commercial interiors uk
next generation award
- highly commended
Sheffield Hallam was one of seven universities who took part in the first ever National CIUK Next Generation Award, this recognises up and coming designers in their second year of university. The brief was to design a 'breakout space' within a mid-range wellness hotel based in Manchester. It had to include a meeting room, independent work space and relaxation area. We were provided a floor plan of the space where we were told we could not remove or move any of the current walls / windows however we were allowed to add walls. In addition to this the brief specified at least 50% of furniture used had to be supplied from Commercial Interiors UK Members. Evidence was to be provided for this in the form of a furniture specification list, which it was my first time making.
This challenged me as a designer due to the strict brief however I really enjoyed working through the problems as it gave me good experience for future jobs.
I was then one of three students shortlisted by my lecturer to be put through to the next stage of the competition. This meant the following week I had to present my design portfolio (on a teams call) to a panel of 5 judges who are all highly respected in the design industry:
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Alys Bryan - Managing Editor of Design Insider.
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Arun Rana - Design Director ENA at Accor Hotels.
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John Williams - Founder of SpaceInvader.
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Rita Bancroft - Marketing director at NEWH UK.
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Diana Celella - Director at The Drawing Room Interiors.
They were able to question me on my work and give feedback on my final design. This then led me to coming second place and being awarded 'Highly Commended' by the judges, who presented me with my certificate at Halle St Peters (Manchester) during the CIUK Annual Dinner.
I am very grateful to everyone involved providing second year students with opportunities like this to help boost confidence and give us a small head start into the industry.
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Here is a link to an article written about the event by Design Insider:
