Morgan State University Newsroom Morgan State University
Morgan State University’s Brian Helfer, a second-year student in the Architecture and Environmental Design program, placed second in the 4th Annual Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs (CCCAP) 2018 Student Design Competition. Helfer’s concept submission beat out 43 other projects from 16 schools representing 13 states, only coming in runner-up to the overall winning submission from Anne Arundel Community College. The winners were announced at the CCCAP Conference in New York City on June 23rd.
For the competition, students were tasked with submitting their take on a design for a visitor center in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. The submissions had to communicate the significance of the park and the surrounding desert environment through the architectural form, educational exhibits, and use of sustainable materials and energy efficiency.
Students eligible to participate in the competition had to be in their first or second year of architecture studies at a community college or in a four-year program. Helfer, a member of the second-year studio design class, received guidance from SA+P professors Adam Bridge, Calvin McCargo, and Leon Bridges, FAIA.
The Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs is a newly formed alliance of more than 120 architecture programs at two-year colleges in the United States, offering a variety of associate degrees. The competition judges consisted of George Claflen FAIA, LEED AP, Claflen Associates Architects + Planners; Kelly Vresilovic, AIA LEED AP, Principal at CaVA Architects, LLP; and Paul Thompson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, GGP, NCIDQ, NCARB, Principal at IEI Architects.
Congrats to Brian and faculty!
