53 interior design students from three British Columbia post-secondary institutions came together at BUILDEX Vancouver on February 11 to participate in a collaborative design charrette.
BUILDEX Vancouver is Western Canada’s largest exhibition and conference connecting the design, construction, and real estate industries. The annual event brings together professionals of the built environment to network, learn, and discover the newest innovations, industry trends, and expert information from a market in constant transformation.
As part of the event, students from British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), and Vancouver Island University (VIU) were invited to participate in a design charrette. The group included 22 fourth-year students from BCIT, 14 fourth-year students from KPU, and 14 second-year and 3 fourth-year students from VIU.
Students were divided into teams of seven to eight participants and challenged to develop a design concept that repurposed an old gas station into a coffee shop and bookstore. Each team received a floor plan, a design brief, and a selection of miscellaneous items “found” at the gas station. Teams were required to incorporate at least three of these items into their final concept.
Working under a three-hour time constraint, students collaborated to develop creative solutions that were presented in poster format and evaluated by a panel of industry professionals. Judges included Christine Weber, Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) President; Joanne Pocock, Interior Designers Institute of British Columbia (IDIBC) Representative; and Shauna Root, Registered Interior Designer and past planner of student charrettes.
The winning concept, titled “Gasbar,” was developed by Group 7 and included two students from KPU: Emily McKenzie-Djordjevich and Madi Chai. The team was awarded tickets to the Professional Interior Designers Advocacy Association (PIDAA) Shine Awards ceremony.
The winning poster is currently on display in the second-floor hallway of the Wilson School of Design, celebrating the students’ collaborative achievement and innovative approach to adaptive reuse.
