Call for Entries
Submissions open through
May 26, 2024
The A+D Museum Design Awards celebrate the remarkable achievements and innovative spirit in the fields of architecture and design. These awards recognize the talent and hard work of individuals and collectives who transcend traditional boundaries, setting new standards of excellence and fostering interdisciplinary exchanges. By spotlighting these outstanding contributions, the awards aim to inspire the design community, showcasing the transformative power of design in shaping our world.
This year, we are also delighted to feature the winners in an exhibition at the A+D Museum, providing a unique platform to display their visionary work. It's an opportunity to engage with groundbreaking designs and to be part of an evolving dialogue on the future of architecture and design.
Submission Date
The 2024 A+D Design Awards submissions period is open through May 26, 2024 at 11:59PM, PST.
Design Awards Categories
- Wearables
- Printed Matter
- On The Screen
- Realtime & Interactive
- AI & Generative Art
- Landscape Techtonics
- Sustainable Solutions
- Small Scale
- Medium Scale
- Large Scale
Fee:
$80 USD ($25 for students)
Submissions are open to all disciplines and levels, with a fee of $80 per project, and $25 for students. This fee is considered a donation and goes directly to supporting the museum’s mission. Please include your Paypal Transaction ID in the submission form to confirm that payment has been made. Submit your fee via Paypal here.
Fee Waiver
If the fee presents an obstacle to submission we ask that you contact the A+D Museum at info@aplusd.org with the headline “Design Awards Waver Application” and we will work with you.
Submission Guidelines
- Go to https://aplusd.org/design-awards/ and navigate to “Guidelines/Submit”
- Read through all restrictions, information, and guidelines.
- Submit Fee
- Fill out Google Form (open on March 11). Please be sure to include your submission information and your Paypal Transaction ID.
What is the deadline for submissions?
The Submission deadline is May 19, 2024 at 11:59 PM, PST.
Do I need to pay before submitting?Yes. Each submission fee is considered a donation as it will all go back to supporting the museum as a non-profit institution. Each submission helps us continue to provide a platform for emerging voices in architecture and design. As an inclusive institution we have reserved a number of fee waived submissions. If the submission fee is a barrier please email us at info@aplusd.org and we will work with you.
Once I complete the payment and fill out the Google Form, will I receive a confirmation?You will receive a confirmation from Google Forms once your submission has been successfully submitted. We will reach out with additional questions/updates if any issues arise.
How many entries can I submit?- You may submit up to two projects per category.
- You may submit one project into a maximum of 2 categories.
- Each entry will require a separate fee. For example, if you submit two projects in one category and another project in two additional categories, your overall fee would be $320.
- May 26, 2024: Submission Deadline
- May 30 - June 7, 2024: Jury Convenes
- June 12 - 15, 2024: Finalist Jury Convenes
- June 19, 2024: Winners Announced
- June 26, 2024: Design Awards Gala
No, please only submit one form. Within the form, it will ask you which categories you will be submitting to, and you will be able to upload all your submissions.
Is there a limit to the amount of images or documents that I submit?Yes. Please limit your submissions to one pdf per project. Please keep in mind that you will not be able to upload more than 100mb.
Who qualifies as a student?You must currently be enrolled either part time or full time at an academic institution, or graduated in 2024.
Can I get a refund and withdraw my submission?We will not be offering refunds for submissions. For any inquiries about erroneous payments, please contact stephanie@aplusd.org
Can I make changes to my submission?For any changes that need to be made to the Google Form, please contact stephanie@aplusd.org You may make changes to your submission until May 26th at 11:59PM PST.
Will I be notified if I’ve been selected?Yes. You will be notified via email, as well as social media announcement. Be sure to include your Instagram handle, as winners and runner-ups will be tagged.
What is the jury’s selection process?The Jury for each category will review all submissions and make a shortlist of 4 submissions. These will be reviewed in the second jury round for final selection.
What do the winners receive?- Winners will receive an award and certificate.
- Winners and Runner-Ups will be exhibited in the A+D Museum from August through September 2024 (exact dates TBD).
- Winners will be featured in our Awards Website Gallery and across all our social media platforms.
WEARABLES
Celebrating a diverse array of creations, including accessories, fashionable wear, and body modification pieces, affirming that if it embellishes the body, it's eligible for consideration.
PRINTED MATTER
This category honors outstanding design in zines, books, and magazines, drawing inspiration from innovative approaches to classical presentation formats.
ON THE SCREEN
Recognizing outstanding conceptual creativity and execution across a spectrum of digital mediums, including short films, digital graphics, visual storytelling, speculative worldbuilding, and more.
REALTIME & INTERACTIVE
Acknowledging the best in real-time and interactive design, including immersive experiences, metaverse, AR, VR, and video games.
AI & GENERATIVE ART
Honoring artistic expressions through prints, installation art, and short films inspired by AI-driven creative outlets and generative models powered by deep learning technology.
LANDSCAPE TECTONICS
Celebrating the artistry and innovation in landscape and biophilic design. Whether built or unbuilt, large-scale parks, intimate gardens, installations, and more, this category highlights the transformative impact of design on our relationship with nature.
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS
Recognizing built or unbuilt projects prioritizing sustainability in architecture, urban design, and community development, this category celebrates eco-friendly initiatives and sustainable infrastructures shaping a resilient future for all.
SMALL SCALE
Celebrating excellence in (built or unbuilt) small-scale projects, 500 square feet or smaller. This category is open to work ranging from objects, sculptures, installations, or small structures or architectures.
MEDIUM SCALE
Celebrating excellence in (built or unbuilt) medium-scale projects, 500 sf - 5,000sf. This category is open to any type of work ranging from built architecture, theater/set design, interior design, industrial design, installations, etc.
LARGE SCALE
Recognizing outstanding design in (built or unbuilt) projects larger than 5,000sf from the street scale to the urban scale. The concept behind the category comes from the museum’s appreciation of urbanism and scale.
Support the Awards, Support the Museum
This event offers a new level of exposure for our donors while ensuring funds raised go directly to supporting the A+D Museum’s mission. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please see the range of sponsorship levels outlined below. Should you have any questions or inquiries about becoming an awards sponsor, please reach out to Stephanie Ibarra, Assistant Director, at stephanie@aplusd.org.
To become a sponsor, donate through our Paypal Giving Fund. Simply select the "Other" option and submit the amount at the level of your choice. Thank you for your generosity!
Category Sponsors $5,000
Category Sponsors will have the chance to select a category they would like to support (subject to availability). The sponsor’s brand & logo will be recognized within all category presentations, including but not limited to in press materials, social media, and at the awards gala.
Benefits at A Glance
- Donor name tied to all mentions and presentations of the selected category.
- Donor logo on Awards website.
- Donor brand/logo on all press material.
- Recognition on Social Media posts.
- Dedicated category e-blast, featuring company branding and an opportunity for brief sponsor message.
- 8 Tickets to the Design Awards Gala
Submission Sponsors $2,500
Submission fees are $80, and $25 for students. Submission Sponsors provide the opportunity for designers and artists to apply for fee waiver.
Benefits At A Glance
- Donor logo on Awards website.
- Donor brand/logo on related press material.
- Recognition on Social Media posts.
- 4 Tickets to the Design Awards Gala
Community Sponsors $500
Benefits At A Glance
- Donor logo on Awards website.
- Donor name on related press material.
- Recognition on Social Media posts.
- 2 Ticket to the Design Awards Gala
Become a Sponsor
Alice Kimm
...Alice Kimm co-founded John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK) in Los Angeles in 1996. JFAK’s work spans educational, institutional, and commercial facilities as well as housing, civic environments, and cultural installations. Alice holds an M.Arch from Harvard and is a former Fulbright Scholar. A longtime educator, she directed Undergraduate Architecture at USC from 2010-2014. Alice was named a 2004 Emerging Voice by the Architectural League of New York and elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2010. In 2020, Alice with John Friedman and a group of collaborators formed Open Source Homelessness Initiative (OSHI), a nonprofit organization that uses centralized information, resources, and inspiration to advance education and accelerate innovation in eradicating homelessnes.
Michael Rotondi
...Michael Rotondi has practiced and taught architecture locally and internationally for over forty years, always operating from his base in Los Angeles. He was a founding Partner of Morphosis (1975-1991) and a co-founder of SCI-Arc (1972), where he co-created and directed the Graduate Program (1978-1987), was the second SCI-Arc Director (1987-1997), and currently teaches advanced Design Studios as Distinguished Faculty. His current practice, RoTo Architects, was founded in late 1991. Throughout four decades, practice and teaching have become complimentary halves of one activity: growing and deploying an Architectural Mind that is curious, cross-disciplinary, and quintessentially problem-solving, at any scale and complexity.
Eui-Sung Yi
...E. Sung Yi is a Partner at Morphosis Architects and the Director of The Now Institute, a research center for urban strategy, social impact and community resiliency. Through the lenses of cultural politics, his professional work and research speculate on emerging Asian and global urbanism. Yi has had over 30 years of professional experience that spans from designing and building the new Korean Embassy in Tokyo, the tallest detached core skyscraper in the world to off-grid water and education stations in Haiti. Currently he is master-planning Neom and the Line which he and his team proposed and won in 2019. He has co-authored the 3-time bestseller 100 Buildings and a 730 page visual tome called Haiti Now. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in USC and formerly taught in UCLA and SCI-Arc. He received his B.Arch from Cornell University and his M.Arch from Harvard University.
Carlos Navarro
...Carlos Navarro is an architectural designer and new media artist based in Los Angeles. His expertise lies in integrating generative AI, CG animation, and simulation technologies to create innovative architectural typologies, reflective of the interplay between digital and built environments. His focus is on exploring the creative feedback loop between generative AI and users to transcend the generic bias inherent in AI. Navarro's work revives the relevance of architectural ornament and semiology, unlocked by the unprecedented computational power of the current digital era. Using AI, he creates multi-dimensional architectural artifacts that explore digital materiality and architectural representation agencies for worldbuilding and tokenization.
Erika Abrams
...Erika Abrams lives at the intersection of creative operations, strategy, culture, and is known for strategic business transformation, revenue growth, and cultivating high-caliber creative teams. As an executive, she excels in strategic forecasting, consistently achieving double-digit profitability increases. Her most recent role as the Executive Creative Director of the Los Angeles Design Festival allowed her to contribute significantly to the Los Angeles creative community through programming and curation extending to innovative organizational design, strategy, and culture building, emphasizing the importance of designing for and with diverse and inclusive creative cultures making her a transformative force in the industry.
Jason E.C. Wright
...Jason E.C. Wright is an educator, documentary photographer, Founder and Director at Burntsienna Research Society - a private artbook library and institute for slow design research. A twenty year veteran of the fashion industry, Wright has instructed at FIDM, spoken and moderated for AIGA, A+D Musuem, LA Design Festival, MOCA & more. Through Burntsienna, he continues to lead programming and curriculum around artbooks and slow research practices for product developers, design firms, retail and hospitality owner/operators, and independent creative professionals.
Xi Wang
...Xi "Jake" Wang is a Los Angeles-based media artist. He recently served as a visual designer at Refik Anadol Studio and is an active member of the Visual Effects Society. His primary focus is on immersive design and generative AI art. Wang's media artworks skillfully construct concrete and surreal world scenes through non-human protagonists, blending time and space. These works reflect his sensitive contemplation on culture and the exploration of the era. Wang has contributed to numerous high-profile art projects. He exhibited his latest work, the immersive animation short film Illusory Land, at Siggraph Asia 2022. He also directed the real-time animation short Metamorphosis, which won the Director's Choice Award at the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival. Additionally, it was an official selection at the Telluride Film Festival Student Prints and the Unreal Engine Student Showcase Spring 2021.Wang's exceptional animation works have been featured in prestigious exhibitions at venues such as the Getty Museum and various other art galleries. He has also been involved in significant studio projects, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Dune Part 2, the TV series The Last of Us, and numerous music videos, album designs, and animated documentaries.
Lucy McRae
...Artist Lucy McRae leads a multi-disciplinary, art-research studio investigating the impact future technologies have on human evolution. In parallel to her gallery and museum-focused art practice, she thrives as a director and a maker, in the writer’s room and in the lab.Boldly staring down the status quo, Lucy pioneers a new story for how future technologies will fundamentally alter human intimacy, reproduction, biology, and health — shining light on the ethical implications of genetic engineering. Her prophetic aesthetic is flung far from archetypal tropes, creating nostalgia for a future about to happen. Lucy’s work diversifies the predictive voices we traditionally call ‘science’ and ‘technology’, through designing hypothetical worlds that use speculation as a tool to provoke an exploration of ideologies and ethics about who we are, and where we are headed.Based in Los Angeles, Lucy is a visiting professor at architecture school SCI_Arc, is a TED fellow, a World Economic Forum 'Young Global Leader', and is currently a world-building and futurist consultant to a number of Hollywood productions with multiple Oscar-winning directors and producers.
Sanghyun Suh
...Sanghyun Suh is a versatile architect, researcher, and educator with a robust academic background. He holds a Master of Science in Architectural Technology from SCI-Arc, complemented by a Master of Architecture and Master of Engineering from The Ohio State University. His professional journey includes roles as a Project Designer at Patterns and a Designer at Isida Rehm Studio. Additionally, Sanghyun has contributed as an Associate Researcher at SCI-Arc, funded by EPIC Games & Google AMI. With a passion for education, he has taught at UCLA, Seoul National University, and SCI-Arc, engaging in programs like Digital Futures and the AA Visiting School Seoul. Sanghyun has also served as a juror at institutions such as UCLA, SCI-Arc, KICDT, and AA Visiting School Seoul, contributing to the recognition of architectural excellence. His multifaceted expertise, coupled with a commitment to architectural education and research, establishes Sanghyun Suh as an emerging designer and researcher within the architectural community and its surrounding disciplines.
Margaret Griffin
...Margaret Griffin, FAIA, is a co-founder and principal of Griffin Enright Architects, where her designs synthesize form, content, and context to reinterpret and transform environments. Margaret holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Virginia. She investigated the relationship between urban forms and landforms during her fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, a subject she continues to integrate and examine in her architectural practice. Margaret examines the traditionally dichotomous relationships between built form and environment, site and urban context, space and lightness to punctuate her comprehensive approach to design. In addition to guiding a progressive firm, Margaret extends her architectural research on the design faculty at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). She also serves as a design leader on the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board, where she lends her architectural, urban, and landscape expertise.”
Aditya Jagdale
...Aditya Jagdale is a Los Angeles-based Architectural Designer currently working with RIOS, a multi-disciplinary architectural practice. Aditya integrates his deep fascination with contemporary philosophy into pushing circular design principles and the upcycling of form and objects across multiple disciplines. Aditya holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture, where he won numerous design competitions and academic awards. Since then, Aditya has contributed to a variety of projects, including avant-garde public art installations in collaboration with new media artists, luxurious residential developments, and innovative spaces for sectors including luxury goods, athleisure, and emerging technologies.In 2023, Aditya’s distinctive approach to design was honored when he was featured in Interior Design Magazine’s 30/30 designers bracket in Los Angeles. His work demonstrates a continuous exploration of the intersections between design, philosophy, and technology.
Alice Bucknell
...Alice Bucknell is an artist, writer, and educator based in Los Angeles. with a particular interest in recent work has focused on creating cinematic universes within game worlds, exploring the affective dimensions of video games as interfaces for understanding complex systems, relations and forms of knowledge.Their work has appeared internationally at Ars Electronica with transmediale, Arcade Seoul, the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale, Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles, Gray Area in San Francisco, Basement Roma in Rome, Singapore Art Museum, The Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth, Texas, Fiber Festival in the Netherlands, and Serpentine in London, among others. Their writing appears in publications including ArtReview, e-flux architecture, frieze, the Harvard Design Magazine, and others.
Galo Canizares
...Galo Canizares is an artist, designer, writer, and educator. His work blends absurdity, computation, world-making, simulation, and parafiction to address issues in technology and the built environment. He is currently researching the sociotechnical networks of relations between design’s softwarization and architectural practice. Galo was the recipient of the 2016-17 LeFevre ’29 Emerging Practitioner Fellowship, and in 2018 was awarded the Christos Yessios Visiting Professorship at The Ohio State University. His writings have been published in various journals and magazines. He is the author of Digital Fabrications: Designer Stories for a Software-Based Planet, and most recently co-edited Homing the Machine in Architecture, a critical compendium of thoughts on the history of digital fabrication in design. His collaborative architectural practice, office ca, won the 2018 Ragdale Ring competition.
Alice Scope
...Alice Scope is a new media art curator and researcher based in Los Angeles. She explores the realms of post and transhumanism, human-AI relationships, speculative evolution, and collective intelligence. Scope is currently collaborating with Serpentine Arts Technologies on an alternative model of art ownership called PCO - Partial Common Ownership. She is a contributor to Future Art Ecosystems (FAE), an annual strategic briefing that provides analytical and conceptual tools for the construction of 21st-century cultural infrastructure, published by Serpentine R&D Platform, and serves as a juror at the Denver Digerati Festival. Her recent exhibitions "Postgender", "Conjured Terrain", "Erotic Codex" were showcased at the Berggruen Institute, SXSW, Gray Area, Honor Fraser, Vellum LA and more.
Meredith Lancaster
...Meredith Lancaster serves as the dedicated Curator at the Compton Art & History Museum, bringing a wealth of expertise and passion for preserving cultural heritage, while highlighting the rich tapestry of Compton's history and artistic expression. With a background in art history, museum studies, and archival methods, Meredith has curated exhibitions at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (Eugene, Oregon), Gallery Michael (Beverly Hills, California), and co-curated exhibitions at Woman Made Gallery and MW Galleries (Chicago, Illinois). Her commitment to inclusivity and community engagement has been instrumental in fostering meaningful connections between the Compton Museum and its visitors. Meredith's vision extends beyond traditional curation, as she actively seeks to amplify marginalized voices and challenge prevailing narratives through innovative programming. With a keen eye for storytelling and a deep appreciation for the transformative power of art, Meredith continually strives to create immersive experiences that inspire dialogue, reflection, and appreciation for Compton's vibrant cultural landscape.
Jack Rendler
...Jack Oliva-Rendler is exploring work processes in Digital 3D modeling, Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and algorithmic modeling methods for multi- scaler ecological solutions, planetary, bio-regional, infrastructural, local and community based scales of work. Jack’s design specialties have evolved to include fractal formulations and mathematical simulations as ways to simulate organic and crystallographic fractal systems with a multitude of applications. His algorithmic fractal modeling techniques have been launched as in-depth online education courses with the Futurly Platform and the PA Academy. His book Terrestrial Architecture is out now!
Crystal Chum
...Born in Singapore, Crystal Chum is a senior designer at Smithgroup with a keen passion for discovering the poetry of the built environment in a chaotic world. With a Bachelors of Architecture at the National University of Architecture, her pursuit of a Masters of Architecture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture brought her out to Southern California and have never looked back since. With 14 years of experience, she’s worked in Singapore, Hong Kong and Los Angeles with a diverse range of project types from residential, mixed used commercial, healthcare, science and technology, higher education and cultural. She’s an active member of the Smithgroup J.E.D.I initiative, focusing internal and external community and mentorship engagement.
Julia Koerner
...Julia Koerner is an award-winning Austrian designer, innovator, and pioneer in 3D printing, with exemplary cross-disciplinary work across architecture, fashion, and products. Koerner has been sought after for collaborations that include 3D-printed costumes with Ruth E. Carter for Marvel's Black Panther in Wakanda Forever, earning two Academy Awards for costume design. Prior to that, she collaborated with Iris Van Herpen and Chanel on 3D-printed Haute Couture garments. Furthermore, she has developed research on innovative uses of 3D printing with Swarovski, Stratasys, and Materialise. She is internationally recognized for design innovation in 3D printing.
Kevin Sherrod
...Kevin Sherrod is dedicated to bolstering community resilience and championing design justice, particularly within communities of color. As the Practice Area Leader for Arts & Culture at Gensler Los Angeles, he spearheads transformative projects like Tides Loads of Hope, establishing the first permanent laundry room for the homeless, and pioneering campus housing at Compton College. Notably, he contributed to the acclaimed Debbie Allen Dance Academy. Sherrod's role as a core member of the research leadership team with the Now Institute and Morphosis, working under Thom Mayne on the 100 Buildings book, underscores his commitment to innovative design solutions. Recently, he led the design for Gallery 90220, a pioneering art space for Black and Brown creatives in South Los Angeles, earning recognition as a Culture Champion on Forbes' Culture 50 list. Committed to nurturing the next generation of designers, Sherrod serves as design faculty at USC and previously lectured on urban strategies at UCLA.
David Renken
...David is a Design Principal at ZGF Architects. His passion for art and architecture has led him across the globe. Documenting the unique moments and monuments of his travels by hand revealed a talent for sketching and watercolor that enriches his creative vision and adds a personal touch to his work as an architect. A longtime Angeleno with roots in the Pacific Northwest, David is committed to sustainability and brings a pragmatic leadership style, rigorous approach to design, and ability to calmly guide clients toward the future. His projects have shaped city skylines, preserved iconic buildings, and provided the global headquarters for some of the world's greatest forces for good.
Matthew Gillis
...Matthew Gillis is an architect and educator. As co-founder of the architecture firm Grant Gillis and principal of G!LL!S, a design research studio, he leads transformative projects in the built environment that resonate with their users and communities. Currently serving as a Visiting Professor at Woodbury University School of Architecture, Matthew leverages research into practice with over two decades in academics including OTIS and SCI-Arc. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from UCLA and was a Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design board member from 2012-17. Grant Gillis, established in 2017 with Thurman Grant, specializes in cultural and retail projects, with a renovation of the American Museum of Ceramic Arts currently under construction. G!LL!S explores the confluence of art, architecture, and technology through exhibitions, installations, and interiors. G!ll!S has produced installations from ACADIA - Cincinnati to the Goethe Institute in Guadalajara, Mexico. Notably, a G!ll!S installation earned an A+D Design Award in 2020.
Carrie Chen
...Carrie Chen (she/her) is an artist based in Los Angeles. She works with CG animation, game engine simulation and installation to explore how digital figuration can be a poetic and multidimensional means to express ideas about hybridity, representation, time and memory. Carrie’s practice draws on non-Western ontologies while engaging with the complexities of intercultural identity, social behavior, digital bodies, culture and technology. Carrie has exhibited and held talks internationally. She is a recipient of the 2024 STRP Award for Creative Technology and has been recognized as the 2024 Emerging Curator at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE). Her expanded practice involves curation, lectures, art direction, and design commissions. She teaches Advanced Visual Communication at USC’s Media Arts + Practice, and 3D Arts at Parsons Design and Technology.
Brooke Walbuck
...Brooke is a business development leader and AEC market strategist in the Los Angeles area, specializing in architecture and construction for landmark projects. In her current role as Senior Director, Business Development at Webcor Los Angeles, she leads the company's growth strategy and client relationships for commercial, institutional and public sector opportunities. With over 15 years of experience in real estate and design, she brings a unique perspective and value proposition to the construction industry, leveraging her knowledge and skills in competitive analysis, team leadership, and sales management.Brooke is actively involved in the LA business community, serving on various boards and councils that promote innovation, sustainability, civic engagement and professional development. She is passionate about sharing her insights and expertise with the next generation of leaders, as a guest lecturer at SCI-Arc, UC Berkeley, Woodbury University, and a workshop lead for IIDA SoCal Emerging Leaders.
Damjan Jovanovic
...Damjan Jovanovic is co-founder of the Los Angeles-based game design studio Lifeforms.io and serves as faculty at SCI-Arc. He is an artist and designer working at the intersection of video games, artificial intelligence, and architecture. Jovanovic's work has been exhibited internationally, and his writings on design, games, and worldmaking have been featured in a range of established publications. He completed his Master of Arts in Architecture postgraduate degree at the Städelschule in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2014, at which he subsequently served as design faculty.
Marcela Oliva
...For over a decade, Marcela Oliva has been the Knowledge Architect for the $9 billion Building Program at the Los Angeles Community College District, leading the development of the nation’s largest Digital Twin/Virtualization BIM/GIS System. As a Professor of Architecture and Environmental Design at LATTC, she founded UCLA Extension Courses in Transforming Community and Design for Social Justice. Her contributions to NASA’s Knowledge Management and as the principal investigator for the Cyber-Physical Systems NSF Grant highlight her leadership. Recognized with the California Governor’s Award in Geospatial Technologies, she's a prominent speaker and educator. Awards like the Alpha Rho Chi Medal from USC underscore her innovative use of biomimicry with digital twins. Holding degrees from USC and Columbia University, she's a pioneer in AEC education and practice. The 2022 AIA LA Presidential Award for Educator of the Year confirms her lasting impact. She serves on the Board of Directors for USGBC LA, Pando Populus, and Architecture and Advocacy, promoting diversity and inclusion in the AEC industry.
Someen Hahm
...Soomeen Hahm is the founder of SoomeenHahm Design Ltd, a design researcher, educator, and architectural designer. She currently serves as a design faculty and robotic researcher at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Her practice, SoomeenHahm Design Ltd., is a London and California-based design studio focusing on architectural design research and practice, addressing the computational paradigm in architecture across various scales and perspectives. Her work explores the intersection of computational power, technology, and human intuition, examining how this collaboration impacts design and construction practices. Her latest research focuses on AR/VR, wearable machines, and human-computer interaction. She specializes in actively integrating technologies into architecture, including coding, digital simulations, mixed realities, and artificial intelligence. Previously, she worked for several years at Zaha Hadid Architects and Zaha Hadid Design, contributing to the design of some of the most iconic buildings and products. She also has extensive teaching experience, leading innovative studios at the Bartlett (BPro) and AA (Intermediate & DRL).
Zohra Akhter
...Zohra Akhter is the Departmental Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Architect for the City of Los Angeles’s Bureau of Engineering, a bureau responsible for the design and construction of the City’s capital improvement projects. Zohra is passionate about making a positive environmental impact in the built environment and believes that City governments have a unique opportunity to lead by example in implementing green building policies. Zohra is responsible for guiding sustainability policies and implementing LEED and Net-Zero Energy in city buildings. Currently, she is leading the ambitious effort to create a roadmap for decarbonizing Los Angeles’s existing municipal buildings, a portfolio of nearly 1,000 buildings. She is also engaged in discussions around zero-emission construction equipment, embodied carbon reduction policy, and bio-diversity policy implementation in capital improvement projects.
Enrique Agudo
...Enrique Agudo is a new media artist and creative director, originally from Madrid, Spain, and now based in Los Angeles, California. Agudo is the Creative Director behind The Pantheon of Queer Mythology, a VR short film that headlined at Tribeca Film Festival 2020, Geneva International Film Festival, Cannes XR, was nominated for VR Film of the Year at the VR Awards, and has been exhibited in Serreria Belga in Madrid and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Enrique continues to use immersive and experimental digital media as the tools to question and challenge anthropological discourse around identity with Ipseity, a collection of generative digital paintings connected to real-time data in which the digital medium and physical data are connected in symbiotic exchange, exhibited at Vellum LA in his first solo exhibition in 2023.
Jeremy Kamal
...Jeremy Kamal is a filmmaker and game developer creating speculative landscape mythologies through animation, sound, and video games. His geomyths explore the rituals, technologies, and ecologies that emerge when overlooked cultural values shape landscapes. Combining the design rigor of landscape architecture with the accessibility of pop culture and music, his 3d environments host speculative narratives that introduce landscape discourse to a broader audience. He is an Onassis ONX fellow and was previously an artist resident at the Sundance Institute, NYU ITP, Folly Tree Arboretum, and AFROTECTOPIA. As a freelance 3D generalist, he has collaborated on projects for Marine Serre, The North Face, Gucci, Trippie Redd, Yo Gotti, Sa Babi, and Lil Miquela. Jeremy is a design faculty at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard GSD and a Master of Arts from SCI-Arc’s Fiction and Entertainment program.
Alejandra Lemus
...Born and based in Los Angeles, California, to Guatemalan refugee activist parents, Alejandra Lemus is a creative and strategist with over 16 years of experience in community organizing and active involvement in social justice organizations and over 4 years in the creative and entertainment production industry. While working with diverse brands, community organizations, and independent clients, Alejandra seeks to build innovative campaigns and bring cultural experiences to life rooted in both abolitionist practice and community care. With a background in political education based in the Central American solidarity and Black liberation movements, Alejandra started working at the age of 16 as a community organizer throughout LA. In 2018, she acted as Co-Curator of Central American Families: Networks & Resistance, an exhibit and art installation at Cal State LA’s John F. Kennedy Library that engaged archival photographs, political graphics, testimonio, etc. Alejandra joined the team at Crenshaw Diary Mart in 2023 as the Programs Associate and is an avid consumer of how popular culture, aesthetics, abolition and art manifest in the social media/ digital age.
Ashley Blakeney
...Ashley Blakeney (she/her/hers) is a Los-Angeles based arts healing facilitator and cultural leader with more than a decade of experience working in arts organizations and education. As the Executive Director at the Crenshaw Dairy Mart since 2021, Blakeney helps artists and communities of color imagine new systems for a more equitable world. Working at the intersection of abolition and healing, Blakeney’s professional and personal focus centers on cultivating safe spaces for connection and creative expression. Blakeney holds certificates from the UCLArts and Healing Social Emotional Arts (SEA) program and the National Guild Community Arts Education Leadership Institute. She received her BA at the University of Southern California, with a focus on creative writing and photography.
Tim Digulla
...With a background spanning Immersive and Experiential Artistry and Creative Direction, Tim Digulla specializes in crafting engaging multi-sensory experiences. Proficient across 3D/2D animation, cinematography, musical composition, and sound design, he weaves technology, design, and storytelling into innovative projects.Having honed his skills at Obscura as a Senior Art Director, 3D/2D Animator, DP, Music Composer, and Sound Designer, Tim contributed to various large-scale immersive digital art installations worldwide. Known for his collaborative nature, he thrives in cross-functional teamwork and project management, ensuring seamless project delivery from inception to execution.His creative interests span a diverse range of styles, including pop aesthetics, futurism, surrealism, retro-futurism, comedy, parody, and cartoonism. Based in Los Angeles, Tim channels his expertise into pioneering artistic endeavors. Additionally, as a composer in Tipsy, a musical ensemble featured in film and television, he continuously explores new avenues of artistic expression.
Stacey Allan
...Stacey Allan is publications director at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. She is cofounder and former executive editor of East of Borneo, an online magazine and book imprint dedicated to West Coast contemporary art and its history. Her writing has appeared in frieze, Modern Painters, and Afterall Journal, where she was associate editor from 2007 to 2009. From 2013 to 2020, she led Wikipedia write-ins and training workshops as West Coast ambassador for Art+Feminism and founder of Unforgetting LA.
Patrick Aguilar
...Experienced architect with over 9 years of experience, previously at Gensler and currently at RoTo Architects. Alongside his architectural expertise, he is a self-taught creative technologist with a fervent passion for exploring the dynamic relationship between space, interaction, and technology.His journey has been driven by a fascination with the interaction between people and space, leading him to explore how technology can enhance these experiences. He has delved into interactive art installations, immersive environments, and responsive architecture. His work often integrates sensory feedback, real-time data, and user engagement to create immersive experiences that blur the lines between the digital and physical worlds. Through his work, he seeks to redefine how people perceive and interact with their environments, making each space a unique and dynamic experience.
Frances Anderton
...Frances Anderton covers Los Angeles design and architecture in print, broadcast media and public events. She is the author of the book Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles, which won the 2022 Gold award for best Regional Nonfiction from Foreword Reviews. She is co-author of Awesome and Affordable: Great Housing Now, a multimedia project produced in 2024 by Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (FORT: LA). She has co-produced short films for the nonprofit housing developers Community Corporation of Santa Monica and Venice Community Housing. Anderton writes a regular newsletter about design and architecture for KCRW public radio station. For many years she hosted the KCRW show DnA: Design and Architecture, and produced the current affairs shows Which Way, LA? and To The Point. She teaches an urban housing seminar at USC architecture. Honors include the Esther McCoy Award, from the Architectural Guild of USC architecture school, for her work educating the public about architecture and urbanism.