UF interior design student wins prestigious scholarship in national competition

January 31, 2008

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida interior design student Anne Baumstarck was chosen as the recipient of the 2007 Gensler Brinkman Scholarship. Her work was selected from more than 100 project submissions from 50 top interior design programs across the country invited to participate in the commercial design competition.

Baumstarck, a master’s student in the College of Design, Construction and Planning, received the award for her design of a retail store and café using a footprint from a historic building in downtown Gainesville. Her project emphasized environmental stability, branding and client identity, and custom detailing driven by a strong design concept.

During the competition’s final round, Baumstarck presented her project at the New York City office of the leading international design firm Gensler to a jury of 12 design principals from across the country. In addition to the $7,500 scholarship, Baumstarck also received an internship in one of Gensler’s 25 offices worldwide. She chose the midtown Manhattan office.

“Anne embodies excellence in critical thinking and innovation,” said Margaret Portillo, chairwoman of the department of interior design. “During her program at UF, Anne has assisted with faculty research on retail security and is developing a specialization in retail lighting. These experiences helped fuel her problem solving.”

The Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship Fund, established in 1999, awards talented interior design students in memory of Donald G. Brinkmann, a former partner at Gensler. The award also is sponsored by Contract magazine, a design industry publication.