A team of Gibbs students recently traveled to Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic, for the 2022 Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region-8 Student Competition. The group was paired with three other students from Birmingham City University (BCU) in the United Kingdom for the international event.
The team consisted of three students from each university, including Architecture student Alexa Rietz and Construction Science students Ethan Watson and Logan Young. The group was also joined by Construction Science student Ella Bevins, an alternate for the competition, and was advised by Construction Science Professor Tammy McCuen. The group was tasked with designing a brand-new retirement home for senior citizens in place of an already existing site in Písek, Czech Republic.
Tammy McCuen, Ella Bevins, Alexa Rietz, Logan Young, and Ethan Watson in Prague.
The Design-Build challenge was to create comfortable and affordable living quarters with at least 60 rooms and a designated parking area, in addition to amenities such as an outdoor relaxing garden and sporting equipment. The team also had to consider factors within the surrounding environment including vegetation, road infrastructure, fencing, and radiation protection.
According to Dr. McCuen, the 5-person judging panel consisted of construction professionals, a design engineer, a design architect, and a scheduler, representing both the design and construction side of the industry. Instead of focusing heavily on cost, the judges spent more time evaluating the quality of the team, their experience, and their design and construction solutions.
The awards ceremony at the competition.
The team received the project deliverables about a week before the competition and worked diligently to complete their design. Their project, “Linden Manor,” received fourth place.
Congratulations to our students for this accomplishment!
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
