June 14th, 2015: A team of Canadian University Dubai (CUD) students, along with Assistant Professor, Ms. Sophie Johnson, have featured at the four-day INDEX International Design Exhibition held recently at Dubai World Trade Centre.
The students were chosen to take part as interns to support the event management team and to interview some of the international speakers who were presenting at the Exhibition.
Ms. Johnson, meanwhile, was selected as a member of the judging panel for this year’s MENA Interior Design & Architecture Awards, held in conjunction with the Exhibition, and was also among the speakers at the 25th edition of the annual event.
Officially opened by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, the INDEX International Design Exhibition has become the largest trade event for the architect and design industry in the Middle East, attracting more than 700 exhibitors from 50 countries. The event was a unique opportunity for CUD’s interior design students to engage with industry professionals, and to exhibit work from their own design portfolios.
With 11 years teaching experience, combined with several industry-based design and publishing assignments, professor of interior design, Ms. Johnson, was among eight design practitioners and academics called upon to join the international panel of judges for this year’s regional design awards.
Open to all interior designers, interior architects, and architects for design projects located in the Middle East and North Africa, this year’s competition saw 51 entries across 12 categories reach the final stages of the competition, leaving Ms. Johnson and her fellow judges with a challenging task to decide on the winning projects.
She commented, “This competition is set in the context of a melting pot of difference cultures and different design backgrounds. There was a lot of creativity on display this year, but those who stood out had really pushed the boundaries of design, showing an innovative use of special features, such as lighting or materials.”
Ms. Johnson was also invited to share her expertise with delegates at the Exhibition, delivering a presentation about integrating traditional culture into modern surface design. Drawing upon examples of innovative structures across the UAE and beyond, she illustrated how conventional Arabic design features could be incorporated into contemporary architecture.
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