The winners of the Innovation in Design Thinking: IDC Student Competition have been announced.
The competition by the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) provides students with a national platform to demonstrate the value of interior design and illustrate the positive impact design has on the users of the spaces, supported by evidence-based research. The awards program was created exclusively for Canadian interior design students.
The 2023 winners are:
Award of Excellence
‘Caladrius Health and Wellness Center’ (photo above) by Cali Pitcher, Georgian College (Barrie, Ont.)
Caladrius, named after the mythological Roman bird that healed children while they slept, is a proposed health and wellness center to provide a much-needed family medical facility to Simcoe County. The concept behind Caladrius is inspired by the yin and yang symbol, a universal symbol of harmony. The concept of providing harmonious care of each patient’s mental and physical well-being drove the design process. Healing and community are brought forth in the center, surrounded by lush trees and calming walking trails providing the opportunity for healing in nature at every turn.
The Caladrius Health and Wellness Center offers the Simcoe County community much-needed mental and physical health support, as there are currently not enough family doctors or psychiatrists in the region. The space is designed to create harmony between these two areas of care, creating a dynamic space that is designed with families at the forefront.
Award of Merit
- ‘Yúustway Healing Center; to take care of one another/each other’ by Alyssa Scott, Wilson School of Design at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Richmond, B.C.)
- ‘Oasis – Interior Garden & Wellness Center’ by Sam Piner, British Columbia Institute of Technology (Burnaby, B.C.)
Honourable Mention
- ‘Copper restaurant/ Concept : Pizzazz’ by Noora Aziz, Yorkville University (Concord, Ont.)
- ‘Seeing and Non-Seeing’ by Shuning Xie, Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, Ont.)
The winning projects will be honoured at the IDC Awards Celebration on October 26, 2023, held during the 2023 Design Symposium.
