NSAD students Carlos Sandoval (left) and Brandon Nash (right) prepare for final round of 2012 Mock Firms Competition.

San Diego—April 13, 2012—Two NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) teams are among six collegiate division teams that have been named finalists in the International Skyscraper division of the 2012 Mock Firms Competition. NSAD is the only school with more than one team represented in the finals, which take place May 3–4 in Chicago.

For the competition, the collegiate teams developed a “mock” design/build firm and prepared a project proposal for a skyscraper based on the competition’s theme of “versatility,” which is defined as varied building uses and adaptability. The site of the conceptual project is Beijing, China. During the final competition, teams pitch their design concepts directly to some of the industry’s leading design/build professionals and receive immediate feedback and critiques. The two NSAD teams are:

 SALT (Sustainable: Architecture: Landscape: Technology). Students on this team are graduate students in the Master of Architecture program: Ann Capinguian, Kevin Colbert, Daniel Kwak and Rodrigo Villalon. The group’s NSAD faculty mentor is Daniela Deutsch of the architecture firm exitecture.

 Capsule Architecture Lab. Students on this team are undergraduate students in the Bachelor of Architecture program: Monika Banakaite, Carlos Sandoval, Brandon Nash, Lam Thanh Nguyen and Wilfred Briones. The group’s NSAD faculty mentor is Raul Diaz, a principal with Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects.

 The fourth annual Mock Firms Competition is sponsored by Chicago Architecture Today, an LLC online publication reporting on architecture in Chicago and beyond. The competition, which includes a separate category for secondary school students, provides all students with practice in creating and participating in a simulated architectural design firm in preparation for the work environment. Other student teams competing on the collegiate level are from Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin and Spain, and the Top Mock Firm of the Year receives a minimum $1,000 prize.

For more information on NewSchool of Architecture and Design, visit www.NewSchoolArch.edu.

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