From left, Olivia Doman, Clancy Reagan, Ellie Gleason, Ava Warmath and Jack Van Thyne were recognized for their achievements at the Santa Barbara County High School Architectural Design Competition of 2022.
The 31st annual Santa Barbara County High School Architectural Design Competition of 2022 concluded last weekend.
This competition is held annually by the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara, a nonprofit that seeks to stimulate interest in the profession among high school students.
On March 1, 40 students from across the county gathered in two locations two be briefed on this year’s topic.
This year, the high school students’ challenge was to design a housing complex for 400 college students at a hypothetical university in Southern California overlooking the Pacific Coast. Due to rapid growth, the university needs room to accommodate additional students.
Solutions had to be no more than three stories tall but could take the form of multiple buildings and outdoor spaces. The designs were required to use energy-efficient practices wherever possible, and exterior space was equally as important as interior space. Students had a day to complete their submissions for the competition after which a panel of architects selected 12 finalists.
On Saturday, the 12 finalists gathered at the Dunn School in Santa Ynez to present their proposals before another group of architect judges.
Ellie Gleason, a junior at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, won first place. Her name will be engraved on the competition’s perpetual trophy, joining the names of past winners dating back to 2003.
The trophy will be at Dos Pueblos High School during the coming year.
Clancy Reagan, a junior at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, took second place.
In third place was Olivia Doman, a senior at Olive Grove Charter School in Santa Barbara.
Honorable mentions went to Jack Van Thyne, a senior at San Marcos High School, and Ava Warmath, a junior at Dos Pueblos High School.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
