Interior Design Student Janet Chen Awarded First Place Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship
Janet Chen, a third-year Interior Design student at UTSOA, has been awarded the first place Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship for 2017. It is one of just two Gensler Brinkmann Scholarships offered annually by the renowned design firm. In addition to the scholarship, Chen will have the opportunity to intern with Gensler.
“Winning the Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship is a huge honor. It gives me confidence in my design ability,” remarks Chen. “I feel that my design point of view is supported and find renewed strength as I work toward my goal.”
Chen’s winning submission featured a design for a restorative bath house on the upper two floors of a boutique hotel in Austin, emphasizing both beauty and the user experience. A strong proponent of using design to foster greater levels of physical and emotional well-being, Chen says her goal for the future is to design structures that “will benefit society and provide a positive influence to the general public.”
“Interior design is an increasingly complex field that requires practitioners to balance aesthetic concerns with performance considerations in very sophisticated and nuanced ways,” stated Robin Klehr Avia, regional managing principal for Gensler’s Northeast and Latin America regions, in a press release from Gensler. “The Brinkmann Scholarship is our way of investing in the very best emerging talent in this field. We were very impressed by [the winners'] submissions and look forward to helping them apply their talents in Gensler’s forward-thinking professional environment.”
The Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship Fund was established in 1999 as a memorial to Donald G. Brinkmann, an interior designer, inspirational leader, and former principal at Gensler. The scholarship fund celebrates Brinkmann’s career-long commitment to nurturing new talent by presenting outstanding interior design students with an internship and scholarship for the students’ final year of school. Candidates for the scholarship must attend a CIDA-accredited school and are evaluated based on their analysis and problem-solving skills, design development, graphic presentation, communication skills, and passion.