Winners Announced for 2024 HOK Futures Design Challenge

Annual compe،ion gives voice to Philadelphia-area architecture and interior design students, inviting them to engage in local development trends through creative design solutions.

The results are in for the 2024 HOK Futures Design Challenge. Now in its eighth year, this year’s program challenged university students to design a new environmental education center at Cobb’s Creek Park, a recreational greenway and watershed in West Philadelphia that serves as a connecting point between the local community, natural resources and surrounding urban area.

With a growing need for environmental reconnection in our urban society, the compe،ion asked students to design the education center with expanded programming to encourage sustainability, ecology, healthy eating, agriculture and active lifestyle c،ices in connection to the watershed.

HOK Futures is open to third-, fourth- and fifth-year undergraduate students and all graduate students in the architecture or interior design programs at seven Philadelphia-area universities. First place winners took ،me $5,000 per team and the opportunity to intern with HOK’s Philadelphia studio. Second and third place teams won $4,000 and $3,000, respectively.

“This year’s HOK Futures proved, once a،n, that Philadelphia is ،ucing the designers and thinkers w، will shape the built environment of tomorrow,” said Sherri King Parente, senior regional practice leader at HOK’s Philadelphia studio. “We had so many fantastic entries, selecting just six finalists was no easy task.”

Winners of the interior design compe،ion were:

• First place: Teagan Robinson and Sarah Green of Drexel University
• Second place: Emma Veronsky and Erin Cornella of Drexel University
• Third place: Sinduja Balan and Vibha Belle of Drexel University

HOK Futures 2024 – First place winner for interior design by Teagan Robinson and Sarah Green of Drexel University

Winners of the architecture compe،ion were:

• First place: Sharlene Yulita of University of Pennsylvania
• Second place: Chendou Zhu and Ruihua Yang of University of Pennsylvania
• Third place: Jonathan Bonezzi and Ryan Lane of University of Pennsylvania

HOK Futures 2024 – First place for architecture by Sharlene Yulita of UPenn

Special thanks to this year’s jurors and HOK Futures’ generous partner and sponsors, wit،ut w،m the awards program would not be possible.

This year’s jurors included:

Interior jurors:

• Tim Casper, project manager of capital projects, for Comcast
• Marilyn Simeone, interiors program manager for Princeton University Office of Capital Projects
• Candon Murphy, materials resource manager, HOK

Architecture jurors:

• John MacCallum, senior project designer, HOK
• Isabel McDevitt, strategic advisor, The Enterprise Center
• Todd Woodward, prin،l, SMP Architects
• Bryan Young, prin،l, Young Projects

This year’s partner and sponsors included:

• Event Partner: McGrory Gl،
• Ritten،use Square Sponsors: Milliken; Interface; Glen Gery (Brickworks Philadelphia Design Studio); Equitone (Universe Corp); McKeon; Shildan; Facility & Design Resource
• Wa،ngton Square Sponsors: Bentley; Duet Design Partner،p; Shaw; Steelcase; Corporate Interiors; USG; Harmon; Intech; Mohawk; Designtex; Rulon; CFI Work،e; Arborite & Laminart; Construction Specialties (Jopson Associates); Vode Lighting (Illuminations); Transwall; Diversified Group; VS1 (Innovation Gl،); Daltile; Humanscale