2013 Anderson University Interior Design grad Misty Brecht was recognized this year by the American Society of Interior Design (ASID) for her proposed initiative to improve conditions in her hometown of Lancaster, South Carolina.
2013 Anderson University Interior Design grad Misty Brecht was recognized this year by the American Society of Interior Design (ASID) for her proposed initiative to improve conditions in her hometown of Lancaster, South Carolina.
The ASID student competition’s theme, Repurpose for Today. challenged design students to create an environment that helps address a current social crisis through design of an existing structure. Brecht was one of three honorable mention recipients of the 2013 ASID student design competition sponsored by HGTV. There was one grand prize winner in addition to the honorable mention awards.
Brecht’s project, titled On Track, reopens rail lines from Lancaster to surrounding communities to give unemployed workers access to a wider array of jobs.
“Reopening the rail lines for passenger travel and reusing existing passenger cars is a sustainable solution to utilize the existing track infrastructure to its fullest potential, getting both the trains and people’s lives back On Track,” read Brecht’s project recently on ASID’s website.
ASID executive vice president and CEO Randy Fiser said the student competition shows the social relevance of interior design.
“There is no better way to demonstrate design’s real-world impact than to highlight the work of our design students’ solutions to some of our world’s most important social issues,” he said, later adding, “The caliber of the work submitted gives great hope to the future of an industry which thrives on improving the human experience.”
The judges for the competition included the ASID president, the editor-in-chief of Metropolis magazine and HGTV personality and designer Laurie March. The winning entries were exhibited during the ASID national conference in June in Los Angeles.