Gensler Selects 2018 Brinkmann Scholarship Winners

Chicago, Illinois — Gensler is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Brinkmann Scholarship, which encourages excellence in interior design by providing financial scholarships and internship opportunities to exceptional interior design students. Niklos Toldi, an undergraduate student of interior architecture at the University of Tennessee, College of Architecture and Design, received first prize. Second prize went to Adina Schunicht, an undergraduate student of interior design at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Interior Design. Both winners will receive scholarships and opportunities to intern with Gensler.

“Interior design is a complex field that increasingly requires students to think on multiple levels, all in support of user experience and intentional design performance,” says Robin Klehr Avia, Regional Managing Principal for Gensler’s Northeast and Latin America regions. “The Brinkmann Scholarship gives us the opportunity to celebrate and invest in the very best emerging talent in this field. We were extremely impressed by Niklos’ and Adina’s work and look forward to helping them grow and explore their passions across Gensler’s footprint.”

Toldi’s winning submission, a film studio and collaborative space for creative professionals, demonstrates a preternatural ability to integrate the nuances of the interior experience with the cohesive narrative created by the building’s architecture. His work leverages visual techniques that clearly communicate his design intent. He also uses natural concepts found in responsive environments to inspire users and create inclusive, comfortable spaces.

Schunicht’s second place submission, a design for a bathhouse, draws inspiration from the perspective of the end user and elegantly integrates nuanced moments of experience to inform a design solution that is efficient and visually arresting.

Established in 1999 as a memorial to Donald G. Brinkmann, an inspirational interior designer and former Gensler principal, the Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship Fund celebrates Brinkmann’s career-long commitment to nurturing emerging design talent. Applications for the scholarship launch in September each year and close in December. Candidates are evaluated based upon their analysis and problem solving skills, design development, graphic presentation, communication skills, and passion.

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