Announcing the Recipients of the 2026 Carnegie Mellon Architecture Graduation Awards
Carnegie Mellon Architecture is proud to announce the recipients of our 2026 Carnegie Mellon Architecture Graduation Awards.
The winners were announced during the 2026 Diploma Ceremonies on Friday, May 8, 2026. These annual awards recognize the outstanding achievements of our graduating bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. students.
Awards recognize leadership and service, professional promise, academic excellence, design and representation, and design research. We extend our thanks to the faculty and staff for jurying and supporting the awards program. Please join us in congratulating the recipients on their tremendous accomplishments.
Graduation Awards
Alpha Rho Chi Medal | B.Arch & M.Arch Student Award
This award recognizes either a B.Arch or M.Arch graduate for their leadership and service and what they offer the future of the profession.
Recipient: Hazel Froling, B.Arch '26
AIA Medal for Academic Excellence | B.Arch & M.Arch Student Award
This award recognizes one graduate each from the B.Arch and M.Arch programs who has displayed "general excellence" throughout their academic career.
Recipients: Charles Hymowitz, B.Arch '26 & Tai Le, M.Arch '26
Bachelor of Arts in Architecture Award | B.A. Student Award
This award is presented to a graduating student from the Bachelor of Arts in Architecture (B.A.) program who exemplifies exceptional engagement, volunteerism, leadership, and positive citizenship within the CM–A and broader university community. This student serves as a role model to peers through their generosity, integrity, and commitment to supporting others.
Recipient: Jason Asiedu, B.A. '26
Alumni Design Award | Fifth-Year B.Arch Student Award
This award is granted by the faculty to graduating students in the Bachelor of Architecture program. The award recognizes exceptional design and representation as demonstrated through studio work within the last two years of the program.
Spring 2026 Jury: Jeremy Ficca (Chair), Jared Abraham, Heather Bizon, Gerard Damiani, Laura Garófalo, Jongwan Kwon, Tommy CheeMou Yang
Recipient: Feier (Angela) Yang, B.Arch '26
Jury Comment: Angela employs a robust design process that yields deeply considered outcomes. The jury was struck by the exceptional clarity of her communication, noting a portfolio that is both evocative and engaging. Her projects are developed with a noteworthy level of fidelity, showcasing a versatility across multiple modes of representation. Angela shows immense promise as an architect and future contributor to the field; the jury is delighted to recognize her accomplishments and efforts through this award.
Master's Thesis/Capstone Project Graduation Awards | Master's Student Award
These awards recognize exceptional design research through a thesis or capstone project completed by a graduating student from each master's program.
Reviewers: Track Chairs and associated faculty of each Master's program
Recipient: Nirmal Kumar Kumarasamy, MAAD '26
Thesis: "Circular Wood Futures: Additive Fabrication Logics for Sawdust Composite Building Components"
Jury Comment: Nirmal's thesis emerges from a deeply rigorous process of empirical testing and imaginative reconsideration of kit of parts assemblies. The research effectively utilizes additive manufacturing to demonstrate how material constraints can inform structural form through a disciplined, fabrication-driven approach.
Recipients: Anupooja Manivannan, MSAECM '25 & Gopika Danayakapura Somashekar, MSAECM '25
Synthesis: "Tracing Disinvestment with GIS: Patterns of Property Condemnation and Redevelopment Barriers in Pittsburgh"
Jury Comment: Throughout the entire semester, Anu and Gopika continuously expanded their analysis to address a wide array of issues raised by others in the cohort. Their rigorous investigation revealed that concentrations of condemned properties strongly overlap with historically redlined neighborhoods, highlighting the need for coordinated, data-driven public interventions that address both structural and systemic drivers of decline.
Recipient: Meltem Sahin Ozkoc, MSBPD '26
Thesis: "From Pixels to People: Multimodal Building-Stock Characterization for Data-Driven Retrofit Targeting — A Case Study in Pittsburgh's Larimer Neighborhood"
Jury Comment: Meltem has created an unprecedented existing data aggregation tool with sophisticated electric energy use analysis to target energy retrofits for improving the quality of life in underserved neighborhoods. The sheer richness of the data input and elegance of the user interface completely overwhelmed the faculty.
Recipient: Leslie Liu, MSCD '26
Thesis: "Groveling Alone Together: Readings of CAPTCHA Across Scales"
Jury Comment: Leslie's thesis explores the CAPTCHA — the mundane bot-filtering technology regulating access to contemporary internet platforms — revealing it as an unsettling socio-technical artifact where the boundaries of human and machine are negotiated. The thesis achieves this through incisive critical scrutiny, technically sophisticated design probes, and conceptually innovative analyses.
Recipient: Migel Shehu, MSRSD '26
Thesis: "From Matter to Motion: Hygromorphic Biocomposite Shading System for Passive Light and Climate Regulation"
Jury Comment: Migel's research is both rigorous and creative, focusing on the design of regenerative materials through the adaptation of locally sourced agro-waste-based biocomposites in Albania for passive responsive systems. The work is thoroughly developed, progressing from simulation of impact through physical experimentation and material testing.
Recipient: Cyphanah Arshad Khan, MUD '26
Thesis: "Walls of Stigma: Commoning Infrastructures of Erasure in France Colony, Islamabad"
Jury Comment: Cyphanah's urban design thesis develops a sensitive and theoretically sophisticated framework for transforming Islamabad's informal France Colony while empowering residents to negotiate their own futures. The project combines careful urban analysis, compelling visualization and narration, and an innovative use of emerging technologies.
ARCC King Student Medal Program for Excellence in Architectural + Environmental Research | Ph.D. Student Award
This award is given by the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) to recognize a graduating Ph.D. student for innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research.
Recipient: Suzy (Zekun) Li, PhD-BPD '25
Dissertation: "Evaluating Smart Neighborhood Surfaces: Environmental, Social, and Infrastructural Implications for Sustainable Urban Futures"
Jury Comment: Suzy is an outstanding candidate for this award for her emphasis on innovation, integrity, and scholarship that advances knowledge of the built environment.