Jfankl and associates (JFA), Brooklyn, NY, US, Junior Designer
MJM+A Architects, New York, NY, US, Architectural Intern
Falcon & Son Corp., New York, NY, US, Laborer & Assistant Manager
Carlos Benitez, Asuncion, Paraguay, Architectural Intern
University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, US, Bachelors, Architecture
Minor in Environmental Design
White Plains Senior High School, White Plains, NY, US, High School, General
Regents Diploma / High Honors
Barbara G. Laurie 2017 Student Design Competition (NOMA), 3rd Place
Twenty teams from around the country took part in the 45th annual competition, in which students proposed a design for the John Chase Academy of Architecture, Design, and Sustainability in Sunnyside, an African-American neighborhood established near Houston in 1910. More recently, Sunnyside has seen increased poverty and disinvestment, and local leaders are looking for ideas to reinvigorate the neighborhood. The new John Chase Academy, part of this rebuilding initiative, aims to foster relationships with the community while encouraging social entrepreneurship.
The student teams were challenged to examine a site and design space to provide residents with improved access to secondary education, opportunities for adult educational programs and places for community events. Students were asked to consider the history of the community, examine a large site in Sunnyside and present ideas for the future. The requirements included planning for new educational and athletic facilities, workspaces, a gallery and outdoor spaces.
Submissions were considered by a jury of architects and community leaders who focused on six core values: cultural expression, design excellence, community integration, constructability, sustainability and landscape.
The UB NOMAS design, titled “[WEAVING IN] Sunnyside,” integrated architecture, urban design, ecological practices and inclusive accessibility in a plan that sought to restore the large site and weave it back into the community of Sunnyside. The proposal recommended creating three separate groups of new buildings: an academic campus, an athletic center and a cultural hub.
Combining landscape restoration and gardens, workshops, startup spaces and existing facilities, the team’s design developed a cohesive fabric of activities throughout the site. A series of ecological strips were an integral part of the plan to restore natural vegetation, filter air and water, mitigate pollution and connect new buildings with the site and its community
