Last year, John Eussen celebrated 10 years connecting education to the interior design industry with these inaugural awards.
The competition started in 2010 at the Grand Designs Live home shows in Sydney and Melbourne. It was originally a four-month project with four design colleges in Sydney and Melbourne, where student finalists built their designs at the home shows at the Sydney and Melbourne Exhibition Centres. The finalists were judged by TV personalities Kevin McCloud from Grand Designs (UK), Peter Maddison from Grand Designs Australia, Shaynna Blaze from Selling Houses Australia and design commentator John Eussen, with the overall winner being awarded a return flight to Grand Designs Live in the UK. For four years the competition continued to grow and for the past six years, it has been featured in Grand Designs Australia magazine.
Students are now able to present their designs digitally, allowing colleges and universities, both nationally and internationally, to compete. Each year, a community interest project is considered as part of the design brief — for example, Ronald McDonald House family unit accommodation, Cana Community homeless accommodation, Barangaroo House supporting indigenous communities, and Core9 fitness wellness centres, to name a few.
Last year’s brief was a live project, “Fire + Ice” Boutique Hotel in
