An elegantly angular, timber-constructed housing project that addresses Montgomery County, MD’s “missing middle” took first place in AIA Potomac Valley’s Student Design Awards, kicking off a parade of UMD accolades that swept the student design category this year.
Timber Point, designed by Olivia Gargano and Elizabeth Romero Andrade, was one of four awards given to students this year. It earned points for its navigation of a challenging, pie-shaped urban site, a “thoughtful mix” of housing types and sustainable interventions throughout. The project was one of over a dozen concepts presented to the Montgomery County Department of Planning through a partnership with UMD’s Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability.
“It’s terrific to have our students’ creative work recognized outside the walls of the school,” said Professor of the Practice Peter Noonan, FAIA. “They are great urban projects that demonstrate the beauty and sustainability of mass timber.”
AIA Potomac Valley’s full list of student winners:
Timber Point: First Place
Olivia Gargano and Elizabeth Romero Andrade (ARCH 601)
Advisor: Peter Noonan
Timber Tier: Second Place
Madison Sunshine and Xuan Vo (ARCH 601)
Advisor: Peter Noonan
Overcrowding to Opportunity: Reinventing the Portable Classroom: Honorable Mention
Evan Lehner, Master’s Thesis
Advisor: Peter Noonan
Tectonia Botanicus: Honorable Mention
Peter Vawdrey (ARCH 600)
Advisor: Brittany Williams