California State Polytechnic University at Pomona Awarded $25,000 NCARB Prize Grand Prize

Washington, DC—The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) recently selected California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, Department of Architecture, as the recipient of the $25,000 grand prize of the 2008 NCARB Prize for the Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy.

Jury chair and former NCARB President, H. Carleton Godsey, FAIA, made the formal announcement at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) Annual Meeting last week in Houston, TX. Godsey also announced five additional NCARB Prize recipients that will each receive $7,500. In his recognition speech at the ACSA Annual Meeting awards ceremony, Mr. Godsey noted that the NCARB Prize jury reviewed 31 submissions for the NCARB Prize from 22 architecture programs before making its selections.

In California State Polytechnic University at Pomona’s grand prize winning submission, “Low Cost Sustainable Housing for Tijuana, Mexico,” students, practitioners, and a U.S. non-profit organization created prototype housing for the people of Tijuana, Mexico using a variety of waste materials. The jury commented, “the effects of this project are potentially far-reaching in terms of the benefits to the potential dwellers whose lives could be improved through a greener, more affordable housing solution.”

Members of the 2008 NCARB Prize jury noted that the project recognized local traditions in Tijuana and also addressed global issues of low-cost sustainable housing. “The integration of practitioners into the process added to the quality of the solution allowing the practitioners to learn more about sustainability and add value to their continuing practices…The project is a model for bringing practice and education to bear on a global problem that will demand continuing attention, commitment, and creativity.”

The 2008 NCARB Prize jury honored five additional programs, each of which received a $7,500 monetary award

The 2008 NCARB Prize jury was made up of members of NCARB’s Practice Education Committee and six academic representatives (department heads or chairs) of architecture programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). Academic members of the jury included the dean from the institution that was awarded the NCARB Grand Prize in 2007, the University of Virginia, School of Architecture, and one representative from each of the five other NCARB Regions, nominated by NCARB’s Regional Directors.

For More information:
Contact Greg G. Hall, AIA, Ph.D.
Director, Education
202/783-6500

ghall@ncarb.orgTo learn more about the NCARB Prize and each of the recognized projects, visit NCARB’s web site at http://www.ncarb.org/prize/2008/index.html.
Information about the NCARB Grant is also available on NCARB’s web site at http://www.ncarb.org/prize/grant.html.