Frequently Asked Questions

Below is the compilation of questions submitted related to the Student Competition. Please review when preparing for your submission.

Q: Are students in different disciplines other than Interior Design (yet supervised by a graduate interior design student) and taking DECGEN480 Interdisciplinary Project course in the College of Design, Engineering, and Commerce with a supervision of two faculty members (where one is an IDEC Member) eligible to participate in the competition?

A: Yes, cross discipline is encouraged so long as it is supervised and submitted by an IDEC member.

Q: If a university has both a graduate and undergraduate program with different instructions, would two or four projects be eligible for submissions?

A: Only two per university.

Q: Are the interpretations below correct? 

• Height– our reading of the design brief (where is that says volume is at our discretion) is that students could conceptualize multi-level projects (e.g. second floors/lofts) as long as the footprint of the structure does not exceed 50 meters squared.
• Attached versus detached– We did not see any portion of the brief that would preclude attached units. I have advised students that they could conceptualize interior units with a 50 square meter (or less) boundary- or students could imagine their unit as one within a larger complex or neighborhood.
• Exterior Design– We additional assume that any exterior program (e.g. stalls for family animals) would not be counted within the 50 square meter boundary.

A: Height- footprint is 50 square, but the height is open, but no second floor should be envisioned. Units may be designed to link as a neighborhood or unit, but focus upon one unit. It would be useful to have a small diagram showing how they connect if that is the concept. Domestic animals such as dogs/cats should be housed within stalls, for others would be outside the footprint of 50 sq meters.

Q: Can students be given pertinent readings in advance of the 7 day window? I assume not, but wanted to ask. 

A: There is no specific rule stated on this so there is no reason why not.

Q: Is it required to complete the project in metric?

A: No, just convert it to imperial (feet./inches).

Q: I was wondering if you could please provide some clarification on the timeline rules of the competition. The website states “Projects must be supervised by a faculty member and completed in one week (7 days) including all changes, edits and revisions.” Does this mean the seven days must be consecutive? I teach a class that is scheduled as four hours once per week where I was hoping to assign the competition, but it cannot be completed in one week by the students, as it conflicts with workload in  other courses. Is it acceptable to spread the 7 days across a couple of weeks? Is there flexibility on the timeline?

A: The instructor could give the assignment to the students one week and they’d turn it in 7 days later. Thus defining what we mean by “faculty supervision”. Meaning that the faculty member is not supervising every minute of development; but supervising it in so far as giving the directives and kicking off the project on the first day and collecting the project when completed.

Q: For the poster submission of 24 x 48, is that a portrait or landscape format? Would it be possible to be in 24″ wide and 48 ” width?

A: Either direction is fine.

Q: Can the teams consist of both interior design and architecture undergraduate students?

A: Yes, it can consist of both.

Q: Looking at the project description my classmates and I have interpreted it in many ways, so I would love to know what the proper interpretation is. The rule says to take 50 square meters for the temporary Refugee environment. I have interpreted those outlines as I have 50 square meters for the housing of multiple refugees, let’s say 50 square  meters split up between three different housing units. However, my classmates have interpreted the outlines as 50 square meters for each refugee housing in the complexes we are imagining. 

A: Either is acceptable. It has to be flexible as the populations grows or shrinks. Some families may be very large or if they are of certain cultures, the spaces may be divided by gender. Be creative and do your best, we look forward to your interpretation.

Q: Can the square footage numbers/dimensions be in feet or meters?

A: For those in country that use meters, you can show us in meters but for those in the U.S. you can show us in square footage.