Recipe for a Room: A Design Contest

During this “summer of eating in,” many NYC restaurants—creative workspaces in their own right—are closed. Recipe for a Room: A Design Contest will allow local architecture students to showcase their creativity while celebrating food as a design medium and financially assisting restaurant owners in need. Two-person teams, each comprised of a student and architect mentor, will design small-scale edible rooms inspired by food making and food consumption to celebrate our city’s restaurants.

The competition is hosted by the AIANY Interiors Committee and will benefit the New York City Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, developed by ROAR and Robin Hood. In spring 2020, Robin Hood partnered with ROAR to raise donations for to support the restaurant industry. Fund grants are intended to be awarded on a first come, first served basis to individuals facing unprecedented economic hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and who meet prescribed eligibility criteria.

Recipe for a Room competition winners will be determined during a virtual, real-time event on Thursday, August 27 at 6:00 pm. Each team will have the opportunity to present their completed room to a live audience. Two winners will be selected during the event: an audience favorite and a judges’ favorite.

Jury

TBD

Overview

Schedule

July 20, 9:00 AM
Student application opens

July 29, 5:00 PM
Student application deadline

July 31 – August 14
Students and mentors convene to design and build their edible room

August 27, 6:00 PM
Students and mentors showcase their work at a live contest

Award Categories

Two winners will be selected:

Audience favorite
Judges’ favorite

Contest Details

Each student designer will:

Be paired with a professional mentor, a licensed architect in NYC
- Communicate regularly with your mentor. They will serve as your design advisor and collaborator and are as excited to create with food as you are!
Build a model room made entirely of edible materials. The room should represent a place where food is prepared, shared or enjoyed, e.g. a café, coffee shop, wine bar, outdoor market, kitchen, bakery, grocery.
- Shop for your building materials at your favorite market, bodega, cheese shop, or anywhere else where you can access food items. Max budget is $100, to be reimbursed after the event from your receipts.
- Develop the room’s design concept. Studies/food trials are encouraged!  This is a messy, hand’s on process, not a computer drawing or 3D modeling activity. 
- Maximum model size: 9” x 9” x 12”. This assumes the max. room size is 18’ x 18’ x 24’, built at ½” = 1’-0” scale.
Submit:
- One plan view photo of the room (11” x 17” pdf format).
- A video, either a time-lapse of its creation or a fly-through of the final product. Maximum length: 1 minute.
- Additional still photos and hand sketches of the room and concept (11″ x 17 ” pdf format).
Present your room via RingCentral to a live audience at the Recipe for a Room contest event, Thursday, August 27, 6:00 – 7:30 PM ET.  Your mentor can add comments, but students will serve as the main presenters.

Student Eligibility and How to Apply

The Recipe for a Room Contest seeks 10 student designers. This competition is open to all currently enrolled students attending NYC-area college architecture programs.

All student applicants must submit a short Statement of Interest (100 words or less), the name of the program they are enrolled in, and expected graduation year to aianyinteriors@gmail.com on or before Wednesday, July 29 at 5:00 PM ET to be considered.

Sponsors

TBD

< Previous Juror Next Juror >