Drexel Interior Design students won first place for the fourth consecutive year, and for the second straight year, swept the awards in the annual HOK Philadelphia Futures Design Competition. Contestants worked in pairs and were given two weeks to design for a comprehensive program including a community-centered wellness hub with aspects of commercial, hospitality, and healthcare design. The conceptual project had indoor and outdoor spaces and was located on a currently empty lot at Market and 8th Street in Philadelphia. 

The first-place team, undergraduate Interior Design students Talla Yahya and Ashley Grega were awarded a $6,000 prize and 3-month internships at HOK. Their design drew upon biophilic design and repeated organic patterns, to create a calming interior atmosphere. Second place went to graduate Interior Architecture students Tasneem Samarkandy and Fatimah Al Mokhaizeem, and third place went to graduate students Jhanvi Jagani and Tiffany England. 

Jurors for the awards were Richard Mark, owner and principal of Richard Mark Design, Mark Strauss, strategic advisor for the International Well Building Institute and past president of Interior Design Magazine, Jhane Barnes, industry leading textile designer, and Lila Allen, editor and writer for Metropolis Magazine.  

HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm with offices on three continents. The HOK Philadelphia office is now home to a number of competition winners and Drexel alums, including Henry Whalen, Julia Keohane, and Xio Long. 

Photo Credit: Marikate Vanuto