MBMA Announces 2023 Student Design Competition Award Winners

CLEVELAND, OHIO – www.mbma.com: The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) ) is pleased to announce the winners of its third annual Student Design Competition. On February 27, 2024, the association granted $28,500 in awards to six winners and to their faculty sponsors in an online ceremony. Additionally, two Honorable Mention awards were presented.

Jamie Jang, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, took home the top prize of $5,000. He was advised by Professor Stephen Schreiber, Chair of the Department of Architecture in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

In the Graduate Division, Ian Tibbetts, from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, earned first place and $4,000. He was advised by Professor Kristina Yu of the School of Architecture and Planning. Second place and $2,500 went to Mohamed Ashik Mubarak Ali, a student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He was advised by Professor Schreiber. Xiaoyan Lang of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who was also advised by Professor Schreiber, earned an Honorable Mention.

For the Undergraduate Division, first place and $4,000 was awarded to a team from University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah consisting of Parker Zollinger, Alex Proctor, and Pete Vawdrey. They were advised by Jörg Rügemer of the College of Architecture & Planning. Maya Westbrock, from California State University, Sacramento, earned second place along with $2,500. She was advised by Mark Roddy from the Department of Design. A team from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio was awarded third place and $1,500. The team consists of Cade McCue, Charlie Leonardi, Aaron Rombach, Ashley Aarund and Miko Novakovic. They were advised by Adam Yaracs of the College of Architecture & Environmental Design. An Honorable Mention award was presented to Michelle Brown from California State University, Sacramento. She was advised by Professor Roddy.

“Congratulations to Jamie Jang and his advisor Stephen Schreiber on earning the top prize in the 2023 MBMA Student Design Competition,” says MBMA General Manager Tony Bouquot. “This year’s competition had 33 entries from six schools across North America, with a total of 46 students and 8 faculty sponsors participating. Faculty sponsors play a large role in the competition, and we thank them for their work.”

“This is the third year of our design competition,” says MBMA Director of Research and Engineering Lee Shoemaker, PhD, PE. “It’s exciting to see it grow and introduce metal building systems to students across the country, The creativity, insight and enthusiasm of these students is wonderful to see and inspiring for our industry.”

The competition took place during the 2023 fall semester, with entries due January 5, 2024. The contest for undergraduate and graduate architecture students challenged each participant to create an innovative metal building design for a new nature center and environmental research facility.

The five-member panel of judges included: Eric Pros, AIA, director of design for DS Architecture in Cleveland, Ohio; Terri Meyer Boake, LEED AP, professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Architecture, Cambridge, Ontario; Lauren Gwaltney, AIA, senior associate with Williams Blackstock Architects in Birmingham, Alabama; John Underwood, consultant to Behlen Mfg. Co., Columbus, Nebraska; and Robert Tiffin, national accounts manager with Silvercote in Greenville, South Carolina, and chair of the MBMA Architecture Committee.
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Founded in 1956, MBMA serves manufacturers and suppliers as it works to promote the metal building systems industry. For over 60 years, its membership has supplied high-quality buildings for use in commercial, retail, office, industrial, institutional and other end uses. The association provides a wealth of useful information on its website, MBMA.com, for anyone who works with or is interested in metal building systems. Resources include technical materials, research reports, videos and design guides. The MBMA blog provides the most current research and new ideas to propel the industry. MBMA also provides graduate and undergraduate educational resources at MBMAeducation.org.