Five groups of Syracuse University M.Arch second-year ARC 606 students received awards and honorable mentions in the Architecture for Humanity: Charleston HUB Design Competition.

The HUB is the first open design competition held by Architecture for Humanity: Charleston. The goals and objectives of the competition were developed in direct response to dialogue with various Charleston non-profit organizations. Each group was asked to candidly answer the following questions: (1) If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change in Charleston? (2) How is Charleston incomplete? Finish this sentence: I wish Charleston had _________? (3) What is preventing your organization from reaching more people? In overwhelming fashion, the themes of accessibility, connection and better public transportation emerged out of the responses. Other re-occurring responses included the need for more community meeting space and the availability of affordable commercial space.

As a result of the non-profit survey, AFH Charleston developed the competition program, which includes a new light rail system that will provide a connection between Charleston's downtown peninsula and its surrounding communities. This new system would make a huge step towards mending the fractured communities, reducing automobile use and congestion, and furthering the sustainability of this beautiful city. Entrants to the competition were challenged to design the two major components of the new transit system.

The HuB Design Competition aims to:

• Further research into the development of light rail and future sustainable development in Charleston;
• Raise awareness to the needs of our diverse community;
• Serve as a tool for exhibiting the power of design and the innovative thoughts and ideas of the emerging generation of designers.

The M.Arch students and their projects are:

Third prize—“Engage the Alley”

Nicole Blasetti
Irini Zhupa
Thomas Poore
Nathan Aleskovsky

Honorable mention—“Charleston after the cross-town”

Anthony Maiolatesi
Vera Tong
Andrew Acevedo 

Honorable mention—“Recipro[Cities]”

Bryan Sheib
Adrienne Buccella
Lionel Camacho 

Honorable mention—“We Dont Need A Hub, We Need Critical Injections”

Justin Halsey
Korantemaa Larbi
Mario Ochoa Villicana
Jeff Stewart 

The What Were They Thinking? Award—“Xl, Charleston Will Permanently Flood In 2190”

Shaobai Xu
Paul Andrew
Francesca Ling

To view the projects, visit: http://www.afhcharleston-competition.com/

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