Two students from SVA's BFA Interior Design: Built Environments have received some major recognition this summer for imaginative hotel concepts inspired by art and culture. Right before the school year started, the celebrated Angelo Donghia Foundation 2019 Student Scholarship Program in Interior Design announced it was awarding two BFA Interior Design students with a prestigious prize.

Along with 13 other award recipients, fourth-year Interior Design students Hwanil Chang and Hyun Jung Park received $30,000 in scholarships for their tuition, board and other expenses. SVA was the only east coast interior design school to win two awards. Additionally, Hwanil Chang was also awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the Decorators Club this spring for two other projects from BFA Interior Design: Built Environments.

Each student designed a hotel located on a busy New York City block, starting with the design of the guest room, followed by the design of the public spaces and the hotel's exterior. "We are very proud of Hwanil and Hyun Jung for winning this prestigious award," said Dr. Carol Bentel, Chair of the BFA Interior Design: Built Environments and the instructor for Chang and Park's third-year studio. "We were only allowed to submit two projects, and both won from a highly competitive national field."

Chang's inspiration for a hotel for musicians came from his imagined client, Yo-Yo Ma. He was inspired by his client to create a façade—a frozen moment depicting the movement of the cellist's bow—while the musician plays Bach Suite No. 1 in G Major. The interior is clad with maple and spruce wood, which is used to make cellos, and includes a small concert theater to create music inside the hotel. A fountain creates a contrast of the soothing sound of water with the exterior noise of Manhattan. Guestrooms are a series of curved wood panels flared with convex shapes that open to allow the music inside.

Park designed a hotel with Constantin Brancusi as her imagined client. Brancusi's egg-shaped sculpture The Newborn inspired Park to create private spaces that embraced the hotel guests within, with selected views out to the sky. Park created a floating egg-shaped enclosure for the auditorium that hovers over the entry floor, allowing concerts to be visible from the hotel's exterior. Guests could also come to the hotel to make their own sculpture, either in the lobby or in special guest rooms.

The judges included designers, architects and members of the press: Andre Kikoski of Andre Kikoski Architect; Beth Baumstark of Studio Greytak; Christine Carney of Roman & Williams; Erik Maza of Town & Country; Ilene Shaw of Design Pavilion; Joel Robare of Gabellini Sheppard; John Greytak of Studio Greytak; Marianne Howatson of Cottages & Gardens; Michael Bullock of Pin Up; Parker Larson of Elle Décor; Rebecca Thienes of Interior Design magazine; Renee Brown of Studio Greytak; and Wesley Moon of Wesley Moon Inc.

The Angelo Donghia Foundation provides support in two areas: the advancement of education in the field of interior design and initiatives about the discovery of causes of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and its related diseases and treatments. Since 2002, the foundation has awarded scholarships to students who are entering their senior year in a baccalaureate degree program in interior design. SVA students from the BFA Interior Design: Built Environments program have won 11 scholarships. Previous winners include alumni from the College: Lucie Meichun Cai and Stephanie Chan (2017), Derek Sunghoon Lee (2012), Dana Jeong (2011), Sarah Schwartz (2009), Stella Yom (2008), Kimberly Merchant (2006), Renee Wong (2003) and Eric DiFronzo (2002).