It was announced on Earth Day (April 22) that the Prairie View A&M University School of Architecture Race to Zero team won the prestigious American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten for Students Competition for their project, The Fly Flat.

The 2018-2019 COTE Top Ten for Students Competition Innovation 2030 recognized ten design proposals that best-combined design excellence and environmental performance. PVAMU’s student team included Kennia Lopez, Cynthia Suarez-Harris, and Ledell Thomas, working with Faculty Lead and Assistant Professor Shelly Pottorf. Additional team members for previous project development included students Kristen Clark, Aaron Farray, Shannen Martin, Noah Perkins, Shelby Skinner, Kaylah Wesley as well as Shannon Bryant, woodshop supervisor and design-build specialist and April Ward, assistant professor.

The Fly Flat is a net zero infill housing vision that aims to achieve economic, social, and environmental resilience in Houston’s low-income and minority neighborhoods. This project previously garnered international, state, and local recognition by winning the Grand Award in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Race to Zero Competition, the Texas Society of Architects Studio Design Award, and the AIA Houston/City of Houston Complete the Community Housing Award. In addition, the project was presented by the student team and their faculty lead at the North American Passive House Conference, the ASHRAE Annual Conference, the International Forum on Urbanism, and the Living Future unConference.