Designing victory

Sareh Ameri-Mills and Mahnaz Mohammadpour, interior design students at the American University in Dubai (AUD), together with Ahmad Hamdi Mustafa, an interior design student from the Ajman University of Science and Technology, were declared the winners of the second Student Loft Design Competition, which was held in Dubai last week.

The contest was launched in AUD earlier this year, and its results were announced during the Office Exhibition held at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The announcement came on the second day of the exhibition.

Mahnaz Mohammadpour's concept of a conference table with portable partitions triumphed along with Sareh Ameri-Mills's E+ Mondrian cluster work station. Her furniture design was inspired by the letter 'E' along with a spine and office chair inspired by the human body.

Ahmad Hamdi Mustafa joined the AUD winners with his design of a cluster work station and office chair.

The idea for the work station was based on the concept of layers, "because in life everything is made of layers," he said.

A late entrant, Mustafa had only two weeks to prepare, but will now take a week-long educational trip to Milan and Venice in Italy, the prize offered to the winners.

"I'm really happy and would like to thank Frezza SpA for this opportunity. I'm looking forward to going to Italy to visit the furniture design factories and offices and of course, have some pasta," said Mustafa.

Architect Sergio Lion, general manager of sponsors Frezza SpA and one of the judges, said he found the winning designs "very good from an industrial point of view".

"They can actually be produced. The other student designs are more dreamy and although may look good, don't make for a practical design as there are fixed rules in industrial designing," he told Notes.

"That is not the students' fault; it's down to the way they are taught," he added.

The competition will run again next year and students can expect a difference.

"Next year, we will try something a little different. We'll probably hold lessons and workshops to give students some feedback," said Giorgio Giacinti, Area Manager of Frezza SpA.

Ahmad Hamdi Mustafa, one of the winners of the Loft Competition.

Sareh Ameri-Mills, one of the winners of the Loft Competition.