CULTURE

1st Place Senior Earl Prize

Congratulations to Alex Montanile (BSAS ‘25) & Hengyang Zhang (BSAS ‘25) from Prof. Erik Hemingway’s Studio

“BOX OF AIR is a project that integrates traditional agricultural practices into cities severely impacted by high pollution and limited space for cultivation. New Delhi, India—the most polluted city on Earth—has faced challenges in crop production for decades. As populations continue to grow, access to clean, healthy crops becomes essential for sustaining human life. However, the greatest obstacle in these areas is the severely polluted air.

BOX OF AIR addresses this by breathing fresh air into communities that desperately need it. Encased in an electro-ionizing steel facade, pollutant particles are positively charged to react and “stick” to the negatively charged facade, allowing clean oxygen particles to flow through. With clean oxygen, the community can grow crops more efficiently and sustainably.

BOX OF AIR is not just a solution for today’s challenges but a forward-thinking proposal for the future. As urban populations continue to swell and pollution levels rise globally, clean air and sustainable food sources will become increasingly scarce. BOX OF AIR is a model for how cities around the world can tackle the dual crises of air pollution and food insecurity, providing a blueprint for resilient urban living in the face of future challenges.” ...

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1st Place Junior Earl Prize

Congratulations to Alex Hoffert (BSAS ‘26) & Wesley Heywood (BSAS ‘26) from Prof. Joseph Altshuler’s Studio

Instrumental Inventory uses an architectural strategy that brings together nested, intersecting volumes with a network of acoustic pipes to organize a loanable inventory of musical instruments. By articulating distinct visual language with exuberant geometry, rounded apertures, and split-level connections, the project imagines how a library-of-instruments might encourage people to come together through visual spectacle and shared sounds by creating and discovering new cultures of sound/music as a collective.

The building’s acoustic pipe system allows for the sound produced within the lending library to be broadcast to the nearby train station and broader neighborhood, and vice versa. The nested, interconnected spaces invite visitors to preview other parts of the building through sight and sound. A pipe organ that occupies a triple-height, cylindrical void forms the “heart” of the building in section and plan, becoming a nexus of acoustic pipes that delineate concentric spaces.

Organized categorically by wind instruments versus strings and percussion, instruments are accessed via pulley systems while the network of acoustic pipes loosely points visitors in the right direction. Return visits are encouraged by the community spaces and opportunities provided to come together and create collective music and sound. Instrumental Inventory celebrates sound and music as a universal language that connects people across cultures and communities.

#earlprize #archatillinois #wedesign ...

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2nd Place Senior Earl Prize

Congratulations to Deonante Sutton (BSAS ‘25) & Daniel Bogdal (BSAS ‘25) from Prof. Gideon Schwartzman’s Studio

The proposed field house in Bronzesville, Chicago, is envisioned as a transformative urban hub, designed to serve both as a transportation center and a dynamic space for community integration. The building aims to dissolve the longstanding stigmas associated with south Chicago neighborhoods by offering an inviting and transparent architectural experience that encourages interaction visibility, and connection among diverse groups of people. One of the building’s primary function is to act as a transportation hub, serving users of the adjacent Green Line. However, it goes beyond the typical role of a transit station. The design fosters an environment where different communities can coexist, interact, and collaborate. By facilitating these interaction, South + One Future challenges and redefines the negative narrative often linked to the South Side of Chicago. Ultimately, the field house stands as more than just a building, it becomes a social bridge. It offers a space where transportation infrastructure and community life interest coexist, creating new opportunities for positive encounters and shared experience. ...

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