Two students from Drexel’s Interior Architecture & Design program, Ala’a Alharbi and Pooja Kalavagunta, were chosen for the 2022 Metropolis Future 100. Selected by the popular Metropolis Magazine, this recognition honors top interior design and architecture students graduating this year.  

Winning students were nominated by their instructors and mentors, and hail from some of the best schools in North America. Metropolis notes: “A diverse group—with many identifying as female, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or neurodiverse—they are leaders on their campuses, advocating for equity and inclusion through their work and extracurriculars.” Ala’a and Pooja were both featured among the top interior designer graduate students.

As described by Metropolis, Ala’a creates “timeless designs that deliver interesting stories and prioritize well-being and sustainability.” She is currently working on a thesis that aims to counteract loneliness by creating attachment to place through scent. Her ongoing research into olfactory experiences considers the emotionally rich qualities of memories connected to scent, and how that can be used in design. View a portfolio of work by Ala’a Alharbi.

Pooja has previously been honored with awards from HOK, Gensler, and IIDA. She is currently working on a thesis that transposes cinematic techniques into interior spaces to heighten and dramatize phenomenological experience. View a portfolio of work by Pooja Kalavagunta.