EPIConnection.org and Whirlpool Corporation announce the winners of the International Emerging Professionals Guest House/Studio Design Competition. The program, which encourages and recognizes the design skills of emerging architectural professionals, evolved from a partnership among EPIConnection.org, the AIA National Housing Committee, and the sponsor, Whirlpool Corporation.

Competitors were given a program with which to design the conversion of a separate two-car garage into a live/work multi-use space. “This competition demonstrates how cooperative projects between industry, schools, and professional practice can benefit all groups to improve the design building industries,” said AIA CES Director Thom Lowther. “We received entries from seven countries across North America and Europe.”

Members representing the AIA, Whirlpool Corporation, National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), American Society of Interior Design, and Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture made up the jury.

Architecture/Design Emerging Professional winners
The jury made the following awards:

• First place: Tom Young, St. Louis ($2,000 prize)
• Second place: Will Scales, Seattle ($500)
• Honorable mentions: Bob Cook, York, Maine, and Se Jin Kwak, Baltimore.

“Young’s stunning design entry features creative solutions that were well implemented and presented” the jury iterated of the first-place winning design. “The design orchestrates a rich interplay of spaces at multiple levels. The promise of differing spatial experiences around each corner would make this house a delight to explore. With strong functionality, excellent integration of appliances, and strong layout of both interior and exterior space, Tom's entry stands out.”

Architecture/Design Student category:
In the student category the jury chose to award:

• First place: Jan Hromada, Seattle ($2,000 prize)
• Second place: Jack Sawyer, Atlanta ($500)
• Honorable mentions: Karl Holmber, Lund, Sweden; and Daughtry Carstar Phen, Jennifer Gurney, and Henry Miller, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The judges were impressed with Hromada's imaginative solutions and strong compliance with the competition requirements. “The design's central concept of segregating spaces by elevation change but linking them visually to maximize openness was very compelling,” they said. “A window looking in to the swimming pool terminates the entry axis in stunning fashion, while simultaneously allowing natural light to penetrate into the adjoining space.”

AIA/CES and Whirlpool Corporation currently are preparing a brochure detailing the program and the winners’ projects for distribution at the 2005 AIA National Convention and the NKBA national convention. Both of these conventions will be held in Las Vegas in May. The two first-place winners also will receive a free trip to the AIA convention.

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