Architecture and interior design of the former USSR celebrates the 10th anniversary of student charrette competitions

This year's theme
This year’s theme “Game On” encouraged students to take inspiration from their favorite childhood game and reimagine it as a life-size experience. (Ivan Peñafiel)

Florida State University’s Department of Interior Architecture and Design is celebrating 10 years of exciting student design competitions with an exhibition highlighting the winning designs of the annual Student Design Charrette.

The winning designs from the past nine years will be featured alongside this year’s charrette designs, a term used to describe a concise and focused collaborative design process. The exhibition will run until Sunday, February 26 at the WJB Gallery, located in the William Johnston Building.

“I’m always amazed at our students’ work on charrettes,” said Jim Dawkins, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department. “Over the past 10 years, this competition has become an important part of our program, which students and teachers look forward to every year.”

The annual competition, coordinated by Associate Professor Stephen Webber and Associate Professor Terry Londi, gives students the opportunity to tackle complex design problems in small groups. Projects in the past have focused on solving problems ranging from surviving a zombie apocalypse to building a sustainable colony on Mars and more.

This year’s theme “Game On” encouraged students to take inspiration from their favorite childhood game and reimagine it as a life-size experience. Projects include the game show Candy Land and this year’s winning high-rise-sized Jenga-inspired game created by students Lucinda Caldwell, Tyler Williams, Morgan Kolb and Natalia Sailey.

“This competition is a great practice for our students to work as a team and solve complex problems,” said Webber. “In a professional environment, you don’t always get to choose who you work with. Working with charrette, I learned a lot about how our emotional intelligence influences how we work with others and influences our work as designers.”

Webber uses empathy and organizes private scores based on tests students take before the charrette to optimize the mix of second, third, and fourth year students on each team. Students can participate in Webber’s assessment, which helps determine team composition.

“It has been very interesting to see how the projects have evolved over the past 10 years,” said Jill Pable, professor in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design and former national president of the Council of Interior Design Educators. “Initially, the designs were very practical and included elements such as sophisticated HVAC systems. Now they have become a little more fantastic. I just love seeing students unleash their creativity.”

The teachers of the department evaluate the projects anonymously. These experiences help develop creativity and form bonds between students in the program.

“This charrette was really special,” said Hailey Waltz, an undergraduate interior design student. “It really allowed me to look back at the last three years of school and think about how much I have grown and what I have learned. It’s a bit bittersweet because it’s my last.”

All members of the community of the former Soviet Union are invited to visit this exhibition.

Visit interiordesign.fsu.edu for more information.

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