The British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) student design challenge competition has been a huge undertaking for the Higher Education Design final year students, allowing them the opportunity to join up as a team of up-and-coming creatives and utilising the potential of digital platforms to work together to develop their design ideas in response to an industry set brief.
The opportunity to participate in this competition would not have been possible if not for the current restrictions we have found ourselves in – normally the students would have been out on work experience elsewhere but, because of the limited number of opportunities available to them, we have thought laterally and found this competition to enter as an alternative to gaining industry skills and knowledge, and adapting the assessment guidance to suit the competition brief.
The competition ran over two intense days, commencing with an introduction by the BIID and the release of the top-secret brief working on the re-development of a large retail space situated on Oxford Street, in the heart of London – only then were the team able to meet their industry mentor and commence designing. There were timeframes to stick to, and essential guidelines to remember throughout the process. To support them throughout the process the student teams were given an industry mentor – the group were so lucky to have May Fawsy as their mentor – May is the founder of MF Design Studio, based in Surrey and London, an award winning interior architectural practice specializing in commercial workplace projects and shared her skills and knowledge with the group across the 2 days of the competition.
On Monday 1st March, BIID invited all participants to an awards ceremony and even though our team didn't win, the judges' comments praised the teams hard work and commitment, here are some of the comments they said:
"Loved how the students had all worked well as a team and ultlised digital technology"
"Praised the quality and standed of visual presentation and they loved the concepts and how they considered them to be thoughtful, creative, inclusive and sustainable.
The overall experience for the students was excellent and they will all receive a certificate for participating which will enhance their CV and portfolio.
Michele Thompson,
Higher Education Academic Lead (Creative)
Higher Education Programme Leader (Design)
You can still apply for our Design and Fashion degree programmes which start in September 2021, click here.
The BIID Student Design Challenge is an annual competition for final year university students of interior design and interior architecture.
Student design challenge benefits:
- Professional mentorship
- Student design challenge trophy
- Work to a brief
- Challenge yourself
- Presentation skills
- Network with students from across the UK.
