The winning results of the In/Visible Borders Competition

The AIA|DC Urban Design Committee's urban design competition, In/Visible Borders, explored the nature of borders and how they can serve as devices for identity, belonging, or exclusion and inequity. Entrants had to propose design solutions that enhance spatial equity along a specific border condition of their choosing.

The submissions spanned a range of locations, scales, and design techniques. Many of them drew from historical, cultural, and political analysis of place, and some emphasized research and policy. The three-member jury — Susana Arisso, AICP, senior urban designer at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Greg Luongo, AIA, Associate Principal and Senior Vice President at HKS; and Kevin Storm, AIA, AICP, Associate Director for Design at the DC Office of Planning — selected a winner, finalist, and three honorable mentions. The winner received a $750 cash prize, free registration to the next AIA|DC Urban Design Competition, and publication in the committee’s annual journal.

WINNER: Theresa Mozinski, "School Without Borders"

Project summary: “School Without Borders takes on one of the most fraught border conditions – the U.S.-Mexico political divide – and offers a poetic design intervention that is equal parts visionary and pragmatic. It envisions a thickened, programmable edge that creates a place for intellectual and physical common ground. The resulting school prototype is a thoughtful piece of architecture and placemaking, and the design convinces us that similar pieces of “shared infrastructure” could succeed in the same way.”

FINALIST: Heyan Xu, Shiyao Li, Wan Huang, “The Wall Street: From Fortress Besieged Towards More Equitable Public Space”

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Priscilla Cuadra and Rebecca Soja, “Redlines: The Zoning of Exclusion”
• Shreejit Modak, “Urban Utopia: A Culture to Be Preserved”
• Tamanna Tiku, “Harnessing Vulnerabilities: Resource Management Strategies for Enduring Livability”

All images courtesy of AIA|DC Urban Design Committee In/Visible Borders Competition.