Interior Design is About Providing Solutions

Set up in the University’s Saffron Hall, the exhibitions contained models and proposals created by the senior Interior Design students. Each exhibition addressed a specific need, proving once again that interior design was about improving our lives through solutions that enhance our quality of living.

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2025 IIDA Student Design Competition:

The senior students were tasked with developing proposals that could be implemented at a purpose-built Denver Adult Inpatient Behavioral Treatment Facility, in Denver, Colorado, in 2025.

According to the brief, the newly constructed adult inpatient behavioral treatment facility would provide comprehensive behavioral care for adults aged eighteen (18) and above. The students had to design the lobby and reception area, patient rooms, patient toilets/restrooms, examination rooms, milieu spaces, quiet rooms, medication rooms, group therapy rooms, visitor waiting rooms, consultation rooms, storage rooms, janitor’s closets, staff work charting areas, washer/dryer closets, sallyports, and courtyard areas.

The students worked in two groups to create two project proposals – Beneath the Lilies, and Guiding Ribbons. Individuals in each group designed a specific component of the proposal they were part of.

The students who participated in the ‘Beneath The Lilies’ proposal were Haya Al-Janahi, Afifa Al-Hayki, Haneen Darwich, and Sameera Al-Hamad The students who participated in the ‘Guiding Ribbons’ project were Dana Al Farra, Nour Abu Khattab, Arwa El Gammal, and Sara Al Homaid.

The competition was organized by the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Healthcare Student Design Competition (SDC) Awards. The Awards celebrate the talent and fresh design ideas of design students throughout the world who are currently enrolled in an interior design or interior architecture program or institution. The competition provides emerging professionals the opportunity to showcase their work and gain exposure in the interior design industry.

The competition was ongoing at the time the exhibition was on display at the University.

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Geekdom: Future Home for Geeks in Qatar

In Doha, geek culture is manifested in a physical space on Lusail Boulevard. The space was born as a sideshow to the annual Doha Film Institute’s Ajyal Film Festival and has become a rallying point for the growing Qatari pop and sub-culture communities. The Interior Design students were tasked with developing the existing space in Lusail into a permanent home, a space for these communities to come together to share their common interests and individual geekiness.

Geek culture is often seen as a phenomenon that possesses inherent creative, pioneering, and innovative powers. The Interior Design seniors drew on these characteristics to design the space. They explored existing research on designing for creative communities around the globe, including investigations by current and former VCUarts Qatar faculty members RhyS Himsworth, Byrad Yyelland, and Johan Granberg. 

The senior students involved in the project were Fatima Karamshahi, Ayah Akl, Shaikha Al-Fadalah, Shaikha Al-Mass Duha Al-Ghaffari, Hissa Al-Khuzaei, Mubashira Bashir and Maryam Al-Suwaidi.

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Bamboo Bamville

This exhibition focused on the versatility of the largest species of grass – bamboo. Students in this project investigated the various ways in which bamboo could be used in construction and design. They explored questions such as “Can spaces designed with bamboo promote learning through nature?”, “Can bamboo blend tradition with innovation”, and “How can bamboo shape greener urban spaces?”

The students’ designs were not only functional and aesthetic but also sustainable and economical. They designed a spice market, educational hub, restaurant, rooftop farm, café, walkways, gallery and a study lounge made from bamboo. Given the versatility and growing popularity of bamboo in design sectors across the globe, the students were careful to create proposals that could be adapted to different geographical areas where bamboo was available. 

The seniors who participated in the project were Lolwa Al-Thani, Nour Mahmoud, Israa Mahjoub, Khulood Almaskari, Ayah Elfihail, Ayah Abdelwahab, Rand Assad and Rebecca Wasikye.