Le Mirage Real Estate, Qatar’s leading real estate development and property management company, is pleased to announce the winners for its acclaimed “Design for Life” competition, which was held in association with Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar).
The Awards ceremony was graced by Mr. Rajab Al Jabari, Managing Director of Le Mirage Real Estate; Dr. Donald N. Baker, Executive Dean of VCUarts Qatar; Patty Paine, Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, VCUarts Qatar; Dr. Cherif Amor, Chair Interior design department, VCUarts Qatar; Eng. Meshal Al Shamari, Director Qatar Green Building Council, and Senior management of Sharaka Holdings and Le Mirage Real Estate. 3rd year interior design students presented their designs to a professional Jury. The Jury consisted of Esra Al-Kazem, Design Director AEA Designs; Rana El Khoury, Head of Design Department, Le Mirage Real Estate; Hamoda Y. Youssef, Head of Communication Qatar Green Building Council.
The contest invited talented VCUarts Qatar students to produce fresh ideas, concepts and visualize interiors for a typical 2-bedroom apartment at the 400-apartment luxurious Le Mirage Citywalk development. The challenge was to design an apartment taking into consideration three key elements: designing for people with universal needs, including elements of the local culture and imbibing principles of sustainable design. Designers considered all aspects of the apartment, including approach and accessibility, floor plan and layout, hallways, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom design, lighting and furniture, and adopted them in their interior design concepts for potential City Walk residents. After 5 months of rigorous work, the most deserving candidates are now being crowned winners of this prestigious competition.
Winners were judged based on their design intent, approach and actual design, in addition to the realistic and practical feasibility of their creations. Winners who received the highly acclaimed awards were Farzana A. Velliyattil, who came in first place, Arij Mohamed and Hagar W. Farag, who won the second place, and Raneem Arafeh and Nouf Al Mohannadi who grabbed third place. The first winner prize was a trip to Salone del mobile Milan – a leading international interior design exhibition in Italy, the second prize winners earned a one month paid internship at Le Mirage Real Estate, while the third prize winners received a certificate from QGBC and Ipads. While all participating students received a certificate of participation.
Sheikh Abdulla Bin Ahmed Al Thani, Chairman of Sharaka Holdings the parent company of Le Mirage RE, said: “We are delighted to see the imaginative, artistic and professional work showcased by these young, immensely talented students. It was not easy for the judging panel to decide on the best concept. I am confident these young, talented designers will be leading the real estate industry in Qatar in the very near future. We want to encourage the youth of our country to think futuristically and feasibly. This is only the beginning and we hope to have many more collaborative partnerships with VCUarts Qatar and its talented students.
“I heartily congratulate the winners and wish all the participants the very best in their future endeavours. I would like to express my gratitude towards the faculties of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar who are moulding these students into the future designers of the world. Le Mirage RE will keep supporting new generations and institutes in bringing forth the design prowess in the Qatari real estate market,” added Sheikh Abdulla.
On his part, Dr. Donald N. Baker, Dean of VCUarts Qatar, said: “It is indeed a moment of pride for us to see our students demonstrate their designing skills to one of the most influential real estate leaders of Qatar. In such a short span of time, out of sheer grit and determination, our students achieved this incredible feat. I, on behalf of the entire team of VCUarts Qatar, extend my sincere congratulation to these students who have positioned Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar as the leading art and design school of Qatar. I would like to thank Le Mirage RE to provide our students such a great platform to showcase their design thinking.”
Through the ‘Designs for Life’ competition, which is a part of Le Mirage’s community and education outreach program, Le Mirage was successful in offering a great platform to promising architects to showcase their talent and chart their future growth. The competition, a pioneering industry-academia partnership, is in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and its vision of building a sustainable future for generations to come.
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