Future100 Architecture Undergraduate Winners

SHIVA ABBASZADEH | City College of New York

NOMINATOR: Marta Gutman, Dean of the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York

“This very talented designer has developed an exceptional body of work during her time as a student. Shiva represents all that the Spitzer School has to offer the profession—she’s a Spitzer star.”

ELISA CASTAÑEDA | Mississippi State University University

NOMINATOR: Karen Cordes Spence, Director and F. L. Crane Professor, School of Architecture, College of Architecture, Art and Design, Mississippi State University

“Elisa has approached her education in a way that allowed her to learn both design excellence and political agency. She does not shy away from the tough problems but prepares herself to engage in them. She is determined to be an agent of change.”

JI YONG (JACOB) CHUNG | The Cooper Union

NOMINATOR: Hayley Eber, Acting Dean, The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, The Cooper Union

“Ji Yong (Jacob) is an independent intellectual thinker with high levels of rigor and persistence. He has demonstrated immense growth in modeling, filmic, and representational skills, as well as the ability to craft and deliver an argument consistent with his analytical approach.”

ZAYNAB ELTAIB | Tulane University

NOMINATOR: Adam Marcus, Associate Professor of Architecture, Tulane University School of Architecture

“Zaynab’s work is remarkable for its sophisticated blend of advanced representational techniques with a deep understanding of tectonics and materials. Her projects engage complex and contested sites with thoughtful and critical proposals.”

OLIVIA HUFFER | University of Florida

NOMINATOR: Judi Shade Monk, Instructional Assistant Professor, University of Florida

“Not only does Olivia exhibit an exceptional intuitive design intellect, she is willing to take risks. She works iteratively and beyond what is requested of her as she is constantly striving to better herself and her work.”

RITIKA IYER | Northeastern University

NOMINATOR: Lynn Burke, Senior Co-op Coordinator, Northeastern University

“Ritika’s ability to think critically and analytically is complemented by a keen aesthetic sense. Her design portfolio is a collection of academic and personal works, represented in a cohesive design style that emphasizes her love for color, whimsy, and imagination.”

RYAN JOSE | Cal Poly Pomona

NOMINATOR: Anton Schneider, Principal, Schneider Luescher Architects; Lecturer, Department of Architecture, College of Environmental Design, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

“Ryan’s talent is only matched by his relentless work ethic. His ability to express architectural ideas and thoughts through drawings, collages, models, and photography shows an exceptional level of maturity.”

CHIZUMI KANO | California College of the Arts

NOMINATOR: Antje Steinmuller, Associate Professor and Chair, California College of the Arts

“All of Chizumi’s projects develop through a meticulously documented process of iteration and experimentation, culminating in renderings that depict human experience of light and space with exquisite care and attention to detail.”

VICTORIA LOPEZ | Louisiana State University

NOMINATOR: So Jeong Jo, Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University

“During my classes, Victoria has demonstrated her competitive research and design skills. I would rate her amongst the top students of my classes and recommend her without reservation with the highest level of confidence.”

JESUS MACIAS FRANCO | California College of the Arts

NOMINATOR: Antje Steinmuller, Associate Professor and Chair, California College of the Arts

“Jesus (Guillermo) has developed a distinct creative voice—one that recognizes and translates community needs in times of urban transformation and climate change into playful, yet thoughtful spatial experiments.”

MADOLIN MAST | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

NOMINATOR: Matthew J. Lopez, Lecturer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

“Maddie is a dedicated and talented designer. She consistently delivers compelling work that is visually striking, technically precise, and conceptually sophisticated. She is a force within our program and will undoubtedly succeed as an architect.”

YUAN (ALICE) MENG | The Cooper Union

NOMINATOR: Hayley Eber, Acting Dean, The Cooper Union

“Alice is extremely facile across all media necessary to navigate the design process. Her thesis project is engaged in urban markets across the globe, straddling the intersection of food ecologies, pedestrianization, and commerce, and demonstrating independent thinking with high levels of rigor and persistence.”

RON PATANAVIN | California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo k

NOMINATOR: Thomas Fowler IV, Director, Graduate Architecture Program, and Distinguished Professor of the ACSA, Cal Poly College of Architecture and Environmental Design

“Ron is a one-of-a-kind student, and he definitely ranks at the top 1 percent of students that I have had the pleasure of working with during my long teaching career. As his teacher, I was able to learn quite a bit from his diligent design process.”

ANDREA RUBERO | Rice University

NOMINATOR: Jesus Vasallo, Associate Professor, Rice School of Architecture

“Andi demonstrated talent, dedication, and capacity to work independently, ranking very high within a very competitive and diverse group of students. She not only showed great capabilities for design and representation but also displayed true potential as a team leader.”

ANJELICA SOESANTO | Drexel University

NOMINATOR: Jacklynn Niemiec, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Drexel University

“Anjel is a positive force and consistently sets the example for design excellence, design justice, collegiality, and visual representation among her peers. She is constantly curious and questioning how to raise the bar, whether it is to be more sustainable, more human-centered, or just to consider a new point of view.”

THANH TRAN | California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

NOMINATOR: Stephen Phillips, Professor, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Department of Architecture

Proposals like Interconnected, a Boys and Girls Club in Detroit, and Emergence, a museum for climate change in Manhattan, demonstrate Thanh’s thoughtful consideration of culture, community, and sustainability in his designs.

OLIVIA VERCRUYSSE | Tulane University University

NOMINATOR: : Emilie Taylor Welty, Architecture Program Director and Favrot Professor of Practice, Tulane School of Architecture

“Olivia is an outstanding designer and one of the best in class at Tulane School of Architecture. When I asked our faculty for their recommendations, they responded with a resounding vote for her. I look forward to following her trajectory.”

SARAH WEBER | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

NOMINATOR: Ryosuke Imaeda, Lecturer, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, School of Architecture

“Sarah’s projects employ highly crafted physical models to assess the relationship between form-making and its environmental impact. Weber is a dexterously creative and intellectually curious thinker, brilliant at conceiving and making the most intricate and variegated projects.”

LINXI ZHANG | Syracuse University

NOMINATOR: Daekwon Park, Undergraduate Chair and Associate Professor, Syracuse University School of Architecture

“Among her various attributes, Linxi’s ability to construct architectural tectonics and forms from thoughtful consideration of urban context and user experience is notable. Her impressive work consistently shows her commitment to social, cultural, and environmental sustainability.”

YILIN ZHENG | Louisiana State University

NOMINATOR: Soo Jeong Jo, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Louisiana State University

“Yilin has demonstrated her competitive research and design skills. I would rate her amongst the top students of my classes and recommend her without reservation with the highest level of confidence.”