The College of Environment and Design is proud to announce that seven landscape architecture students have received awards in the American Society of Architectural Illustrator’s (ASAI) Architecture in Perspective Competition.
The competition, now in its 40th year, is an annual juried competition that recognizes the world’s best architectural illustrations. The competition is open to both professionals and students. This year, BLA student Danielle Hackett took home a Student Observational Jurors Award, and seven students received Student Awards of Distinction. In last year’s competition, seven students received awards. The award-winning work included personal projects and coursework from Professor Jessica Fernandez’s Advanced Visualization course and Lecturer Ryan Wright’s Landscape Digital Modeling and Documentation course.
Congratulations to the awardees:
Student Observational Jurors Award: Danielle Hackett (BLA)
Student Awards of Distinction: Aaron So (BLA), Boluwatife Alabi (MLA), Charlotte Gidley (MLA), Chase Rule (BLA), Danielle Hackett (BLA), Kate Kelly (BLA), Razeen Kanjiani (BLA)
Read below to get a closer look at the award-winning entries. See all the awards, including CED Lecturer Cameron Berglund’s professional award, at https://asai.org/architecture-in-perspective-40/.
Student Observational Jurors Award
“Reprise” | Danielle Hackett (BLA)
“I won the Student Observational Jurors Award with my observational charcoal drawing “Reprise”, which was an abstracted compilation of architectural sketches from my time studying abroad in Cortona, Italy. I made the work to create a visualization of memory, and to navigate my feelings about my limited time in such a beautiful place. I took initial sketches of several areas in Cortona and from day trips in other areas of Italy prior, translated them onto trace paper, and arranged them into a few compelling compositions. I translated those compositions into a layered, blended charcoal drawing to portray how individual memories of a place blur together after spending enough time in it. I created it as part of a series for a drawing class under Erin McIntosh with influences from my landscape architecture classes under Dr. Jessica Fernandez on the same trip.”
Student Awards of Distinction
“Senate Precinct, Level 5,201” | Aaron So (BLA) | Personal Project
“The piece is a Star Wars-inspired rendering illustrating an ecumenopolis — a city that spans an entire planet. It was a personal project, though I built on techniques I learned in Adolfo Martinez’s LAND 4350 (Advanced VIsualization) and Ryan Wright’s LAND 4253 (Digital Modeling and Documentation).”
Software used: SketchUp, Lumion, Photoshop, and Adobe Firefly
Boluwatife Alabi (MLA) | Land 6254 Advanced Visualization, Dr. Jessica Fernandez
“The design emphasizes the relationship between architecture and landscape in a tropical climate. The lush planting palette, swimming pool, and open outdoor spaces were carefully composed to promote passive cooling, comfort, and a strong connection to nature. Situated at the intersection of two roads, the building and its surrounding landscape were designed to establish an inviting visual presence, creating a welcoming gateway and enhancing the site’s overall aesthetic character.
My creative process was inspired by the idea of blending architecture seamlessly with the tropical environment. I focused on balancing realism with atmosphere, using vegetation, material selection, and post-processing techniques to communicate both the environmental qualities and the experiential character of the space.”
Software used: SketchUp, Lumion, Photoshop
Charlotte Gidley (MLA) | Land 6254 Advanced Visualization, Dr. Jessica Fernandez
Software used: Lumion, Photoshop
“The Shell” | Chase Rule (BLA) | LAND 4253: Landscape Digital Modeling and Documentation, Lecturer Ryan Wright
“Located on Pickering Point in Salem, Massachusetts, Forest River Park occupies a critical and underutilized stretch of Salem’s coastline. The Shell reimagines Forest River Park as a restored salt marsh ecosystem. A boardwalk arcs above the shore, allowing visitors to experience the ecological transition from land to sea without disrupting the sensitive marsh ecosystem. Unlike the armored concrete bulkheads prominent across the northeast, intermittent support pilings act as a medium for oyster colonies to disperse wave energy and filter sea water. The Shell reduces the rapid erosion caused by heavy weather events while facilitating sediment deposition, a compromise that preserves the salt marsh ecosystem as sea levels rise.”
Software used: AutoCAD, Rhine 3D, Lumion, Photoshop
Danielle Hackett (BLA) | Land 4254 Advanced Visualization, Dr. Jessica Fernandez
“I won [the Student Award of Distinction] with a work I made in Dr. Fernandez’s Advanced Visualization class, using a mix of several digital programs and techniques. I was given the prompt to create a digital rendering with the theme of “Desert Dune Dwelling”, and I tried to create a painted illustrative look, using influences and digitally recreated elements from paintings I had seen at the Booth Museum in Cartersville, GA.”
Kate Kelly (BLA) |Land 4254 Advanced Visualization, Dr. Jessica Fernandez
“This rendering explores how seasonal color and atmosphere can shape the experience of a public landscape. Inspired by the class prompt “Vibrant Fall,” I wanted to create a space that celebrates the changing season and captures the feeling of walking through an orchard at the height of autumn. I focused on creating a warm, inviting atmosphere and used layers of flowing leaves to bring movement and energy to the scene.
Software used: SketchUp, Twinmotion, Adobe Photoshop
“Ontario Horizon Park” | Razeen Kanjiani (BLA) | LAND 4253: Landscape Digital Modeling and Documentation, Lecturer Ryan Wright
“Ontario Horizon Park is a public park proposed on the campus of the State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego) along the lakeshores of Lake Ontario. This park reimagines an existing underutilized parking lot as a vibrant destination, providing a third space for students, faculty, and visitors to relax, socialize, and engage with the campus community. The park also aims to stabilize the shoreline of Lake Ontario, which helps to reduce erosion, improve ecological resilience, and provide a habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.
Defined by its curvilinear forms, Ontario Horizon Park offers an accessible lakeside walking trail that meanders through landscapes inspired by the region’s native ecosystems. Natural features such as boulders, logs, and other site elements remind visitors of their place within the vast northeastern geological tapestry. Interwoven with this historical side, are contemporary amenities, including organically shaped benches, sculptural trellises, and communal gathering spaces. Altogether, these elements create a park that is a reflection of the region’s natural heritage and a herald for what’s come in its future.”
Software used: Autodesk Recap Pro, Autodesk Civil 3D, AutoCAD, Rhino 3D, Lumion
