Welcome to the 17th edition of the Superior Achievement in Design and Imaging awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in creating successful retail environments. The winners are those architects and designers who craft memorable places that put the magic back in shopping, enhance or redefine a retail brand, capture a trend particularly well or solve a seemingly insurmountable problem.

This year's victors continue that tradition.

What distinguishes the winners from the also-rans is the talent to blend aesthetics with function to create a superior design that reflects the best the business has to offer. In other words, a SADI recipient has designed a building or series of buildings with more than just pretty faces.

SADI 2006 Winner: New Community/Power Center

LAKES AT THOUSAND OAKS
Here's a lesson in civic duty: To create consistency between The Lakes at Thousand Oaks and its neighbors along the eponymous boulevard out front, Caruso Affiliated relegated parking to the back of the site. Perkowitz + Ruth Architects designed the buildings and Lifescapes International created a four-acre park and one-acre lake. "The open space is a good tradeoff," one juror said. "It breaks a lot of rules and we should reward them for that." The move also meant articulating and finishing all four sides of the building to a high level (finishes included limestone, granite and copper), and shielding service areas. Though it measures 48,000 square feet, the Lakes represents a big effort at creating a sense of place. The topper: a clock tower featuring the world's largest Cartier timepiece.