Due to the pandemic, many New York City restaurants were closed. In a creative way to financially assist restaurant owners in need, the AIA NY Interiors Committee hosted a competition, “Recipe for a Room.” The competition allowed for local architecture students to showcase their creativity while celebrating food as a design medium. All proceeds raised went to the New York City Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, developed by ROAR and Robin Hood.
The “Recipe for a Room” event was created and produced by H2M’s Susan Link and Renee Turman of Renee Turman Interiors. They were just awarded the 2020 Citation for Design Excellence by the New York City American Institute of Architects for their hosting efforts.
The Chapter’s announcement called the event, “a competition/festival/fundraiser mashup that paired architecture students with mentors to create models of restaurants using only edible materials. Entertaining, creative, and beautifully produced, the competition also exposed students to the design process. Profits from the event were directed to the New York City Restaurant Employee Relief Fund.”
Susan, who refers to the student designers as “the real stars,” invites you to check out the video illustrations of the design processes by clicking here.