PhilaU interior design students received more awards than any other school at the 10th annual KlingStubbins design competition in Philadelphia, winning four of the ten awards, including a second place, $2,000 win for Sarah Schaub ’12.

THE CHALLENGE:

KlingStubbins is an internationally recognized design firm with expertise in architecture, engineering, interior design, planning and landscape architecture. Each year, the firm hosts a design competition for schools in the Philadelphia area to compete in a one-day charette.

“Students were given seven hours to develop a design concept and parti and to complete two presentation boards that included rendered floor plans, elevations, perspectives and furniture and finish sections,” said Lauren Baumbach, associate professor of interior design. None of the students knew the competition’s parameters until the day of the contest.

Students were asked to design an office work environment for their generation. The project was called “Go Work,” and it challenged students to design office space that is more relaxed, flexible and spirited than traditional work environments.

A WINNING PROJECT:

After receiving notice of the challenge, Schaub decided to focus on the concept of “Flexible Foundation.”

“My thought was that it’s a place that provides the basics and building blocks or foundation for business people to come and build their companies,” explained Sarah. “More specifically, it provides various types of work spaces that allow people to work the way that best fits their needs.”

Wanting to create a floor plan that would be memorable and give her a competitive edge, Sarah decided on showcasing a sweeping angle that spanned the whole length of the building.

“I thought this feature not only looks lovely in plain view, but it would be an interesting element to inhabit and walk through.”

The other PhilaU winners were Courtney Heffintrayer ’12, Kaitlynn Ziegler ’12 and Sarah Sapowycz ’13 who each won $500 for honorable mention awards. Heffintrayer’s award was her second-straight, also winning honorable mention in the 2010 competition.

Click here to read the full PhilaU Today story on the competition.