On Sunday, September 22, 47 architecture students from the DC/MD/VA area convened at the National Building Museum for the 2024 Interschool Design Competition.
Each year, the event is organized by the three Washington, DC, area chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)—AIA Northern Virginia, AIA Potomac Valley, and AIA DC—a tradition spanning over two decades. By sponsoring the Interschool Student Design Competition, NCARB hopes to support local architecture students and spread greater awareness about the path to becoming a licensed architect.
This year, the competition challenged students to approach an exhibition space and flea market location to strengthen the H street promenade—part of the Washington, DC community. Over the course of a week, students collaborated to provide a solution to this challenge, with insight from experts in the architecture and design fields. Teams were formed with students from several of the area’s accredited architecture programs, including The Catholic University of America, Howard University, Morgan State University, the University of Maryland, the University of the District of Columbia, and Washington Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC) – Virgina Tech Washington.
Nestled only a few blocks from the National Building Museum, students began their designs with a visit to the historic site at the base of Wah Luck House to explore the neighborhood and opportunities to reconnect its community with a permanent installation. Throughout the day, students worked to craft designs that provided a permanent installation, including visual interests, locations for rotating vendors, clear paths for circulation, and areas of stasis for the H Street community promenade.
John O’Hara, AIA, NCARB, Manager, Examination, spent competition day with students supporting them by answering questions they had as they strategically crafted their designs.
Through this competition, students earned credit toward the Architectural Experience Program, a key component on the path to licensure, and received a free NCARB Record for a year!
To see the teams’ designs up close and vote for the best solution—vote for the 2024 Interschool Student Design Competition People’s Choice Award. You must submit a valid email address for your vote to count, and only one vote per email address will be counted towards the winner.
Jared Zurn, AIA, NCARB, CAE, Senior Vice President, Programs, will join the teams at the National Building Museum again on October 4, 2024, to celebrate their accomplishments and announce the winner at the 2024 IDSC Awards Ceremony. For more updates, follow us on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
