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Architecture Students Honored in International Competition
Three teams of Rensselaer students received recognition for their ideas and designs to create an alternative master plan for the Palestinian village of Ein Hud, as part of the "One Land, Two Systems" international architecture competition sponsored by Israeli architect Malkit Soshan through his organization The Foundation for Achieving a Seamless Territory (F.A.S.T.).
Shefali Sanghvi of Westbury, N.Y., Kristin Malone of Portsmouth, R.I., Marcel Perez-Pirio of San Jose, Calif., Nick Liberis of Pomona, N.Y., Alyssa Klem of Bowie, Md., and Kristen Kubera of Cicero, N.Y. participated in the competition. The teams of Sanghvi and Malone, and Perez-Pirio and Liberis were two of only seven teams to receive an honorable mention. Klem and Kubera received the Rensselaer School of Architecture grand prize for design in the competition. The project was under the direction of visiting professor Chris Sharples of Sharples, Holden, Pasquarelli Architects (SHoP).
According to the F.A.S.T organization, more than 300 architects registered for the competition, 107 entries arrived from more than 30 countries, each one outlining a sustainable and livable alternative for the Palestinian village. In addition to the Rensselaer students, teams from Israel, Germany, France, and Austria were recognized for their work.
"The story of Ein Hud is an example of the complex reality of ideological planning on an international level," said Alan Balfour, dean of the School of Architecture at Rensselaer. "The decade ahead is unpredictable, with threats of terrorism, an increasing divide between rich and poor, and persistent political instability; all will test the power of architecture to provide a stable ennobling reality. It is in study abroad programs and participation in international competitions such as this that will prepare students for such a future as architecture plays an increasingly political role in international development."
All fifth-year students in Rensselaer's architectural program are required to submit designs to selected international competitions as part of their final senior project. Rensselaer has architecture programs in Italy, China, and India.
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