2027 IIDA Student Design Competition

Organizer: International Interior Design Association (IIDA); sponsored by OFS and Carolina

Region: United States (IIDA headquarters), open to currently enrolled students worldwide

Competition Category: A single brief-based competition — entrants complete space planning and design concepts according to the official annual design brief. The 2027 brief is titled "Miami Medical Office Building: Sports Medicine + Orthopedics," asking students to design a medical office building bringing sports medicine and orthopedics together within one integrated outpatient healthcare environment, serving patients recovering from injury, managing chronic musculoskeletal conditions, and returning to activity.

Eligibility: Open to students worldwide currently enrolled in an interior design or interior architecture program or institution;

Entry Fee: Tiered by membership and entry type

Core Introduction: Established in 2013 and now in its 14th annual edition, the IIDA Student Design Competition is sponsored by OFS and Carolina and has become an essential part of interior design curricula for colleges and universities worldwide, with professors either incorporating the project into their courses or encouraging students to apply as independent study. The 2027 brief specifies a facility of approximately 15,000 square feet with a ceiling height of 12 ft 8 in and floor-to-ceiling windows, located on the first floor of a multi-tenant medical office building with exterior walls and windows fixed; at least 50% of the furniture products in each submission must come from OFS, Carolina, and ROOM. Required programs include a registration and check-in area, a waiting area serving 10 to 20 patients and families, a check-out area, a minimum of two ADA-compliant toilet rooms, a minimum of 4 sports medicine exam rooms, a minimum of 6 orthopedic exam rooms, one sports medicine and two orthopedic procedure rooms, an injection room, a casting and splint room, a centralized imaging suite, physical therapy, a minimum of 4 private provider offices, a clinical support area, and a staff lounge; additional IT support, equipment storage, and supply storage spaces are optional. The imaging suite forms a shared diagnostic hub with a digital X-ray room, an ultrasound room, an accessible patient changing area, and storage. The design challenge emphasizes hospitality-inspired, restorative patient environments alongside inclusive strategies addressing physical, sensory, and cognitive needs, with the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, the HIPAA Privacy Rule, and infection prevention applying. Submission requirements: a 500-word project description; one 24″ x 36″ digital presentation board in PDF format of 3MB to 10MB; individual JPG or JPEG files of the 10 to 12 required drawings and renderings, with a minimum of 200 dpi and a preferred 300 dpi; boards and images must not contain names or identifying information. A panel of five judges evaluates entries across five criteria, each weighted at 20%: innovation and creativity, coherence and functionality, human and environmental impact, fulfillment of the program requirements with additional contributions, and presentation. AI use is permitted for written statements but not for image and rendering production.