05/02/22

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University senior Laura Maschino, from Atkins, was selected as one of the top interior design students graduating in North America to be featured in the 2022 Metropolis Future100.

Sponsored by Metropolis magazine, the Metropolis Future100 recognizes 100 interior design and architecture students (both undergraduate and graduate) nominated by their instructors and mentors for their outstanding leadership, design and advocacy for equity and inclusion. Their work is posted on the Metropolis website and appears in the magazine’s March/April issue.

Nominated by interior design assistant professor Jae Hwa Lee, Maschino was selected from nearly 300 total nominees for the honor. Her 15-page digital portfolio highlighted three design projects completed at Iowa State, including a continuing care retirement community, a campus international student center and a Gucci retail store in Rome.

Maschino’s “Mosaic” retirement community concept focused on providing foreign-born U.S. residents a vibrant, inclusive environment with a variety of wayfinding tools, contained outdoor access and customizable resident rooms.

In her “Tech Forest” design for an international student center, Maschino incorporated technology with biophilic elements, organic materials and flexible seating to create a comfortable space for cultural celebration, interaction and collaboration.

Her “Stage Drama” luxury retail design for Gucci’s Rome store was inspired by dramatic and atmosheric theater art and the concepts of “on-stage” and “off-stage” activities, with draping curtains, spotlights and platforms.

“Anticipating real-world needs, Maschino’s design solutions emphasize flexible furniture, multi-use spaces and built-in technology,” the jurors noted.

Maschino will receive a bachelor of fine arts in interior design with a minor in sustainability at ISU’s undergraduate commencement Saturday, May 14. After graduation she will join Locati Architects & Interiors in Bozeman, Montana, as a residential interior designer.

Contacts

Laura Maschino, Interior Design graduating senior, lkm@iastate.edu
Jae Hwa Lee, Interior Design, 515-294-3397, jaehwa@iastate.edu
Heather Sauer, Design Communications, 515-294-9289, hsauer@iastate.edu

-30-