December 19, 2017
Mesa College Interior Design Students Collaborate with STEM Center
By Office of Communications
During the 2017 Fall semester at San Diego Mesa College, a class of advanced Interior
Design students collaborated on a real-life project with the STEM Center Staff to
redesign the space in the STEM Center. This project was organized and completed under
the supervision of Professor of Interior Design, Farida Gabdrakhmanova as a part of
the Interior Design 205 – Non-Residential Space Planning course.
The project gave students the opportunity to work in collaborative teams on a task
that required realistic, but unique designs that would serve the various needs of
the STEM Center as a student space. The project requirements included assimilating
program requirements of the STEM Center, providing field verification and an as-built
plan, taking inventory of existing furniture and equipment, research and case studies,
branding, a concept statement, new furniture and art options, presentation of the
new floor plan, interior renderings, and other presentation materials.
Professor Gabdrakhmanova was originally approached by STEM Instructional Support Supervisor,
Brian Mackus due to his interest in having a space designed by students for students.
He wanted an advanced interior design class to work on this project because, “these
students have an eye for creating and developing spaces like this.”
With five different teams of students, the project results were diverse. The teams
researched different case studies and used unique sources of inspiration for their
branding and concept statements, like pendulum lighting or pop art.
One student, Madelene Ross, shared, “My favorite part of the project was coming up
with solutions and researching ways that provided efficient designs with minimum cost.”
The project served the objective of allowing the students to experience the process
of a real time project for a client and helped them further develop professional skills
that will be utilized in their careers.
Interior Design student, Ivane Merto expressed appreciation for the project when he
said, “When you get an idea for how real-life people use a space, it adds depth to
how you design and consider your project as opposed to fictional situations that we
get in class,” and “having to answer to someone other than yourself, and learn how
to carry yourself and be confident in your choices, but also take the constructive
feedback was a very valued experience from this project.”
To learn more about the Interior Design Program, please contact Farida Gabdrakhmanova
at fgabdrakhmanova@sdccd.edu. For more information about the STEM Center, please visit the STEM Center page online.
Tags: Interior Design, STEM Center, Student Projects
