April 10, 2019

Drexel Interior Architecture students were awarded the second place in the 14th annual International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Student Design Competition. This prestigious competition, sponsored by OFS and Carolina, celebrates the talent and fresh design ideas of interior design students currently enrolled in an interior design program throughout the world. The team of graduate students, Aishwarya Rekha Gunta and Kristianne Simeon, won second place and $1,500 for their project, “Synthesis: A Fusion Between Nature & Adaptive Design Elements.”  

“We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 IIDA Student Design Competition,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA. “Interior design students shape the future of commercial interior design, and this year’s submissions demonstrate true innovation, ingenuity, and fresh perspectives.” 

This year’s competition focused on the healthcare sector by challenging participants to design critical aspects of an ambulatory surgery center. Projects were reviewed by a jury of design and healthcare professionals, Edwin A. Beltran, principal at NBBJ, Amy Mays, interiors practice leader at HDR, and Natalie Thomas, national accounts director of OFS and Carolina.