASIA, and one for M&O AMERICAS. Designers of the Year are renowned personalities in the world of design creation and innovation, architecture and interior architecture.

M&O ASIA proudly announces André Fu as the 2016 Designer of the Year. One of the world’s most sought-after architects/designers, Fu is the architect behind major luxury hotels such as The Upper House in Hong Kong and the Fullerton Bay Hotel in Singapore, as well as restaurants such as Kioku at the Four Seasons Seoul and Motif in Tokyo. One of his fortes is his ability to marry elements outside of architecture or interior design into a unified whole.

Fu is launching a new brand called André Fu Living (AFL), a lifestyle range that embodies his design philosophy within tangible objects. The first product in the AFL line is a scent called Fargesia, which he created in collaboration with cult perfumer Julian Bedel of Fueguia 1833 Patagonia. At M&O ASIA 2016, Fu will present his bathroom collection for Cooper & Graham. "M&O embraces the spirit of contemporary lifestyle and is a genuine celebration of modern artisanship," says Fu.

M&O ASIA’s Interior Design & Lifestyle Summit has been also extremely popular among the visitors, with a consistent turnout of around 2,800 attendees in each of the last two editions. Past speakers include Tom Dixon, Kelly Hoppen, Paola Navone, Neri&Hu, Kenneth Cobonpue, Joyce Wang and Kelly Cheng. The 2016 programme will put a strong focus on region-based speakers to provide the audience with an insider perspective on the intricate development of the Asia-Pacific market.

With this in mind, M&O ASIA 2016 has invited major design media including Architecture Media (Australia), Design Anthology (Hong Kong), FORM (Singapore) and Sina.com (China) to moderate talks and discussions with property developers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, interior designers, and architects. 

CSM Live, the branding and live experience division of CSM Sport and Entertainment, has been appointed as the Official Provider of Look, Wayfinding and Signage for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Following a competitive tender process, CSM Live will be responsible for scoping, producing, installing and de-rigging all elements of venue dressing at competition and non-competition venues. This remit includes the Look and Feel, field of play branding, wayfinding and information signage, sponsor recognition, media treatments and Host City dressing, applying relevant experience from previous multi-sport events including the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

In line with Birmingham 2022’s sustainability pledge, which includes plans to deliver the first ever carbon-neutral Commonwealth Games, CSM Live will work to design and provide an entirely sustainable solution, maximising the re-use of the hardware with the aspiration that none of the produced materials goes to waste after the Games.

CSM Live has also committed to work with local companies, suppliers and staff on the programme with a target to procure over 65% of its requirements locally, in order to deliver tangible benefits to the business community in the region.

Working alongside the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee, venue scoping will begin immediately, with production due to commence in the early stages of next year. CSM Live will also engage with local students on the design process for the Wayfinding and Signage programme.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see athletes from 72 nations and territories compete in 19 sports across 14 competition venues from 28 July until 8 August 2022. The event is expected to have a global TV audience of 1.5 billion and attract more than one million spectators.

Giles Stanford, Director, Global Events at CSM Live, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Birmingham 2022 as we seek to deliver a sustainable, innovative and carbon-friendly Commonwealth Games. We have a strong pedigree in providing sustainable branding solutions for major events and combined with the expertise of the local business community, we hope to deliver a spectacular event for all those involved.”

Ian Reid, Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham 2022, said: “It is fantastic to have CSM Live join us as our Official Provider of Look, Wayfinding and Signage for Birmingham 2022. With a strong track record of working on major sporting events, I know we can rely on their expertise to help us deliver the most sustainable Commonwealth Games to date. In addition to their work on competition venues, CSM Live will also be working with us on our community engagement activities, which will support us developing positive relationships within local communities across the West Midlands.”

Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin said: “With CSM Live, we have the ideal partner to deliver the look and feel for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. I am delighted by the important pledge from CSM Live to ensure that no product used in its operations will go to waste after the Games.

A further commitment to work with local companies will ensure there will be positive benefits for the West Midlands from the Games. My thanks also goes to our CGF Partnerships (CGFP) team as they continue bring on board world-leading organisations to support the delivery of Birmingham 2022 as well as our long-term ambitions.”

Baltimore-Maryland’s 2026 World Cup Host City bid has today revealed its new brand identity and logo as its bid to host FIFA 2026 World Cup matches continues to build momentum.

Reflecting Baltimore-Maryland's diverse communities and with close connections to the history of the city itself, the new brand identity embodies key aspects of the bid’s commitment to prioritizing diversity and inclusion and representing individuals from across the city and state.

The new branding and logo include references to the iconic "colors of Baltimore", depicted in the "Painted Ladies" row homes of Northern Baltimore City, which have become synonymous with the vibrant neighborhoods of Baltimore-Maryland.

Featuring local iconography, including the "Hon Playing Soccer", Pink Flamingo and Blue-Green Crab, the Baltimore-Maryland 2026 branding symbolizes the bid’s deep connections to the local culture:

• "Hon Playing Soccer"

Depicting a woman with a beehive hairstyle, the Baltimore “Hon'' pays tribute to the women of Baltimore’s working-class communities in the 1950s and 1960s and represents the people of Baltimore-Maryland’s originality and creativity.

"Hon'' is a person, a quintessential term of endearment in Baltimore’s regional dialect and the inspiration for the local arts and cultural festival, “Hon Fest''. The festival takes place in the city’s Hampden community and is widely accepted as one of the most welcoming and accepting places for the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S.

• Pink Flamingo

Deeply connected to Greater Baltimore’s artistic community and Baltimore Club Music, the Pink Flamingo can be found everywhere from neighborhood front yards to huge statues across the city. As the community has transformed from a manufacturing and shipping port to a hub for the next generation of artists and creatives, the Pink Flamingo has remained a constant icon of the local area.

• Blue-Green Crab

Blue Crab is a staple of Maryland, and represents the state’s hospitality and culinary community, as well as its natural resources, harbor, waterways, and efforts towards sustainability and minimizing environmental impact.  

Local Baltimore advertising agency, TBC, designed the new brand aligning with Baltimore-Maryland 2026's commitment to showcasing local businesses at the heart of the bid and using FIFA 2026 World Cup matches to transform and regenerate the city and state.

Terrance Hasseltine, President of Baltimore-Maryland 2026 and Executive Director of Maryland Sports Commission, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be launching our new brand identity and logo for Baltimore-Maryland 2026. Representing every aspect of our diverse local communities is hugely important for us, especially as hosting matches at the FIFA 2026 World Cup would create a tremendous positive impact for both our city and state.

“TBC is a valued partner who has helped us capture Baltimore-Maryland's unique and treasured history and distinct visual identity, and we are embracing this and incorporating it into every aspect of our bid. Baltimore’s “Hons”, Pink Flamingos and Blue-Green Crab are synonymous with our communities and we’re ready to welcome the world with our famed hospitality.”

Bill Ward, Executive Vice President, TBC, said: “As a Day One supporter of Baltimore-Maryland 2026 and a proud local business, it is a privilege to have worked with the BMD 2026 team on the bid’s brand identity and logo update, which uniquely reflects our city’s vibrant and inclusive culture. Incorporating the Baltimore Colors and unique icons, the new branding brings to life the bid’s vision of creating a real, tangible human legacy for our local communities.

“TBC has been part of the Baltimore-Maryland 2026 journey from the start and to be helping to bring the FIFA 2026 World Cup to our city and state for the very first time is a huge opportunity.”

[Source: Baltimore-Maryland 2026 World Cup Host Destination Delegation]

[Source: EventScotland, 19 March] The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the organisers of the inaugural 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships have unveiled their ambitious brand identity for this prestigious new event on the UCI International Calendar taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland in August 2023. 
The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will be the biggest cycling event in history bringing together 13 individual World Championships events for the first time with the world’s top cyclists and para-cyclists competing for the coveted rainbow jersey in disciplines including road cycling, track cycling, mountain bike, BMX Racing, BMX Freestyle, trials and indoor cycling. 
The Championships will also be a catalyst for collaboration and positive change across the country through the ‘power of the bike’, inspiring people to ride bikes more often for fun, exercise and to move around.
The new brand identity, which has been created by Glasgow design agency Stand, seamlessly combines the professionalism and credibility of the UCI with the warm, friendly welcome of Glasgow and Scotland – both working in harmony just like a bike and its rider.
The ‘squiggly bike’ as the host identity has been designed to encompass a feeling of playfulness, inclusivity and positivity, acting as a lasting symbol of the event and what it aims to achieve for communities right across Scotland. 
It also incorporates the UCI rainbow in its design, which in a first for a UCI World Championships, will remain in place after the event, with the UCI approving the ongoing use of the rainbow colours in support of the wide-ranging policy ambitions of the event to develop cycling in Scotland. This means the people of Scotland can take the ‘squiggly bike’ to their hearts as a lasting inspiration to celebrate the power of the bike long after 2023. 
Cabinet Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said: “The Scottish Government is pleased to be working with the UCI to host the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. Hosting this mega-event is a game-changing opportunity for cycling in Scotland.
“The brand identity being launched today reflects Scotland as a nation – bold, inclusive and innovative. I am sure the ‘squiggly bike’ will prove popular with cyclists across the country and become a widely recognised symbol of cycling in Scotland.
“It is a major endorsement of Scotland and our ambition to be one of the world’s top cycling nations to have approval to continue using the UCI rainbow after the event as lasting inspiration and a continued celebration of the power of the bike.”
The event identity has been developed to uniquely differentiate this new combined UCI Cycling World Championships from the individual discipline UCI World Championships and will be used for the future editions in 2027, 2031 and beyond.
UCI President David Lappartient said: “The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will bring together, for the first time in the history of our sport, several thousand athletes from different disciplines and five continents in an unprecedented celebration of cycling in Glasgow and across Scotland. The event logo and visual identity we are unveiling today illustrates the excellence and universality of the UCI World Championships combined with the expertise, hospitality and vision of our hosts. This unique event will leave a lasting legacy in Scotland for generations to come and will make history in the UCI and our sport in all its forms – competition, leisure and transport.”
While the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships will put Scotland’s elite cycling on the map, it will also be about real stories of everyday champions inspired to everyday triumphs.
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council said: “As one of the top five ultimate sporting cities in the world, and the UK’s only UCI Bike City, Glasgow is delighted to host the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships. We’re pleased to see a nod to the city’s famous Squinty and Squiggly bridges in the squiggly bike logo and in the continued legacy of the event.  
“Scotland has produced some of the world’s finest elite riders and, while this is an important part of our country’s history, our civic pride comes from building and managing world-class and Olympic sporting venues which are open to everyone from children to adults, and from grassroots level to professional athletes. 
“This is the true power of the bike, inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to get out and realise or rediscover the pleasure of keeping fit and healthy – both mentally and physically – in the lead up to and long after the 2023 World Championships.” 
Dame Katherine Grainger, Chair of UK Sport, said: “This is a great day for everyone involved with the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships as they reveal their brand identity to inspire people across Scotland. 
“UK Sport are investing £4million of National Lottery funding into the Championships to demonstrate our commitment to bring more of the world’s biggest sporting competitions to our shores and how, through world leading innovations and collaborations they can have long lasting positive social and economic impact.
“The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships present an historic first for the sport and it is an honour that Scotland has been tasked with delivering them. We know from experience from working on the biggest sporting events in the country that these Championships will truly make a difference to the communities involved and this is a key moment in engaging with them.” 
In addition to the unveiling the new brand identity, the organisers have also launched a new website – www.cyclingworldchamps.com - for those keen to find out more about the event, its ambition and sign up to be part of the journey.  
The Championships is being delivered in collaboration between cycling’s governing body the UCI, Scottish Government, Glasgow Life, UK Sport, British Cycling and VisitScotland with its EventScotland team, with the partnership creating a blueprint for future editions by ensuring the inaugural event is authentic, innovative and distinctive.

Temporary event and infrastructure design is increasingly becoming recognised as the most cost effective and sustainable solution for organising committees and venue managers planning to host major international sporting events.

As temporary systems become increasingly sophisticated and trusted to provide world-class competition standards, the methods of integration and appropriate use are continuously evolving to match the complexity of the design ambition. The flexibility capacity added to a venue, and the embodied efficiency of a tailored business solution, can lead to year-round use and increased profitability. As a result, the potential for temporary works should be considered in the first stages of any event bid planning process.

Legacy strategy

From the outset of the design process, we consider the way in which the venue will be used in future phases at the very heart of the project. Event design in this way can be considered the first stage of construction.

The legacy strategy guides how the temporary venue begins to take its place on site. Certain services such as technology spaces and broadcast facilities can be embedded entirely into the permanent infrastructure, while other components such as seating bowls and ground works can be partially retained to maintain future expansion capabilities. Other areas are configured using components such as tents, canopies, cabins and fences that can be removed in their entirety, packed up and used at another event.

Enhancing character

The first step in creating an appropriate design that perfectly suits the event is to consider all aspects of the character and spirit of the occasion, and to react to it with built forms that frame and enhance that character rather than imposing a design upon it. The result is designs which respond to the way in which the event is watched and experienced, and can help to enhance that feeling amongst the spectators.

At London 2012, loud music and constant cheering played a huge part in creating the atmosphere for a number of sports; in these venues we worked hard to bring the spectators as close to the action as possible so as to spur the athletes on.  By contrast, in other arenas silence was requested during the competition and applause came only on the completion of a performance. The explosive eruption of applause, within enclosed and intimate seating bowls following a tense silence, had a drama of its very own.

Of course, some sports had a completely unique character, such as the party nature of the beach volleyball tournament. At London 2012 and at Baku 2015, dancers would emerge between matches in cheerleader style and energise the audience. Though an elite sport was being played, putting on a spectacular show was also a key part of this event.

Invisible by design

The careful layout of each constituent element of the functional areas, their juxtapositions and arrangements, enables efficient venue operations and easy orientation.

A critical aspect of operational design is knowing and understanding how to separate the public-facing areas from the back of house facilities. Security systems, crowd management planning and all-accessible integration are crucial to the staging of any event, but each must be designed to integrate as seamlessly as possible, to have the smallest visual impact.

The most challenging, yet rewarding piece of our work, is to understand and choreograph all the thousands of moving elements into one organised celebration of sport, without anyone noticing all of the work behind the scenes.

Spectator experience

Naturally, different sports encourage different behaviors in spectator movement. From the arrival profile of fans, the frequency and method of occupying the spectator plazas, all the way through to the way they time their departure, successful temporary overlay design is all dependent on the nature of the event. In designing for and predicting spectator movements, we can collaborate with transport consultants early on in the process in order to use existing transport systems to their optimum level, and design to support it.

Although the same quality of experience is required in whichever location an event is being held, the way in which it is designed and operates can take on the flavour of its host country. In London 2012 the design of the Olympic Park areas were inspired by the theme of the English garden and street parties, with these iconic British community celebration motifs enlivening the spectator plazas. And as we saw recently in Rio, a carnival atmosphere influenced the entire Olympic and Paralympic event, informing all elements of the design and the event identity.

With the makeup and traditions of fans varying greatly across different sports, cultures and parts of the world, there is a fantastic opportunity for the host country to inject its own local flare, showcasing and making the most of local products, industry and youth programs.

Lasting influence

With the unanimous approval of Olympic Agenda 2020 in 2014, it is clear that the Olympic Movement is fully behind the considered use of existing and temporary venues wherever possible, with the goal of reducing costs, improving sustainability and allowing the hosting of global events to become accessible to a greater number of nations and communities.

This design approach is becoming increasingly desired for events at all levels, and the opportunities that event and overlay design affords for regeneration, activation and innovative design can have a lasting influence on everyone who is drawn together around these spectacular occasions.

Sooad Islam spoke at Host City 2016 on the panel "Making Event Infrastructure More Sustainable". Listen on audioBoom