Warren and Mahoney‘s Dan Kempka was part of the design team behind the MediaWorks Radio Broadcasting HQ – which the firm designed in collaboration with AECOM – that won the Workplace (over 1000 m²) Award at the 2020 Interior Awards. He was also a finalist in the Emerging Design Professional category last year. We caught up with Kempka to hear what it was like finding out the MediaWorks team won and the highlights of the programme for him.

How did you feel when MediaWorks was announced as a winner at last year’s Interior Awards?

Dan Kempka (DK): Recognition for innovation and excellence from the industry and our peers is certainly a tremendous highlight for the project. But, sharing this experience with our client and seeing their glee is perhaps the most satisfying and rewarding part of the win. The suspense is exciting and knowing the calibre of work we are up against could be validation enough. The MediaWorks win was the culmination of a scope of intense and complex work committed to by a team who wanted to design the unexpected. The recognition is immensely satisfying and sets the bar even higher to continue to push the boundaries and the expectations of our clients.

What was the process like of presenting live to the judges (albeit over Zoom) last year?

DK: What is not to enjoy about the opportunity to share our work, especially to an audience of discerning, like-minded creative pioneers? As designers, we find we are the most passionate people in the room and it’s this passion that compels us to express our medium in more adventurous, compelling ways. Knowing our presentations last year were via a digital window was unexpected but the feeling was somewhat familiar. We were familiar with collaborating and sharing content remotely in the months before our presentations. By the time it came to present to the jury it really did feel normal. Of course, it wasn’t the usual interaction that affords the ability to respond to subtle nuances usually felt in the room – but, it didn’t feel disadvantageous. In fact, I would go so far as to say it allowed the work of the project and the photography to be the true storyteller, with the emphasis on the quality and features of the design.

This is our 10th year of the Interior Awards – is there an interior project that stands out to you from the last decade?

DK: Enduring design tells an inspiring provocative story and places the user at its very core. It’s brave and meticulous and demonstrates an empathic maturity. I believe I am describing [Warren and Mahoney’s] work, but the interior of Amano is hard to beat.

Enter your projects in the Interior Awards today for your chance to be named among New Zealand’s top interiors, along with the chance to win your share of over $7500 in cash and prizes.