2023 SARA Student NATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS WINNERS
EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Meixi Xu | School of Visual Arts
Hydroasis, New York, NY
“Like a lost traveler in the desert who longs for an Oasis, Hydroasis is an idyllic utopia located in the heart of Chelsea, New York, that supports the users through metaphysical and emotional dimensions in a journey of water.”
William Huanyu Kuang | School of Visual Arts
Re:made by Water- A restorative Infrastructure to relink urban and nature, Jersey City, NJ
“Re:made by Water is an aquatic research center designed to raise awareness about marine preservation and freshwater ecosystems. The intent is to foster development of healthy and sustainable fisheries throughout the greater New York metro area waterways and to educate and engage the public in marine wildlife conservation.”
Avinash verma and Krishna jayachandran | University of Illinois
Re.Block additive manufacturing, Sao Paulo, Brazil
“Utilizing digital tools to design topological interlocking surfaces, seamlessly integrating structural integrity and aesthetic appeal.”
Michael Gonzales Haik, Rebecca Kosar, Jeffery Cheung, Zach Bergmann, Jesse Macky, Lopez, Kay Mashiach, Ivan Wong, Ivan Monsreal, Hugo Gomez | University of Southern California
THE CARAPACE PAVILION, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
“The Carapace Pavilion: A Parametric, Diagrid, Anticlastic, Thin-Shell, UHPC Prototype”
Honor Awards
Jampé Gergen, Luryn Hendrickson, Haley Herman, Caleb Mohnike | University of Nebraska
ep(ICE)ntric, Seward, Nebraska
“Located on the site of an abandoned Atlas-F missile silo built in the 1960s, this project called for the creation of a research facility for UNL’s Antarctic Ice Drilling team to build and test their equipment while also providing exhibition spaces for Cold War and Nebraska history displays.”
Jackson Feinknopf
Germinating The Future of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
“The research for this project was concerned with the growing disproportionate food insecurity seen predominantly in the communities of North St. Louis and how the site of a former supermarket could be revitalized and transformed to become a more equitable and sustainable horticulture center and contemporary public food market.”
Kim Hong
NABI Insectarium and Research Lab, Asheville, NC
“The architecture will create an open and functional green park to foster a community for spiritual self-reflecting and social gathering by offering multiple pollinator theme gardens with an Insectarium. The landscape is used for luring pollinators back into the ecosystem and preventing the decline of pollinators.”
Omaha Mobile Stage, Omaha, NE
Al Mundhir Sultan Saif Al Mahruqi, Essa Alouisi, John Andersen, Jarod Bengtson, Payton Betzold, Ethan Boerner, Mason Burress, Brendan Colford, Thomas Gerdes, Audrey Huse, Dariya Krestovsky, Xander Parker, Natasha Pierce, Cameron Spengler, Eden Vanarsdall, Alyssa Villarreal
“Omaha Mobile Stage is a creative placemaking project to design and make a portable stage to serve as a cultural and economic catalyst in public spaces and main streets throughout the Omaha metropolitan area.”
Landon Healy, Alycia Timmerman, Sean Kelly, Lubna Sebaie, I-Chen Chen
Ponderosa Elementary School, Box Elder, SD
“Ponderosa Elementary is a K-5 school that incorporates biophilic design principles, connecting students with nature and the outdoors while serving the community through integrated facilities and dynamic outdoor learning opportunities.”
Keiren Wright
The Fullness of Ornament, San Francisco, CA
The Fullness of Ornament is an exploration of ornamental structure using natural site context, material properties, and new technologies, founded in design principles based in enchantment, material craft, and elaborated structure.
MERIT AWARDS
Nik Sieber, Navy Lynch, Emily Rheinheimer, Alejandra Lagunas, Spencer Whitmore | Ball State University
The Alley House, Indianapolis, IN
“The Alley House is an affordable, high-performance, low-environmental impact, duplex home designed entirely by a student team for the 2023 Solar Decathlon competition and built with community and industry partners on an urban infill lot in Indianapolis, Indiana.”
Audrey Huse &
Kathleen O'Gara
The Sheldon ARC, Lincoln, NE
“The Sheldon ARC is an addition to the Sheldon Museum of Art on the campus of the University of Nebraska – Lincoln that strengthens the museum’s connection to both the university and the local community.”
Caroline Woodard, Anna Rowell, Thomas Meacham | Clemson University
Vertical Porosity, Seattle, WA
“Vertical Porosity, a trio of affordable housing towers in Seattle’s International District, aims to counter gentrification by providing highly environmentally efficient and adaptable housing for seniors and families.'“