A “showstopping” design by a talented Interior Design student has scooped an award in a prestigious international competition.
Jaime Scholz won the category: Jury’s Favourite in Interior Design – Institutional in the BLT Built Design Awards.
The awards celebrate the best of architecture, interior design and construction worldwide and attract submissions from professionals, emerging designers and students.
Jamie, who hails from Melkbosstrand, said it was a huge honour to see her name and project between those of “such prestigious interior designers and architects’ projects “
“I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity and excited for what lies ahead.”
Referring to her design, she said she was guided by the brief to accommodate a primary care clinic, which focuses on wellness visits, physicals, vaccinations, screenings for illness, and acute illness and injury care for all patients.
“With a strong focus on inclusive design – I ensured specialised kitted examination rooms for paediatric, bariatric, disabled, elderly and the general patient. I focused on being environmentally conscious and reusing or refurbishing the existing walls instead of demolishing and rebuilding unnecessarily.”
She said the spatial design concept needed to maximise usable space “without sacrificing the hallway to promote a spa-like feel, creating a sense of comfort and well-being for all patients.” Most of the furniture and equipment would be sourced from local South African suppliers/manufacturers.
Jaime said she loves the puzzle of practical problem solving through design and this, together with her fascination with how the built environment affects our lives and its surrounding environment, led her to study interior design with the goal to study further in architecture.
Senior lecturer Colleen Cocotos said that when she heard about the competition, she did not want to miss the opportunity of highlighting the best work, which was submitted to the competition and won.
“It was a pleasure working with Jaime because she has an exceptional work ethic, and she is engaged and open to learning and receiving constructive feedback. The entire class reviewed exceptional case studies, which we critically discussed. Jaime had a clear understanding of how to execute her design, as she is a very intuitive designer. I know my guidance assisted the class, yet Jaime’s Clinic was indeed the showstopper.”
Written by Ilse Fredericks
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