The American Institute of Architects, Design for Aging (DFA) Knowledge Community and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Design for Aging Competition.
An Intergenerational Union: A Campus-Integrated Hub for Lifelong Learning and Active Aging Competition challenged students to design university-affiliated residences that foster community between seniors and young adults. The competition recognizes seven winning projects that integrate wellness, biophilic designs, and sustainable strategies to cultivate intergenerational connection, inclusion, and wellbeing. The jurors chose first, second, and third-place winners, along with four honorable mentions.
Listed below are the winners for the 2026 Design for Aging Competition:
First Place: Common Ground: An Intergenerational Living Campus for Lifelong Learning and Active Aging
Students: Eden Worku, Rachel Mensah, Irvin Bonsu, Darren Marshalleck & Oluwadara Opadeji
Faculty: Carlos Reimers
Collaborator: Adesola Adenekan
Morgan State University
Second Place: A City Within A City
Students: Jacob Varnell, Hannah Graham, Monica Rubio & Nick Dague
Faculty: Seung Ra & Blake Mitchell
Oklahoma State University
Third Place: Bridging Care: An Intergenerational Community for Aging Through Courtyards and Connection
Students: Preston Haines, Mardia Rahman & Sudha Sapkota
Faculty: Lingyi Qiu
Texas Tech University
Honorable Mention: Charleston Crossover
Students: Julie Patterson, Kyle Marra-Ulfe, Penny Millward, MaKayla Koon & Kylee Arvidson
Faculty: Dina Battisto, David Pastre & Ashita Arora
Clemson University
Honorable Mention: Barrwang Place: Cultivating Scales of Community
Students: Anastasia Mitropoulos, Emma Ru He Dehghani & Elliot Samuel
Faculty: Rebecca Roke
Monash University
Honorable Mention: Reaching Out to Community: Hilltop Commons
Students: Cora Grayson, Fernando Parada, Makayla Colon, Sarah Goodwin & Marian Reed
Faculty: Carlos Reimers
Collaborator: Cameron Pope
Morgan State University
Honorable Mention: Living in Between
Student: Kelvin Chen Zheng
Faculty: Odile Compagnon & Stephanie Surjan
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
The competition juries included:
Keith Diaz Moore, University of Utah
JinHwa (Gina) Paradowicz, Perkins Eastman
Ashley Tannebaum, Boston Architectural College
Roderic Walton, Moody Nolan
View the winners of the 2026 Design for Aging Competition.
