Department of Architecture honors top projects, people

A jury of design professionals and educators chose a design proposal for a new public space in Houston created by Farzad Golestanirad as the year's top design proposal by gradaute architecture students at the 3rd annual Celebration of Excellence May 9, 2014 at the College Station Hilton.

Golestanirad, Maria Hoffman, Amber Holden-O'Donnell, Erica Schneider and Erica Villanueva, whose projects were recognized by architecture faculty as the best final students by graduate architecture students during the academic year, presented their projects at the event.

This jury, which selected Golestanirad's project, consisted of:

• Val Glitsch, principal of The Architecture Studio of Val Glitsch and a member of the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows;
• Velpeau Hawes, Jr. ‘58, head of Hawes Consulting, a member of the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows;
• Smilja Milovanovic-Bertram , associate professor of architecture, University of Texas;
• Jeff Potter ‘78, former president , American Institute of Architects, member of the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, and
• Bijan Youssefzadeh, director of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Awards were presented to top students and faculty during the event.

Carmen Torres, Brian Sowell, Andrew Busmire, Ryan Wilson, Emily Knapp, Lyly Huyen, Rachel Griffith and Frank Volpicella were recognized as students with the academic year's best integrated projects.

Additional awardees included Erica Schneider, recipient of the Henry Adams Medal; Sarah Claus, recpient of the Henry Adams Certificate; Marquesa Figueroa, recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi Medal, Shireen Kanakri, recpient of the ARCC King Medal, and Marcel Erminy, recognized as the most influential faculty member by environmental design and graduate architecture students.

“These awards recognize not only our most promising students and their individual accomplishments, but also represent the level of excellence of all our students,” said Ward Wells, head of the Department of Architecture. “The recognition of students and faculty is truly a cause for a celebration of excellence.”

The event is a project of the department’s [Council of Excellence] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2011/12/6/arch-newcouncil/) , an elite group of department friends and former students committed to supporting and enhancing architecture program excellence, building relationships with students and bridging gaps between the academic and professional worlds.