Study Architecture 
ProPEL 2023 Concrete Masonry Student Competition
Students and Faculty Awarded for Design In Masonry Construction
For Immediate Release:
Washington, D.C., September 7, 2023 – The National Concrete Masonry Association Education & Research Foundation (NCMA FDN) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Concrete Masonry Student Competition.
The competition recognizes five exceptional projects that demonstrate how community centers, both indoor and outdoor gathering spaces can be used for education, recreation, networking events and more. The program challenged students to use concrete masonry products as the primary material in the design of a state-of-the-art Community Commons for gathering, play and shelter.
The jurors chose First, Second, and Third place winners, along with two Honorable Mentions. Listed below are the names of the recipients, their project titles, and their faculty sponsor(s):
First Place: CMU Park
Students: Siwei Su & Jiaqui Xu
Faculty Sponsor: Clark Llewellyn
Collaborators: Ferdinand Johns, Stephen Huh & Marion Fowlkes
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Second Place: Fifth Ward Haven
Students: Ava Chen, Yifei Zhang, Zee Zeng, Alejandra Lezcano & Michael Zhong
Faculty Sponsor: Jesus Vassallo
Rice University
Third Place: Mechanica
Student: Payton Rohrbaugh
Faculty Sponsor: Margaret McManus
Savannah College of Art and Design
Honorable Mention: Nova Commons
Students: Victoria Cheung, Eldar Latif & Fairuz Sowma
Faculty Sponsors: Robert Holton, Kristopher Palagi & Tara Street
Louisiana State University
Honorable Mention: A Tale of Two Mountains
Student: Joshua Yarbrough
Faculty Sponsor: Marika Snider
University of Memphis
See renderings of the projects and get more information HERE.
The winning projects were chosen by a panel of distinguished jurors:
Niloufar Emami, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Robin Planas Casado, Universidad de Puerto Rico
Marcus Shaffer, Pennsylvania State University
About NCMA FDN
National Concrete Masonry Association Education & Research Foundation (NCMA FDN) is the champion of producers, suppliers, builders, contractors, architects, engineers and more, all over North America and the globe. The mission of the NCMA Foundation is to advance and support the concrete masonry and hardscape industry through research and educational programs designed to meet the future needs of the industry. They unites, supports, and represents the producers and suppliers of concrete masonry systems – including concrete masonry, segmental concrete pavements, manufactured stone veneer, segmental retaining walls, and other hardscape systems. For more information, visit www.ncma.org/foundation.
About ACSA
Founded in 1912 by 10 charter members, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture 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. The mission of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture is to lead architectural education and research. 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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Requests for press materials, including high-resolution images, can be obtained from our media contact.
Media Contact
Heather Albarazi
Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture
202-785-2324
halbarazi@acsa-arch.org
Kristen Garman
Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association
703-713-1900
kgarman@masonryandhardscapes.org
