Congratulations to Katherine Tello on winning the Grand Prize in the Destination Colombia Design Competition!

Destination Colombia was hosted by AIAVT’s Emerging Professionals Network (EPN) in partnership with Windows & Doors by Brownell and Marvin. The competition brief was to design an early childhood center on an urban site in Bogota Columbia.

Katherine’s entry, titled Designing the Threshold, explores how a building can nurture early childhood education while remaining connected to the community that surrounds it.  The two-story building features an open-air courtyard for curiosity and play, and perforated brick walls that filter daylight into playful patterns of light and shadow.  A desire path is a defining element, carved diagonally across the site by years of pedestrian movement. The natural rhythms of the neighborhood thus shape the experience of arrival, creating a threshold between public life and childhood learning.

The jury was impressed with Katherine’s response to the competition prompt and how the submission showed a thorough execution of the design concept.

As the winner of the competition, Katherine was awarded a ticket to travel with AIAVT on a 10-day Colombian architectural tour next year.  The group will visit unique architectural sites in the cities of Bogotá and Medellín, meet renowned Colombian architects, and connect with fellow AIA members.  It will be a wonderful opportunity to experience an immersive architectural tour in a vibrant and dynamic country.

Congratulations Katherine, well deserved!