Elkus Manfredi receives design award for Neiman Marcus in Natick

Elkus Manfredi Architects recently won top honors in the Exteriors 25,000 to 100,000 s/f category of Chain Store Age's 2007 Retail Store of the Year Design Competition. Elkus Manfredi earned the first place award for their outstanding work for Neiman Marcus at Natick Collection. The best of retail design was showcased in an intense competition which featured entries from traditional and emerging retail design and architectural firms. The awards ceremony was held at The Hilton Anatole in Dallas earlier this month. The new Neiman Marcus store presents an avant-garde design for a company whose corporate image dictates that it create one-of-a-kind retail environments. Inspired by the philosophy of founder Stanley Marcus, the space represents the style and sophistication of the retail leaders' product collections while also accentuating its New England location and character. The undulating stainless steel exterior is reminiscent of the sophisticated fabrics from Neiman Marcus' couture line, rippling in the coastal breezes of N.E. The surrounding landscape evokes the sea grass of tidal marshes, the traditional stone walls, and birch forests of the region. Elkus Manfredi and Neiman Marcus' collaborative design is modern but classic and a spectacular architectural statement.