Students from the Georgia Tech School of Architecture chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) took first place in this year’s Barbara G. Laurie NOMA Student Design Competition held in conjunction with the National Organization of Minority Architect’s (NOMA) annual conference in Los Angeles, California, October 12 – 15, 2016.

The Barbara G. Laurie NOMA Student Design Competition provides architecture students as well as students from related design disciplines with an opportunity to showcase their talents to design industry professionals from across the nation. This year, the competition challenged student teams to design the African American Cultural Museum and Community Center along Leimert Park Boulevard in the Leimert Park to support the already vibrant culture in the area (2016 Student Design Competition Brief). 

The Georgia Tech team included Bachelor of Science in Architecture student Skylar Royal, and Master of Architecture students James Waldon (President of GT NOMAS), Abaan Ali, Ricardo Baez, Jhordan Channer, Alexandria Davis, Lubi Dimitrova, Akeema Edwards, Jessyca Reese, Lauren Wells, Ming Yu and Joylyn Stroud (Civil Engineering). Faculty advisors Professor John Peponis, Professor Herman Howard, and part-time faculty Jihan Sherman mentored the team. 

Master of Architecture student Ali Abaan said, "The success of the design process was based on how we cohesively combined each persons interpretation of what the project should be. Its our individual statement piece formed into one design. As a result, the collaborative insertions of every single team member is imprinted in the final product."

Teams were encouraged to not only provide an identity for the struggling community, but integrate sustainability (energy and water efficient, day lighting, etc), design landscaping/site elements, activate the streetscape along Degnan Boulevard, as well as defend the financial feasibility of the design. Correlated diagrams, plans, sections, 3D perspectives, and details were used to effectively convey concepts and design intent.

“It was exciting to work with such a diverse group of students,” stated James Waldon, President of GT NOMAS, “not just on our skill level, but also within our own cultural backgrounds. Using these differences to our advantage, we were able to merge our ideas and backgrounds into an excellent design. The experience was great practice for professional development while celebrating minority contributions in architecture.” 

http://www.noma.net/