Nicholas Grier of Newnan and teammates on Kennesaw State University’s National Organization of Minority Architecture Students team recently earned second place in the 2024 Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition, besting institutions such as Cornell University, UCLA and Clemson University.
The national competition featured 44 architecture programs and was held at the NOMA National Conference in Baltimore last month. The 2024 edition of the competition challenged student teams to reimagine a four-block site in West Baltimore, historically known as the “Highway to Nowhere.” Once a vibrant community, the area had been divided by a six-lane expressway built during the urban renewal movement of the 1960s, resulting in the displacement of families and the destruction of the neighborhood.
The challenge called for designs that could revitalize the area, incorporating 400,000 square feet of mixed-use spaces, including transit hubs, residential areas and community-centered amenities…