Interior Design Competition – VIVA BEYOND
AMD School of Architecture – Collaboration with VIVA Cruises
How can “quality of stay” be created in extremely limited spaces – such as a ship’s cabin? A question that sounds simple yet is highly complex. Simple, because everyone immediately has an idea of what makes a place pleasant. Complex, because this very quality is almost impossible to measure, yet it defines everything.
Our Interior Design students at AMD Düsseldorf took on this challenge – in direct collaboration with VIVA Cruises. Over the course of a semester, they developed designs for the new boutique river cruise ship VIVA BEYOND, which will sail the Seine to and from Paris. The task: transform functional cabins into cultural stages – intimate spaces for experience and reflection.
The competition required the development of:
- 3 cabin categories
- 3 restaurant categories
Practical Relevance and Competition
The project was organized as a design competition, supported by VIVA Cruises’ design department and shipyard. A professional jury from industry, press, and academia evaluated the concepts. The best designs were awarded prizes totaling €5,000 as well as complimentary cabin stays on upcoming cruises.
Collaboration and Teaching
Special thanks to Andrea Kruse (CEO & Co-Founder), Patrick Ell (Director Marketing), and Alex Jansen (Design Director) of VIVA Cruises for their support and mentoring – from the initial ship walkthrough to the final jury discussions.
This project exemplifies how the AMD School of Architecture combines academic depth with real-world practice, giving students the opportunity to present their ideas in a professional context.
Publications related to the project
