The Central Piedmont design team of Megan Burns, Valeria Ramon Vacas, and Eric Schiavo, won first place in the fifth annual National Coalition of Community College Architecture Programs (CCCAP) Student Design Competition. Led by Architectural Technology Program Chair Travis Smith, Associate AIA, the team’s work was compared against entries from 23 other schools in 14 states.

During the competition, students were asked to design an Ecology Center in Balandra Beach, California. The students were given a specific site and program, and asked to develop a complete building design that included a material proposal and architectural details. This is the second year Central Piedmont has participated in the competition. The students completed the design as part of their ARC 213 Design Project course.

The jurors, comprised of architects Rosa T. Sheng (SmithGroup), Kristen DiStefano (Atelier Ten), and Prescott Reavis (SEED), commended the Central Piedmont team for their “very strong integrated presentation which provided a clean, clear communication of the concept and execution.” The students were commended for their “beautiful diagrams and imagery,” as well as their “cultural and geographical investigations that informed the site analysis.” The first place team received a $300 cash prize and certificates.

For more information on the competition, please contact Melanie Reddrick at melanie.reddrick@cpcc.edu or at 704.330.2722, ext 7473. For more information on the Architectural Technology department, please visit cpcc.edu/programs/architectural-technology.