COD Architecture Student Wins First Prize in Design Competition

College of DuPage Architecture student Matthew Ziemer recently earned the top prize at the second annual Coalition of Community College Architectures Programs student design competition.

Fellow COD student Douglas Lemley received Honorable Mention in the competition. Winners were announced at the CCCAP's annual conference held last month in Philadelphia.

Ziemer's design (pictured) incorporates a series of levels to coexist with a series of plateaus found at Blackwell Forest Preserve in Wheaton. In keeping with the natural theme, Zeimer's material choices, sun shades and solar panels reduce the chapel's carbon footprint.

More than 100 students from 13 community colleges in 10 states participated in the competition, which is open to first- and second-year architecture students. Students were challenged to design an Interfaith Chapel of Peace for non-denominational worship and meditation on a natural environment of their choosing. The designers were tasked to create a sense of spirituality, peace and contemplation through light, scale, form and nature. They were also required to use sustainable and recycled materials and alternative energy sources.

COD Architecture and Construction Management Coordinator and Architecture Professor Jane Ostergaard coordinated the competition.

For more information on the competition, contact David Freeman at freeman@sunydutchess.edu.

Click here for more information on the COD Architecture and Construction Management program.