Overview
Theme
Repair definition (verb): to restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken; to restore to a sound or healthy state; to make good or set right.
Two-person teams, each comprised of a student and architect mentor, will design small-scale Places for Repair. Taking a cue from Mark Gardener’s 2026 AIANY Chapter Presidential Theme, students will create spaces which heal, fix, assist something they identify as ‘broken’ in this city. Funds donated by contest sponsors and supporters will benefit the Repair Café El Barrio in East Harlem.
Schedule
July 1, 2026, 6:00PM EDT
Deadline for Student Applications
July 17, 2026
Selected Participants Notified
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 5:00PM EDT, Zoom
Contest Kick-Off Call
July 31 – August 21, 2026, 6:00PM EDT, remote
Design, Model and Video Making
September 2, 2026, 6:00-8:00PM EDT, in person
Practice Run “Dress Rehearsal”
September 9, 5:30PM, AIANY Center for Architecture
Live Contest Event
Award Categories
Two winners will be selected:
- Audience favorite
- Judges’ favorite
Contest Details
Each student designer will:
- Be paired with a professional mentor, either a licensed architect or interior designer in NYC
- Communicate regularly with their mentor, who will serve as a design advisor and collaborator in the creation of a novel place of learning
- Build a physical model of the room at 1″=1′-0″ scale.
- Develop the room’s design concept. Studies and trials are encouraged! This should be a messy, hands-on process, not a computer drawing or digital model
- Students will submit:
- Two 11×17 pdf slides of their designs
- A one-minute video, either a time-lapse of the model creation or a fly-through of the final product, which can include music and/or voiceover
- Present their room to three judges which will take place at the live Contest Event on 09/09/26 at the AIANY Center for Architecture. During the event, mentors may provide comments, but students will serve as the main presenters.
- Participants: We seek (8) eight student designers who will be enrolled in Architecture or Interior Design programs in New York City during Fall 2026. Past participating schools: Columbia University GSAPP, The Cooper Union, New School/Parsons, New York School of Interior Design, NJIT, Pratt Institute, NYIT, Syracuse University’s Fisher Center and CCNY’s Spitzer School of Architecture. Past mentors have included firm leaders at Ennead, FX Collaborative, Gensler, SOM, Rogers Partners, Studio397, Rice+Lipka, COOKFOX, Bernheimer Architecture and more.
- Model-Making: Each student will build a physical model of their room, at 1”=1’-0” scale. The imagined room will be a max. size of 8’ x 8’ x 8’ (max. model size of 8” x 8” x 8”). Hand sketching, 3D studies and failed attempts are encouraged! Document your process and concept development. Students will build their models at home and upload their designs via (3) 11×17 pdf images and a 1-minute video set to music.
- The Big Event: Presentations of the Rooms to (3) three contest judges will take place at the in-person Contest Event on Wednesday, 09/09/26 at the AIANY Center for Architecture. Voting will be live and 2 winners will be selected – Audience Favorite and Judge Favorite. Winning designs will be featured on the Center’s website and social media!
Deadline
Due date: July 01, 2026