IIDA Names Winners of Student Design Competition

December 18, 2013  by in Designer Weekly   

Open to students worldwide who are currently enrolled in an interior design or related college program, this competition celebrates sustainable design and rewards students whose projects demonstrate consistent, creative sustainable principles.

The competition was sponsored by Interface. www.interface.com/

“Students are the future of design, so it’s crucial that they understand the importance of sustainability today,” said Cheryl Durst, IIDA executive vice president and CEO. “The IIDA Student Sustainable Design Competition is all about students developing their sustainable design approach, and that’s why we are so enthusiastic to see such a high degree of innovation and sensitivity for sustainability in this year’s submissions.”

The judging panel for the competition comprised: Amy Campos, IIDA, Amy Campos Architect, San Francisco, Calif.; Tim Gajewski, IIDA, Associate, AIA, LEED AP, Wolcott Architecture | Interiors, Culver City, Calif.; Robert Moylan, IIDA, Smithgroup JJR, Washington, D.C.

“The general trend of Sustainable Design has grown from standard energy, efficiency and resource concerns to include material, community, weather, disaster relief and health issues,” Campos said. “It was nice to see this evolution of sustainable design represented in the projects we saw this year. They addressed the big ideas of sustainability with an exemplary consistency and follow-through.”

Winners of the 2013 Student Sustainable Design Competition are:

* First Place $1,500 cash prize was awarded to Jenny Chang, student IIDA and Azarel Marrufo, student IIDA (Arizona State University), for their project THE EDGE.

“The consistent design, from the exterior and urban planning through the interior space melds the project seamlessly as a whole, taking sustainability by addressing larger social implications and Interior Design’s effect on the broader social community rather than just the client and location itself,” Moylan said.

* Second Place and a prize of $1,000 was awarded to Michelle Meléndez (Seminole State College of Florida)  for her project of the College of Communication and Public Relations.

“This project applied sustainable strategy in a regional manner, clearly and thoroughly working through the urban and regional issues and detailed the elements of interior design,” Gajewski said. “We were impressed by the designer’s ability to make such a complex project easy to read and navigate.”

* The People’s Choice Award winner, Tegan Deering, student IIDA (Academy of Art University),for her shipping container vacation home.

Winning entries from the 2013 Student Sustainable Design Competition are available for viewing online.