Grad student places in prestigious international design competition

For his innovative design reinventing a small Canadian city’s downtown with a massive, 130,000-square-foot market and community space, Panwang Huo, a Texas A&M Master of Architecture student, placed third in the prestigious [2018 Lyceum Fellowship Competition] (http://www.lyceum-fellowship.org/2018-competition.html) , an annual international design contest known for connecting students with globally renowned architects and jumpstarting their careers.

Huo designed a multistory indoor/outdoor space in [Guelph, Canada] (https://goo.gl/maps/UB7o71zzmGL2) , incorporating restaurants, pavilions, plaza and exhibition areas, indoor/outdoor vendor spaces, open-air classrooms, greenhouses and a large farmers market.

The market’s exterior, made of thousands of metal panels that shift color from spring greens to fall oranges and yellows depending on the viewer’s vantage point, serves as a beautifying focal point for the city’s downtown.

The market, Huo said, is meant to inspire a sense of place that connects patrons to the city, which has deep roots in agricultural trade. Snaking greenways surrounding the space guide people to the market, with some paths connecting to the Speed River that runs through town.

Huo’s design was selected from more than 50 entries by a panel of prominent architects. With contest winnings that include $3,500 and a paid month of travel, Huo said he’s planning to tour Scandinavian countries and visit architectural firms in Northern Europe.

“I want to see as much famous European architecture as I can,” he said.

Pan’s design is also his final M. ARCH study project. His final study committee included Ahmed K. Ali, assistant professor of architecture; Liliana Beltran, associate professor of architecture; ruce Dvorak, associate professor of landscape architecture, and  Ray Holiday, associate professor of architecture.

Sarah Wilson
swilson@arch.tamu.edu