More Than M EYEeets the - International Interior Design ... · BEHIND THE SCENES From the entrants...
Transcript of More Than M EYEeets the - International Interior Design ... · BEHIND THE SCENES From the entrants...
20 winter 2010 www.iida .org winter 2010 21
Interior design competitionsare far more than mere beautypageants — they involve acomplex system of entry andjudgment and lead to muchmore than an award in namefor all those involved. So why isthis myth so prevalent?BY SARA ROBERTSON
ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN RANDALL NELSON
More ThanMeets the
EYE
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So when it comes to interior
design competitions, the
tendency to equate them
with beauty contests
makes sense. While that
might be an easy — and in
limited cases, accurate —
way to look at it, in reality,
most design competitions
comprise a complex process
of collaboration and provide
meaningful outcomes for
everyone involved.
“Design competitions
involve conscious, logical
and rational decisions,”
says D.B. Kim, an inde-
pendent designer based in
New York who’s judged
several competitions
during his career. “I can’t
imagine people disregard-
ing competitions as beauty
pageants. They’re not
superficial at all — it’s really
an intent to recognize a
great example of design
with an award.”
For entrants in compe-
titions, the feeling is the
same. “Our overall experi-
ence [in design competi-
tions] has been gratifying,”
says Rick Sundberg, FAIA,
LEED AP, and partner at
Olson Sundberg Kundig
Allen Architects, which
won IIDA’s 36th Annual
Interior Design Competition
— an international design
competition created to rec-
ognize and reward out-
standing design and to
encourage new ideas and
techniques in the design
and furnishing of interior
spaces — for the Wing Luke
Asian Museum in Seattle.
“Aesthetics are certainly part
of the judging, but the most
important thing is a good
idea, well presented.”
BEHIND THE SCENES
From the entrants to the
judges to the competition
sponsors, interior design
competitions are valuable
additions to the industry.
“As judges, we look at
what can be exemplified to
inspire the next generation
of interior design profes-
sionals,” Kim says.
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THERE’S NO REFUTING THAT INTERIORDESIGN IS A VISUAL PROFESSION.
Far beyond the aesthetics,
Kim thinks of design com-
petitions as a learning
experience for everyone
involved. “I hope that
other competitors see the
results of who won and
hopefully they will walk
away with inspirational
points and lessons from
other design examples.”
For Sundberg, winning
the 36th Annual Interior
Design Competition
brought many bonuses.
“Our project team always
feels a sense of reward
when our work is recog-
nized,” he says. “In this
case, it’s not just the design
team that feels like we’ve
won — it’s the museum
staff, the builders, the
[museum] community and
many others.”
He adds that the recog-
nition from peers is a
humbling experience and
that to be celebrated on
the same stage as other
talented designers is “not
to be taken for granted.”
While winning competi-
tions might not change the
core goals of his firm, it
does reinforce them. “Our
values are deeply rooted in
the culture of our firm,” he
says. “The greatest value
[of winning] comes from
the gratification of the
team and the clients —
SO NOW WHAT?Since Interior Design is constantly evolving, so should design competitions. Rosalyn Cama,
FASID, President of CAMA, Inc., a New Haven, Conn.-based healthcare and interior planning
and design company, thinks the future of competitions is in evidence-based design, which
is the process of basing decisions about the built environment on credible research to
achieve the best possible outcomes.
“The evidence-based process implies that what interior designers do is research, state a
hypothesis and do interim studies to test the hypothesis before committing to a final design,”
says Cama, who is also the author of Evidence-Based Healthcare Design (2009). Right now, this
principle applies largely in healthcare where outcomes can mean life or death.
How would this work in a competition? “The premise of my thinking about competitions, if
you make them outcome based, you can not only judge the aesthetics, but you can begin to
understand whether design interventions have an impact over the long haul of the life of a build-
ing,” Cama says. This way, the competition would go way beyond a pretty picture; it would mark
a far greater and proven long-term accomplishment.
For this to play into mainstream competitions, it would take a lot of work and commit-
ment, especially in the beginning since there isn’t a strong movement right now to do evi-
dence-based design outside of healthcare. Projects would sometimes have to be reviewed
and judged years after completion and firms would have to work much harder and include
more people — including clients and contractors — in the submittal process.
But if this style of competition started to trend, Cama believes the evidence-based process
would ultimately make the job easier for everyone involved and help to better direct future designs.
“Competitions tend to be about how you’ve pushed the envelope,” she says. “But if we could mea-
sure the outcome and you win an award because you’ve pushed something to a better outcome,
then the world is a better place.”
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“I HOPE THAT OTHER COMPETI-TORS SEE THERESULTS OFWHO WON ANDHOPEFULLY THEYWILL WALK AWAYWITH INSPIRATIONALPOINTS ANDLESSONS FROMOTHER DESIGNEXAMPLES.”D.B. Kim, an independent designer based in New York who’s judged numerous competitions
there’s an expanded
recognition of the firm.”
At Los Angeles-based
Yazdani Studio of Cannon
Design — also a winner of
IIDA’s 36th Annual Interior
Design Competition for the
Museum of Tolerance in
Los Angeles — the experi-
ence is similar. “When we
complete and submit a
project, it’s really about
confirmation more than
anything else,” says
Principal Mehrdad Yazdani.
He also enjoys the
acknowledgment by his
peers. “It helps with recog-
nition for ourselves and
also for the client and what
they allowed us to build,”
he says. “Subsequently,
that exposes our ideas and
work to a broader audi-
ence. It has a public rela-
tions aspect to it, which
reinforces what the prac-
tice is capable of doing.”
For Suzanne Tick,
Affiliate IIDA, President
of Suzanne Tick, Inc.,
Design Director at Tandus
and a judge for more than
a decade, her experience
judging last year’s IIDA
Annual Interior Design
Competition left a lasting
impression. She was
amazed by the quality
of the submissions from
an array of focus areas,
including retail, health-
care, corporate and
residential design. “I think
all this wonderful varia-
tion in the competition
comes from the spirit of
being part of the design
community.”
Moreover, she too
regards competitions as
learning opportunities.
“They show me the real
shift in direction and
scope of where design is
going in different market-
places — some areas are
becoming much more
sophisticated,” she says.
Skidmore, Owings &
Merrill’s Cathedral of Christ
the Light in Oakland, Calif.,
design entry ultimately
moved her the most. “It
blew me away,” she says.
“This was nice to see in
this competition because
we get so many corporate
interiors, and when you
see a more spiritual space,
you realize the design
committee is hitting all
aspects of the world. That
moment made me proud to
be in this industry.”
PICTURE THIS
But the beauty pageant
stereotype — that design
competitions are judged
only by aesthetics and
beautiful images — is still
there. Most interior
designers would agree
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26 winter 2010 www.iida .org
that stunning photogra-
phy in a submittal for a
competition holds a lot of
sway in how judges will
evaluate a project, but
that’s only the beginning.
“As a judge — or if you’ve
been in the profession
long enough — nothing
makes a better presenta-
tion than good photogra-
phy,” says Rosalyn Cama,
FASID, and President of
CAMA, Inc., a New Haven,
Conn.-based healthcare
interior planning and
design company. “A mas-
terful photographer can
win an award for you
even if your design work
isn’t any good.”
But, after all, Interior
Design is strongly rooted
in looks. “As profession-
als, we are such visual
people and beauty is in
the eye of the beholder,”
says Jean Hansen, FIIDA,
CID, LEED AP, AAHID,
Sustainable Interiors
Manager for sustainable
design solutions at HDR
in San Francisco, who
has judged for IIDA
and Metropolis’ Smart
Environments Awards.
“And people who haven’t
been involved in putting
together a competition
might not understand all
of the various compo-
nents that go into it.”
Yazdani agrees. “It’s
believed that to some
extent the jury or judges
are seduced by beautiful
graphics, beautiful pho-
tography, seductive forms,
shapes and spaces,” he says.
The difficulty in judging
a picture only can some-
times come down to time.
“I believe in some compe-
titions, the number of
entries or the jury’s lack
of time or patience to dig
deeply into critical issues
can affect the outcome,”
Yazdani says. “The jury
might not fully understand
or appreciate the complexity
of ideas and judge superfi-
cially on what they see.”
In many competitions,
judges only have a day or
two to pore over hundreds
of entries — and that can
lead to judges simplifying
the process. “A lot of people
just don’t have time to sit
and read through all the
entries, so it becomes a
visual thing and if you
want to take the time to
read about it, you have
to make a major effort as
a judge,” Tick says.
IN THE DETAILS
Since entrants can’t elimi-
nate the external factors
like time or the visual
preferences affecting
judges, they have to work
to make their submissions
as effective as possible.
“[When I enter a com-
petition] I look at it from
a judge’s point of view,”
Yazdani says. “If I were to
judge, what would I want
to know? What is unique
about the design? What is
powerful? And what do I
use to convey that? You
need to be simple, powerful
and concise for a judge who
only has a few minutes to
grasp your project.”
And as a judge, Kim
wants to be inspired. “It’s
not just about mimicries of
the trends. The competition
is all about the details — I’m
looking at the future.”
“PEOPLE WHOHAVEN’T BEENINVOLVED INPUTTING TOGETHERA COMPETITIONMIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS THAT GO INTO IT.”Jean Hansen, FIIDA, CID, LEED AP, AAHID,Sustainable Interiors Manager for sustainabledesign solutions at HDR in San Francisco