Student work makes it to UN ICCC 2004

Three fourth-year architecture students from the School of Architecture and Design (SA&D) were declared finalists in the International Council for Caring Communities' (ICCC) 2004 Global Student Design Competition.

Rasha Khalek, in the individual category, and Sharon Ahimaz and Danuta Diaz in the group category, were among an elite group of international students to have their work selected as finalists in the competition. Their work was displayed at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The work was done in the course ARC 401 Architectural Design Studio, taught last semester by Dr. Gisela Loehlein, Assistant Professor of Architecture, and Mr. Mehdi Sabet, Associate Professor of Architecture and Interior Design.

The theme of the competition was “Integrated Communities: A Society for All Ages.” The students worked on a Kabul community project, designing a building that enabled disenfranchised elderly Afghans to re-integrate back into the community.

The International Council for Caring Communities (ICCC) is a not-for-profit organization that has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. It acts as a bridge linking government, civil society organizations, the private sector, universities and the United Nations in their efforts at sparking new ways of viewing an integrated society for all ages.

It is also an important link between research and practice. Since 1995 over 2,500 students from schools of architecture and design in 36 countries have participated in ICCC's design competitions. Its unique jury, composed of architects and gerontologists, have selected winners from over 20 countries, with exhibitions having been held at the United Nations headquarters, Chile, Hungary and Spain.