(Chicago, IL—June 13, 2014) The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) announced High Tech’s Hamza Qureshi, a resident of Jersey City, the winner of the second prize in its DiscoverDesign.org National High School Architecture Competition, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.
Qureshi, sponsored by his teacher, Gregory Simon, joined 219 teens from 28 high schools in 12 states who submitted design projects to redesign their school athletic pavilion to promote healthy lifestyles. A jury team of 35 architects, engineers, and designers from across the country, including the Director of Design at HOK, Vice President at Thornton Tomasetti, an architect with Incite Design Studio, and the founder of Black Spectacles, judged the final 10 projects, one of which had been drafted by Qureshi.
As the second prize winner, Qureshi receives a $250 CAF Shop gift certificate, a year-long membership for design software tutorials from BlackSpectacles.com (valued at $280), and a copy of CAF's text, The Architecture Handbook.
A nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public interest and education in architecture, CAF launched DiscoverDesign.org, a web-based tool that provides high school students with a chance to solve real-world design problems, in January 2012. Through project-based learning and social networking, students connect with professional architects and engineers, allowing for professional feedback during each step of their design process.