Last week, Saint-Gobain North America, through its building materials subsidiary CertainTeed, held the United States National round of the Saint-Gobain Architecture Student Contest, awarding Alexander Davidson Caroll, Magnolia Moskun and Huiyun Qiu from Rhode Island School of Design the top prize for their project aimed at revitalizing the Nord Isère area in southeastern France by redesigning an abandoned school in the village of Chimilin into a multi-use building, and developing a new residential area near the Grands Ateliers, a center for experimentation and prototyping of architectural projects.
Created in 2004, the Saint-Gobain Architecture Student Contest is intended for university students specializing in architecture, engineering, and building design. The competition aims to showcase students’ technical and creative competencies through the development of projects that respond to the authentic needs of a neighborhood or urban area, while adhering to Saint-Gobain’s principles of sustainable construction. This year, the competition includes over 1360 students in 546 teams from 211 different universities.
Hosted at the offices of the American Institute of Architects in New York City, teams competed for the chance to represent the United States in the international competition, which will be held in Lyon, France in June. Judged by a panel of experts including Yorgo Lykouria of RainlightSTUDIO, Elzbieta Skowronek an architect and former Borough Commissioner for the New York City Building Department, and Michelle Schutt, CertainTeed’s Senior Manager of Architectural Sales, each project was judged on architectural design, technical and environmental detail, construction detail, and product usage.
“I'm deeply impressed by the outstanding quality of proposals submitted for this year's U.S. round of the Saint-Gobain Architecture Student Contest. Congratulations to all participants for sharing your innovative design ideas. You are truly becoming the future leaders of our industry, and innovators in sustainable construction,” said Mark Rayfield, CEO of Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed. “I would like to express my gratitude to our judges for their support in showcasing the talents of this new generation of architects and look forward to seeing Alexander, Magnolia and Huiyun compete this summer in Lyon.”
As the winners of the US National round, Alexander, Magnolia and Huiyun will travel to France in June, along with their professor Jonathan Knowles, to compete among winning students from 32 other countries in the International round. Here they will receive further feedback from international judges, a tour of the subject city, and other resources to further their architectural education. Winners of the international round will receive 5,000€ for first place, 3,000€ for second, and 1,500€ for third place.
With over 160 manufacturing locations in the United States and Canada, every current and future member of the company’s team plays a vital role in achieving its sustainability goals. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations can be found on the company’s career website.
About Saint-Gobain
Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group, celebrating its 360th anniversary in 2025, remains more committed than ever to its purpose “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.
€46.6 billion in sales in 2024
161,000 employees, locations in 80 countries
Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050
For more information about Saint-Gobain, visit www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on Twitter @saintgobain
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