The Prairie View A&M University School of Architecture Race to Zero Design Team won Special Distinction for Design for their “Fly Flat,” a pocket community featuring three living units, a community center, and communal green space. Six winning designs for the Complete the Community: A Housing and Urban Design Competition were announced at Houston’s City Council meeting on August 22. PVAMU was the only university team to win the award among five other architectural firms. City Council Member David Robinson, in partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Houston Chapter, solicited designs for Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s initiative, “Complete Communities,” which consists of Acres Homes, Near Northside, Second Ward, Third Ward, and Gulfton. Juror Thomas Garcia-Prats said, “I was impressed by the Prairie View A&M design that fit a number of small houses on a lot with a shared outdoor area. Not only did it have a unique layout, but it tried to creatively respond to some of the challenges of fostering community and of overcoming the isolation that many of our neighborhoods face, especially those neighborhoods with an aging population.”

PVAMU’s team was made up of faculty leads Shelly Pottorf, April Ward and Shannon Bryant, and student team Reuben Cheeks, Kristin Clark, Aaron Farray, Kennia Lopez, Shannen Martin, Noah Perkins, Shelby Skinner, Cynthia Suarez-Harris, Ledell Thomas, and Kaylah Wesley.

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