Students win 2024 NOMA design competition

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

BY NAOMI KING ENGLAR

Three students at Tulane School of Architecture won first place in the Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition at the 2024 National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Conference, held in Baltimore, MD. It is the first time in recent history of the school that the student chapter at Tulane won the competition.

Students Nia Fletcher (B.Arch '27), Miguel Alvarez Gamez (B.Arch '27), and Kris Smith (B.Arch '25), pictured above left to right, said the goal of their proposed design, titled "Restoring Common Ground", was to address the fundamental issue of the site: "the government's appropriation of land to build a useless highway through a vibrant, historically Black neighborhood," the students said. "The core problem was land and its inaccessibility, which we aimed to tackle directly through a clear and impactful design."

The Tulane team competed against more than 40 other National Organization of Minority Architect Students (NOMAS) chapters from across the country participating in a two-day, two-round competition. This year, the teams were tasked with proposing a master plan and architectural design for a new multi-modal transit center to service the West Baltimore community. The new transit hub had to address the needs and desires of the immediate community, provide an efficient and effective solution to the addition of the Red Line through the 1-40 corridor, and support future and responsive development.

The students, who are all working toward degrees in Architecture at Tulane and are members of the Tulane NOMAS chapter, began working on their proposed design for the competition in June. In developing their design, the students gathered extensive research on the city of Baltimore, the Red Line project, and similar transit-oriented development initiatives. The team also reviewed news articles and watched town hall recordings to inform their design strategy.

"We made a bold choice to consolidate the program into one area of the site, a decision that no other team made," the students said. "Initially, we were concerned that our approach might be too radical to be competitive, but it was grounded in comprehensive analysis."

The students said they were honored to win the competition, especially given the scope of the work and how much time and effort they invested in their design.

"Participating in the conference has become a cherished annual tradition for our NOMAS chapter, enriching our architectural education," they said. "Developing cultural sensitivity and awareness of current and historical injustices is an essential skill for architecture students."

Now the team has its sights set on the future.

"As a team, we hope this victory will reinvigorate our NOMAS chapter and boost participation in our competition team," the students said. "We are excited to assemble a strong group for the 2025 Student Design Competition and to send a large delegation to the national NOMA conference in Kansas City, Missouri, next year!"

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