AIA Virginia is pleased to announce the students recognized as honorees in 2020 AIA Virginia Prize competition.
AIA Virginia Prize
The top award and $2,250 prize goes to Kyle Quinn, a student at the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, for the submission “Coexist.” The jury called it “a standout, singular idea that made you consider the challenge in an entirely new way … It was completely different from all the others in the way it engaged the waterfront.”
Special Jury Citation
A special jury citation goes to Shunsuke Araki for “Pier Park” from the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center. The jury appreciated the use the river vernacular as well as the deployment of the barrier and floating components to address flooding. The jury also noted the diagrams, calling them “incredibly strong.”
Hampton University Best of School
Best of School Award for Hampton University and $250 goes to Rachel Collins for “Pearl Shore Oyster Hatchery.” The jury noted that the “aspirational” concept displayed some “sophisticated thinking.”
University of
Virginia Best of School
The Best of School Award for University of Virginia and $250 goes to Kelsey
Smith for “Cluster.” The jury appreciated that visitors could make a waterborne
approach to the site and the park-like setting. “I loved the restraint that was
used here,” said one juror.
Virginia Tech Best of
School
The Best of School Award for Virginia Tech and $250 goes to Laurie Booth for “Grit
and Shine.” The jury called it “extremely well presented … probably the
strongest graphic presentation we received. It really commands the site.” They
also appreciated the business component on the terrace and the references to
oysters in the materials selection.
The following were recognized with an Honorable Mention
“Aw Shucks Oyster Hatchery” by Emily Broadwell from the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
“Full Circle” by Paris Casey from Hampton University
“Norfolk Oyster Research Hatchery” by Vidusha Sridhar from Virginia Tech
“Norfolk Oyster Research Hatchery” by Alex Boardwine from Virginia Tech
“Norfolk Oyster Research Hatchery” by Randa Malkawi from the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
“Oyster Barge” by Luke Rumage from the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
“The Hatchery” by Mustafa Shafique from Virginia Tech
“Untitled” by Bryan Bay from Virginia Tech
About the Challenge
The competition — which took place over the weekend of Jan. 24–27 — challenged students to design a small oyster research hatchery [Read the full competition brief.]
About the AIA Virginia Prize
Conducted simultaneously at Hampton University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, the competition is a design charrette that engages students at all of the accredited schools of architecture in Virginia. Students are given the competition program on a Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. They work over the weekend to create a design solution and submit it by 9 a.m. the following Monday. The top submission wins a $2,250 prize, with $250 prizes to each “Best of School” honoree.
Launched in 1980, the competition is intended to promote collaboration between the profession, students, and professors in Virginia. Historically, the charrette has taken place in January, however over the last several years, the competition has been hosted in September to accommodate an ongoing scheduling conflict at one of the schools. Now that the conflict has been resolved, the Prize weekend has shifted back to the spring semester to better align with the demands of the academic calendar.
Development of the competition brief rotates between the four schools annually — the 2020 Prize challenge was developed by Hampton University.
About the Jury
Each school’s faculty reviews the submissions and sends up to 10 finalists to Richmond for final consideration by the following Jury.
Bob Moje, FAIA, founding partner, VMDO Architects | Jury Chair
Patrick Farley, AIA, owner, Patrick Farley Architect
Donna Phaneuf, FAIA, president and lead design principal, VIA Design Architects
Chuck Swartz, FAIA, principal, Reader & Swartz Architects
