August 20, 2008

AIA Maryland has selected three University of Maryland Architecture students for recognition in its annual Student Design Awards Competition. A distinguished jury of AIA Pennsylvania members met in July to review submissions for this year's Student Design Awards. The jury commented that they were impressed with the quality of the submissions, and that a number of the accompanying graphics clearly demonstrated a command of the language of architecture.

Jonathan Healey (M. Arch '08) is the winner of the Graduate Student Award for his proposed Textile Museum at Fort Totten, created in the Fall 2007 Comprehensive Studio (ARCH 600) with studio critic Peter Noonan. Noonan states: "The theme of weaving in this project continually expands and contracts, from the scale of the site (and the stewardship of this park), down to the scale of structural and building system elements. This tectonic weaving integrates into a poetic expression of place, a place that affords visitors a refuge to reflect upon meaning of textiles within the broader culture."

View images from Healey's competition entry:  Exterior Perspective,  Interior Perspective,  Longitudinal Section,  Process Sketch and  Process Model

Beret Dickson (M. Arch '08) is also recognized with a Special Citation for outstanding work in the Graduate competition. Dickson also submitted design work from Comprehensive Studio, completed under the direction of critic Madlen Simon.

In the Undergraduate competition, Nick Aello (B.S. Arch '08) was selected as the winner. Aello submitted his final project from Fall 2007 under critic Courtney Miller-Bellairs. The conceptual Chinatown Mediatheque draws upon the inspiration of the Asian culture while synthesizing a diverse program to serve the Chinatown community. This new digital-age library speculates on how public libraries will function and serve the public in the future.

View images from Aello's competition entry:  Elevation,  Perspective Lobby,  Perspective Atrium,  Section Through Center  and Perspective Night

The winners will be honored at the AIA Maryland Design Awards ceremony on Thursday, September 11 at Silo Point in Baltimore. Visit AIA Maryland for awards program information.

Images by Nick Aello, undergraduate award winner, and Jonathan Healey, Graduate Award winner,  respectively.