Herman Miller And AUD Announce The Top 3 Of The ‘Resilient – Student Design Challenge 2020’ In The UAE

Following the launch of the Resilient Challenge, a collaboration with AUD Interior Design Department, Herman Miller is delighted to announce the Top 3 of the competition.

The challenge focused on the investigation and design of an efficient and flexible furniture system station for designers, architects and students in design and architecture, suitable for home-based use, office-based use or academia-based use.  The competition offered students the chance to leverage Herman Miller’s extensive knowledge in the area of learning spaces and reflects existing and new research.

Undergraduate Interior Design students from American University in Dubai, Manipal University, DIDI, Ajman University, Heriot Watt, Zayed University, Amity University, Al Ghurair University and American University of Sharjah were invited to take part in the four week-long challenge.

Over 50 entries were submitted with the judges eventually shortlisting 12 designs which were showcased on our social media platforms and on the Universities platforms as well. From the 12 finalists, our Top three have been offered an internship with leading architecture and design practices in the region. They are:

Tanseera Muhammed from Manipal University who designed Boomerang, Abdallah Alawadi from AUD designed The Peggable, and Niria Alcuriza from Heriot Watt designed Trible. Gensler chose Tanseera as their intern, while Roar chose Abdallah and Woods Bagot have chosen Niria for their interns.

The winners were thankful for the opportunity to showcase their skills and are looking forward to working with the prestigious design firms.

Kristin Lee, Chair and Associate Professor of Interior Design said, “We are so proud of the work that all students have done as part of this collaborative competition and can’t wait to share the work with the design community!”Annamaria Lambri, Associate Professor of Interior Design and Outreach Coordinator – Interior Design, also added,“We are all experiencing a unique and challenging time. The design community quickly responded to the new situation, reinforced by a renewed and strengthened sense of community. Resilient Student Design Challenge 2020 marks an effective contribution to the field, supporting design development and proudly exploring innovative solutions to improve life quality.”

Chris Morley Head of Design at Herman Miller and one of the judges had this to say,“There was a wide variety of total submissions, everyone had its merits. Once we had a top 12, the 3 we selected rose above the others. These 3 showed clear thinking, simple execution and creative flair.”

Herman Miller’s Regional Director, Stacy Stewart also commented, “It’s so important to us to be able to support the design leaders of the future. This is our third iteration of the Student competition and every year we look at the phenomenal designs from these future leaders. Combining the learnings from a lockdown with a love for research-led design, this year’s competition has brought out some great designs, out-of-the-box thinking and really intriguing concepts.”