2021 COTE Top Ten for Students: WINNERS ANNOUNCED

For Immediate Release:
Washington, D.C., April 22, 2021 – The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE), in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 AIA COTE Top Ten for Students Competition.

The competition recognizes 10 exceptional studio projects that integrate creative and innovative design strategies. These projects work toward achieving carbon-neutral operations through daylighting, passive heating and cooling systems, sustainable materials, water conservation, energy generation, and other sustainable systems. 

The program challenged students to submit projects that use a thoroughly integrated approach to architecture, natural systems, and technology to provide design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. Award recipients for this year’s COTE Top Ten for Students Competition are:

Direction
Morgan Weber & Robert Conway
Faculty Sponsor: Robin Puttock
The Catholic University of America 

Low Carbon Architecture: New Approach Toward Sustainability in Relation to Existing Buildings
Mahsa Hedayati
Faculty Sponsors: Paul Emmons, Susan Piedmont-Palladino, & Meredith Sattler
Virginia Tech 

Growing Together Under One Roof
Daniel Mecca & Thalia Jimenez Escobar
Faculty Sponsors: Ulrike Heine, David Franco, & George Schafer
Clemson University 

Tupikhaq
Paola Araya-Valdes, Juliette Paget, & Victoria Deslandes-Lyon
Faculty Sponsors: Claude Demers & André Potvin
Université Laval 

The Step
Samuel Nordmeyer & Cody Goedken
Faculty Sponsor: Ayodele Iyanalu
Iowa State University 

Fairmount School of Art and Ecology
Andriani Sugianto
Faculty Sponsor: Caleb Walder
California Baptist University 

Undefined Boundaries
Ana Astiazaran
Faculty Sponsors: Michael Kothke, Laura Carr, Darci Hazelbaker, & Jonathan Bean
University of Arizona
Collaborators: Brian Farling, Shawn Swisher, & Amanda Schwarz

Nags Head Coastal Discovery Museum
Ryan Cooper
Faculty Sponsors: David Hill, Andrew Fox, & Ranji Ranjithan
North Carolina State University

Nuuttuq
Caroline Roux, Guillaume Couture, & Rosemonde Gadoury Salvail
Faculty Sponsors: Claude Demers & André Potvin
Université Laval

Urban Mutualism – A Mushroom Farm in a Factory
Edda Steingrimsdottir & Jonathan Ng
Faculty Sponsor: Jeannette Kuo
Harvard University

See renderings of the projects and get more information here:

The competition jury included:
Anannya Das, Iowa State University
Raymond Huff, Clemson University
Yasemin Kologlu, SOM NY
Kathrina Simonen, University of Washington
Nader Tehrani, The Cooper Union

About the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
Founded in 1857, the American Institute of Architects consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through nearly 300 state and local chapters, the AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards. The AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and businesses. The AIA engages with civic and government leaders, as well as with the public, to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation, and world. Visit www.aia.org.

About the AIA COTE®
The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE®) works to advance, disseminate, and advocate design practices that integrate built and natural systems and enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment. 

About the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA)
The mission of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is to lead architectural education and research. Founded in 1912 by 10 charter members, ACSA is an international association of architecture schools preparing future architects, designers, and change agents. ACSA’s full members include all of the accredited professional degree programs in the United States and Canada, as well as international schools and 2- and 4-year programs. Together, ACSA schools represent 7,000 faculty educating more than 40,000 students.

ACSA seeks to empower faculty and schools to educate increasingly diverse students, expand disciplinary impacts, and create knowledge for the advancement of architecture. For more information, visit www.acsa-arch.org.

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