by Shane Henson — January 17, 2014—The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) recently announced the winners of the 2013 Student Sustainable Design Competition, a contest sponsored by the IIDA to honor students with a passion for interior design and interest in sustainability.
The contest was open to students worldwide who are currently enrolled in an interior design or related college program.
“Students are the future of design, so it’s crucial that they understand the importance of sustainability today,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst. “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.”
Winners of the 2013 Student Sustainable Design Competition are as follows:
The 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, a 38,000 sq. ft., three-story mixed use building.
“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,” said contest judge Robert Moylan of Smithgroup JJR.
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, a 20,000 sq. ft. tobacco-free building focused on collaboration and sustainability and engineered to use net zero energy.
Second place went to Michelle Meléndez for her design for the Seminole State College of Florida College of Communication and Public Relations.
(Click on image to enlarge, or click on link in text to “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,” said contest judge Tim Gajewski of Wolcott Architecture. “We were impressed by the designer’s ability to make such a complex project easy to read and navigate.”
The IIDA is a professional networking and educational association with more than 13,000 members practicing worldwide in more than 50 countries.
