Three Iowa State students have been chosen for the 26th annual Walt Disney Imaginations Design Competition.

The team of Iowa State students consists of Joshua Kurnia, senior in architecture; Cristina Diaz, senior in interior design; and Alexander Doppenberg, senior in mechanical engineer. 

For this year’s competition, students were challenged to apply “the same design principles used in creating Disney’s famous theme parks, resorts and immersive experience to develop new outdoor spaces within their own college or university,” according to a recent press release.

The team’s design, Tilted Hourglass, is the shape of an hourglass on its side, which represents time standing still and reflecting the importance of science and technology at Iowa State.

“We wanted to make it feel like there is a stopping of time when [guests] visit the space on Central Campus,” Diaz said. 

The team wanted to make the space usable for all four seasons. The pavilion-like design has two levels: an above-ground sitting area and individual pods below ground. The design also features heated benches, so visitors can enjoy using it all year-round.

“One of the design criteria is that it had to be specific to the university,” Doppenberg said. “We take a lot of pride in ISU and tried to convey that pride into our project.”

Each team member contributed their unique skill set to the overall design.

“Usually at Iowa State, we mainly only work with other engineers and most of us are thinking the same thing,” Doppenberg said. “It is very hard, I find, to talk about something and visualize something without there being a drawing. A big thing for me is I learned how to work with different people.”

The goal of the Imaginations Design Competition is to encourage students to consider careers in creative and technical fields.

“I’ve always been interested in the themed entertainment industry,” Kurnia said. “It is multidisciplinary — it’s a hundred of majors working together. This is like a mini version of that.”

All three students plan to work in the entertainment industry, and Disney Imaginations is one step closer for them to achieve their goals by networking with imagineers who work for Disney.

“I was really interested in entertainment design when I was young,” Diaz said. “I’ve never had the opportunity to work on a multidisciplinary team. This is the foundation for my future when I go to apply for jobs.”

Twenty-one finalists were awarded a five-day, all-expense paid trip to the competition in Glendale, California, from Jan. 23 to 27.