AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition: Winners Announced
Press Release
AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition: Winners Announced
Students Awarded for Innovation in Sustainable Design
Washington, D.C., October 08, 2026 – The (AIA COTE®), in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition.
The AIA COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition challenged students to design projects that meaningfully address the future impacts of climate change to imagine and illustrate a healthy, sustainable, and equitable future. Students had the opportunity to compete in two different categories: Category I for students enrolled in first-year and second-year design courses, and Category II for upper-level students.
The winning projects were evaluated using the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. The jurors selected the top 10 winners, along with honorable mentions in each category. The award recipients for this year’s COTE® Top Ten for Students Competition are:
CATEGORY I: FOUNDATION LEVEL
RE.SERV.OIR
Students: Allen Chen & Zihe Huang
Faculty: Jongwan Kwon
Carnegie Mellon University
Interwoven Pathways
Students: Shirley Xie & Victor Teng
Faculty: Bea Spolidoro
Carnegie Mellon University
Honorable Mention:
Blue Green Red
Student: Sam Hendrickson Biwaki
Faculty: Margaret Ikeda & Brian Price
California College of the Arts
Honorable Mention:
Civic Fabrics of Ecology: Bankhead Community Hub
Student: Eliana Gebreegziabhar
Faculty: Mahsa Hedayati
Georgia Institute of Technology
Honorable Mention:
Learning The Living Ground
Student: Katelyn Wodek
Faculty: Gina Fernandes & Randy Damico
Ferris State University
Honorable Mention:
The Watersheds
Student: Stephan Waldstrom
Faculty: Margaret Ikeda & Brian Price
California College of the Arts
CATEGORY II: OPEN
Medicine of Place
Student: Gabriella Urso
Faculty: Ryan Bacha
Savannah College of Art and Design
Right to Stay
Students: Fernando Mijares & Brian Nguyen
Faculty: David Franco, Amy Trick & Dennis Chiessa
University of Texas at Arlington
Arid Futures Pavilion
Student: Reef Townsend
Faculty: Laura Carr & Michael Kothke
University of Arizona
Junction 52
Student: Abril Rodriguez
Faculty: Daniel Brown
Savannah College of Art and Design
Cultivating Cycles
Students: Kailing Mai & Lora Tarassov
Faculty: Jaliya Fonseka
University of Waterloo
´¡²µ³Üá²Ô
Student: Ella Parsons
Faculty: Morgan Oster & Michael Kothke
University of Arizona
Living Nexus
Student: Mohammed Chowdhury
Faculty: Ulrike Passe
Iowa State University
The First Step
Student: Addison McClary
Faculty: Ryan Bacha
Savannah College of Art and Design
Honorable Mention:
Tapestry of Place: Lakota Wool & Design Center
Students: Abigail Rose Anderson & Cassandra Didelot
Faculty: Ulrike Heine, Andreea Mihalache & Brandon Pass
Clemson University
Honorable Mention:
Keystone Station
Student: Kieran Kane
Faculty: Cas Esbach
Savannah College of Art and Design
The competition juries included:
Category I: Foundation Level
- Joel D. Hall, Lewis and Clark Community College
- Marilyn Specht, SmithGroup
- Bunny Tucker, Shape Architecture Studio
Category II: Upper Level
- Nicole Cao, University of Waterloo
- Pamela Conrad, Climate Positive Design
- Susan King, IIT/HED
- Vincent Martinez, Architecture 2030
View the projects and get more information HERE.
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. For more information, visit .
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)
ACSA is the voice of architectural education. We convene and advocate for our field – for the benefit of our members and for the built environment. 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.
Media Contact
Requests for press materials, including high-resolution images, can be obtained from our media contact.
Hanifah Jones
202-785-2324 x 5
hjones@acsa-arch.org