2025-2026 Student Design Competition

In the context of well-being education, this concept is spatialized through environments that foster interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential learning, and inclusive participation (Hicks, 2022). Gensler’s research on lifelong learning underscores the importance of “learning landscapes” that are agile, equitable, and socially conscious, enabling learners to engage in diverse modes of knowledge acquisition beyond traditional classrooms (Gensler Research Institute, 2024). These environments must support asynchronous, community-based, and intergenerational learning, especially as adult learners seek personal growth and health literacy across extended lifespans (Nubani & Lee, 20).

Furthermore, the integration of cultural wisdom and non-traditional knowledge systems—such as herbal medicine or permaculture—into formal learning spaces aligns with the call to honor underrepresented voices and practices. As Tehrani suggests, educational spaces should not only accommodate but also teach through their design, becoming active participants in the pedagogical process (Bernstein, 2017). This approach is supported by research showing that inclusive, participatory environments enhance learners’ sense of belonging and engagement, particularly when technology is used to amplify rather than replace human connection. Thus, the design competition asks you to envision a hybrid, adaptive space where spatial, technological, and social elements converge to cultivate a supermind for community-centered well-being education.

Before developing your concept, be sure to carefully review the Prompt section below. It outlines the core goals of the design competition—such as fostering collective intelligence, integrating community-based knowledge, and reimagining inclusive learning environments. Use this section to ground your design decisions and ensure your proposal aligns with the competition’s broader vision for future-forward, well-being-centered education. You are invited to:

• To envision an adaptive, inclusive, and future-forward interior environment for learning.
• To explore spatial models that facilitate collective intelligence in educational communities.
• To examine and integrate Superminds’ concepts: hierarchies, markets, democracies, and communities in educational design.
• To reflect on how community-based knowledge can be cultivated and shared, particularly in health and well-being.
• To critically analyze the role of technology in facilitating communication and learning within the evolving landscape of design education and practice.

Location:

A place in your local neighborhood (including but not limited to campus, town hall, park, beach, community garden), research-based reasoning for selecting the location and real photos from site analysis are required, following the anonymity rules outlined in the competition guidelines (e.g., no visible school identifiers, logos, mascots, etc.)

Time:

Current Day or near future

Scope:

Maximum 280 square meters (± 3,000 square footages), a portion should be designed for outdoor access.

The competition is open to interpretations of the future learning landscape. You can either choose an existing indoor or outdoor venue, or you can propose a temporary installation that can be relocatable or reproducible in other locations.

Users:

The future learners, ranging from young adults (ages 20 and older) to elders (ages 65 and older)

1. What specific learning needs are being addressed based on your research and site selection?
2. Some communities may face greater challenges in accessing lifelong learning opportunities, especially for adults beyond the traditional schooling age. Are you designing a particular demographic or cultural context within the 30+ to 65+ age range?
3. Your design should challenge conventional ideas of a “learning space.” It may be indoor, outdoor, mobile, or hybrid—but it must include elements of enclosure that support focused, inclusive, and meaningful learning experiences. These enclosures may be physical, sensory, or conceptual.
4. What kind of support can technology provide to improve or address learning challenges and styles? How have learning patterns shifted in the last 10 years with the integration of technology? How can the experience be more seamless? How do you wish to incorporate it into the design of your space?

Research topics relevant to new learning paradigms, community wellness, and inclusive knowledge-sharing should inform your narrative and design. The following areas should be explored:

1. Evolving Needs of Future Learners (Ages 20+)
   • Investigate how extended lifespans and evolving career paths are reshaping adult learning needs.
   • Explore motivations for continued learning among mid-career professionals and older adults (e.g., career shifts, personal growth, health literacy).
   • Consider how differences in the learners can affect their needs in the environment (accessibility, neurodiversity, and so on).
   • Examine how learning environments can support curiosity, adaptability, and well-being across decades of adulthood.
2. Site-Specific Learning Ecosystems
   • Identify how your chosen site can support informal, community-based learning.
   • Explore how natural, cultural, or civic features of the site can be integrated into the learning experience.
   • Consider accessibility, sensory comfort, and mobility for a wide range of adult learners, including those with physical or cognitive differences.
3. Cultural Wisdom, Wellness, and Non-Traditional Knowledge
   • Investigate how local and global communities share knowledge about health, food, movement, and care.
   • Explore the role of preventive health education, non-traditional medicine, and community care practices in lifelong learning.
   • Consider how your design can honor and amplify underrepresented voices and cultural practices.
4. Technology and Knowledge Transfer
   • Examine how digital tools can support inclusive, intergenerational learning without replacing human connection.
   • Explore how technology can help preserve and share community wisdom—through storytelling, interactive media, or remote access.
   • Consider how learners of different ages and tech-literacy levels will interact with digital elements in your space.
5. Connecting Distinct Topics Through Design
   • Choose two distinct areas of knowledge (e.g., agriculture and preventive healthcare) and explore how your design can create a meaningful bridge between them.
   • Explore how technology can help preserve and share community wisdom—through storytelling, interactive media, or remote access.
   • Consider how spatial organization, materials, and programming can support interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.

Your research should be clearly reflected in your design narrative, conceptual framework, and spatial strategies. The final submission should demonstrate how your learning landscape promotes wellness, inclusion, and lifelong learning for an evolving adult population and ever-changing technology landscape.

• July 31, 2025: Student competition is published on the IDEC website. Entries may be completed either in the Fall 2025 or early Spring 2026 semester.
• August 1 – February 7, 2025: Faculty sponsors may choose any consecutive Three-week period during this time to facilitate the competition.
• November 1, 2025 – Feb 7, 2026, 11:59 PM Pacific, in PDF format: Submittal window is open online. Each college or university program can submit up to 2 projects; both may be undergraduates; both may be graduates or a mix of one from each group.
• February – March 2026: Projects are juried and will be judged by IDEC volunteers and professionals. Winners and their respective faculty will be notified prior to the 2026 IDEC Annual Conference.
• March 2026: Finalists are displayed at the 2026 IDEC Annual Conference and recognized, along with the respective faculty. Winners will be displayed digitally and announced at the Annual Conference in March 2026.