Drawing Awards

This biennial award recognizes excellence in architectural drawing. This award will reopen in 2025.

2023 Excellence Awardees

This image depicts a proposed hockey arena and athletics expansion for an independent school, beautifully located in the Hudson Valley. The design makes reference to the many barn structures that exist on campus, but also introduces modern elements at the entries that would serve as inviting lanterns during the evening hours. Using SketchUp as a design tool and to establish a view, the image was then brought into Procreate on the iPad for many layers of digital pencil and paint.

“The dramatic lighting achieved with the multiple techniques used to create this image is very impactful. While the rendering manages to quietly highlight the proposed building, the thoughtful attention given to several special details in the foreground clearly show how the building is connected to the campus in ways beyond the built environment.”

This image of Leon Cathedral in Spain is a mixed media exercise in colored pencil, pen, and watercolor. A cathedral and its plaza are reflection of community and suggests a sense of permanence and stability. This edifice is massive yet delicate with its tracery and spires as though it is reaching for the heavens. The chosen mediums capture the spirit of the cathedral as it relates to the community. With the use of colored pencil, pen, and even some water color, the cathedral’s solidity and fine details are captured. The dynamic environment of ever changing weather, light, and reflections are depicted with a combination of fine pencil strokes and broader brush strokes.

“Well executed exploration of media and technique that effectively and consistently conveys both the texture of the materials as well as the atmosphere suggested. The enormity of the structure’s mass and height is conveyed well by the choice of vantage point.”

The image is a fictitious look at a farmer’s life, who has always loved his Victorian house and surrounding fields. Over the year’s however, he’s had to be stubborn in not selling his property, and resist the invasion of a city growing around him.

“This image evokes the imagination with its uniquely original theme. The contrast between the pastoral subject and the enveloping urban context offers a memorable moment. Indeed, the scene is enticing, inviting the viewer to explore its subtle elements.”

2023 Merit Awardees

An un-built proposal for a new Technical High School on the Goodwin University Campus. The transparent, Multi-Story lab rooms were designed to inspire the students and passerby alike. A traditional-esque colonnade defines the pedestrian paths and entry points, while the contemporary glazing and sun-shading provide a view out into the world. The image is a representation of the design process, where elements become more clear, focused, and vibrant, as the vision develops. The image is also contrived to evoke the dichotomy of Architectural representation, the hard digital linework of the computer age morphing with the essence of a physical model to the softer look of pencil, marker, and watercolor. Where does the Architectural aesthetic go from here? The ‘New Tools’ of the digital age have provided us with the ability to create a ‘realistic photograph’ of creative work not yet realized, yet we are still drawn to the softer vision.

“Amazing use of digital tools and progression, along with pleasing tones and design.”

The drawing illustrates the primary floor plan and elevations of “Pointer Perch”, a recently completed tower house on Fishers Island, NY. The design features a classically composed cross-axial plan, a symmetrical south façade and dynamic east and west elevations with plunging rooflines. The composition of the drawing accentuates the contrast between these composed and dynamic forms. The drawing medium is hand-drafted and free-hand ink and pencil on tracing paper.

“Meticulous as well as reflecting a distinctive design and excellent composition.”

A whimsical treehouse study exploring the notion of a hollowed out tree in the forest with multiple-level living quarters, wood burning fireplaces, and a smoke house in the upper stories.

-Ink and pencil on sketchbook paper

“Very imaginative and a treat to explore! The variety of ink techniques and the appropriate splash of color give this scene depth and life.”