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A trio of Yorkville University students were recently recognized by the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) with 2025 Innovation in Design: Student Competition awards.
Created exclusively for Canadian interior design students, the awards provide students with a national platform to demonstrate the value of interior design and illustrate the positive impact design has on the users of the spaces, supported by evidence-based research.
Reem Habib, chair of the Bachelor of Interior Design (BID) program at Yorkville, said she’s “incredibly proud” of students Irina Alturmessova, Ngan-Quynh Dong and Noora Aziz for being recognized by the IDC for their hard work.
“I’ve had the privilege of supporting these three students throughout their educational journey, witnessing their growth and seeing their creativity reflected in their design decisions,” she said.
“In the BID program at Yorkville, we empower students to tackle real-world challenges through creativity, artistry, and a strong commitment to the health, safety, and welfare of users. We foster innovation by encouraging students to take risks and participate in competitions. Winning the IDC Innovation in Design Thinking Award is a testament to our dedication to impactful, evidence-based design, and to the strength of our CIDA-accredited program.”
Learn more about Yorkville’s IDC-winning projects below:
Irina Alturmessova’s The Art of Void: Transcending from Loneliness to Solitude/ Ex Nihilo Omnia (Award of Merit)
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Project Description: The Art of Void reimagines loneliness as a natural human experience to honour rather than a condition to fix. Rooted in the concept of the empty set (∅) and the Latin phrase Ex Nihilo Omnia—translated as “from nothing, everything arises”—the project frames solitude as an empowered state where reflection, creativity, and healing emerge. Located within Toronto’s historic Evergreen Brick Works, the adaptive reuse design transforms an industrial relic into a restorative art center that unites community support, educational resources, mental health services, and the healing power of art. Guided by environmental psychology, the project emphasizes accessibility, human scale, and connection to nature while offering immersive spaces that invite contemplation and discovery. By shifting the cultural narrative from loneliness to solitude, The Art of Void fosters belonging, resilience , and transformation, creating lasting value for individuals and communities alike.
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Irina Alturmssova on The Art of Void being recognized with an Innovation in Design Award: “The Art of Void is deeply personal to me, and I believe loneliness is a subject that deserves further exploration through the prism of design. This project was my way of contributing to that conversation, and the IDC’s recognition reinforces its value and significance.”
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Ngan-Quynh Dong’s Ada Quantum Realm Loft (Honourable Mention)
Project Description: The Quantum Realm Loft is a quiet place for a couple in their sixties, one of whom moves through life in a wheelchair, which means you don’t get to pretend the place can just be “normal” and that’s it. The design approach takes its cue from the strange world of quantum mechanics. It looks at the tiny things we can’t see but know are there.
This project was more than a simple exercise in accessibility. It sought to reconcile two forces often at odds: functionality and aesthetic value. Each choice asked for a sacrifice: a cabinet cut down to size, a bathroom stripped of its vanity to make room for bars that will hold a falling body. Function against beauty. Safety against the dream of space. And in the end, the balance looked like nothing. A blankness. But blankness is also a canvas, a field for survival.
The value of this design lies not only in its completion but in what it represents. Accessible housing is desperately scarce, leaving many people without homes that meet their needs. The Quantum Realm Loft addresses this absence directly. It is not charity, nor an indulgence, but a recognition of a fundamental right: to live safely and with dignity. It challenges outdated conventions, setting a higher standard for residential design. In doing so, it pushes society toward a more inclusive future, where homes are not privileges for the able-bodied, but places for all.
Ngan-Quynh Dong on Ada-Quantum Realm Loft being recognized with an Innovation in Design Award: “Having the IDC recognize my work feels like someone finally noticing the quiet parts of a story I’ve been trying to tell all along. To be seen for that – for the care in the small details, the way a room moves with the people in it – is the kind of thing that makes me keep designing, even when no one’s watching.”
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Noora Aziz’s Canvas of Thrives / Burgeon (Honourable Mention)
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Project Description: The Canvas of Thrives Center (CTC), located in Brampton, Ontario, is a 24,516 sq. ft. multi-use facility that includes therapeutic and management offices, a pediatric clinic, a research department, an art school, an art sensory room, and an art gallery. It is designed to support children aged 4 to 13 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition that affects social interaction, communication, and sensory processing. These children may experience hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to stimuli, sometimes fluctuating between extremes within a single day. The center provides art-based therapeutic interventions within a comprehensive design framework that integrates evidence-based, human-centered, sensory-sensitive, sustainable, and biophilic design principles.
The design goes beyond aesthetics, embracing inclusive and ethical approaches to create equitable spaces where children with autism can thrive. It fosters communication, emotional expression, sensory-motor development, and social skills while also offering families art-based therapeutic programs and special education support. In addition, the center promotes awareness, supports sustainable design, improves health outcomes, and encourages community-driven art that celebrates diversity and empowers neurodiverse populations.
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Noora Aziz on Canvas of Thrives being recognized with an Innovation in Design Award:
“Having my work recognized by the IDC is more than an achievement. it’s a dream come true. It’s an honor and a milestone that validates my passion, hard work, and vision, while inspiring me to keep pushing boundaries and shaping the future of interior design.”
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All the winning Innovation in Design: Student Competition projects will be honoured at the IDC Awards Celebration on October 30, 2025 in Toronto.
