MICROHOME Kingspan edition 2024/25 3rd Prize winners - Jeremy Minh An Nguyên, Cecilia Loretta Egidi, Ricardo Solar Lezama and Jonathan Cole Mcdonell

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 3rd Prize winner of our "MICROHOME Kingspan edition 2024/25" competition – Jeremy Minh An Nguyên, Cecilia Loretta Egidi, Ricardo Solar Lezama and Jonathan Cole Mcdonell from United States!

Jonathan Cole Mcdonell, Jeremy Minh An Nguyên, Cecilia Loretta Egidi and  Ricardo Solar Lezama 

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

Ricardo Solar: I am a licensed architect based in San Francisco and currently a Senior Designer at Gensler. I hold a Master of Architecture from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, where I have also taught in both Architecture and Urban Design. I love working on side projects and competitions with fellow architect friends through RS/A (www.ricardo-solar.com ), a design, collaboration, research, and experimentation practice I founded during the COVID lockdown.

Jeremy Minh An Nguyen: I was an undergraduate at California Polytechnic University of San Luis Obispo where I studied my B. ARCH with a minor in Sustainable Environments, working on my thesis with a non-profit NGO to design a school in a rural village in Brazil using permaculture and vernacular building techniques. Then to master my digital and computational skills, I attended University of California at Los Angeles in the SUPRASTUDIO Master of Architecture II program, focusing my time on integrating virtual and mixed media into my design and communication process. Upon graduation I’ve worked at Gensler on commercial projects, time at Google R + D for the Built Environment, and a small residential firm. I currently work on personal projects for friends and family, applying my knowledge of permitting and design. In my free time I enjoy doing outdoor activities and sports to keep my body in shape, and competitions and board games to keep my mind sharp.

Cecilia Loretta Egidi: Cecilia Loretta Egidi joined Huang Iboshi Architecture in 2025 after teaching at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design and San José SU’s Department of Interior Design. She holds a Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley (2024) and a B.S. in Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy (2021). Her education bridges rigorous technical training with a refined understanding of spatial organization and the expressive potential of form. Cecilia’s passion for architecture stems from a lifelong interest in science and geometry, as well as her background in dance—two disciplines that cultivate a deep awareness of space. One gives her the tools to envision it; the other, the intuition to move through it.

Born in Hong Kong and raised in the northern Alps of Italy, on the border with Austria and Switzerland, in an Italian and Hong Kongese family, Cecilia brings a multicultural perspective to her work, advocating for inclusivity and storytelling in design. Her approach is holistic, addressing technical, psychological, and environmental dimensions of architecture - every design choice has a ripple effect. She is fluent in English, Italian, and Cantonese, and can still recall her German. In her free time, Cecilia teaches street dance, creates videos, judges and competes in dance battles, and performs on stages across the world. She loves to travel and explore new cities, visit her family around the world, and—most of all—sip coconut water on the beach.

Jonathan “Cole” McDonell: From a young age, Cole has been drawn to creativity and curiosity, and he's thankful that architecture allows him to fuel that passion. He has ‘found a home’ in Residential architecture, where he feels honored to help clients realize their dreams by drawing their daily routines to the forefront. Cole finds his niche with a bi-coastal lifestyle, balancing the familial ties of Virginia with the alluring nature of California. He received his Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech. He is a licensed Architect and a member of the AIA.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been Involved?

Ricardo Solar: Because RS/A (www.ricardo-solar.com ) does not produce work for profit at the moment, this has allowed my practice to focus purely on projects that interest me for their social, architectural, or experimental value. I am particularly interested in issues of housing, adaptability, and resilience. I have participated in multiple Buildner competitions in the past, as well as competitions through LAGI (Land Art Generator Initiative) and the AIA San Francisco chapter.

Jeremy Nguyen: Worked in commercial and a small-stint in residential, with some projects for friends and family dealing with permitting, ADU design, interior visualizations, and structural retrofits.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

Architecture is the synthesis of art, science, technology, and construction to produce solutions that benefit and accommodate the lives of humans; serving as a cultural link to society. On a more personal note, architecture was a means for me to combine functionality and aesthetics and the skills and knowledge I gained through my architectural journey as my way of contributing to those around me. An architect serves the people and the betterment of their lives, operating as master of the built environment. It involves accounting for differences in cultures and obligates being intentional and also conscious of the environment.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Jeremy: It provides me an opportunity to test my idea concepting generation and storytelling with other global thinkers. It also gave me a chance to work with some of my favorite coworkers who I admire for their awesomeness as human beings and talent as designers. I also get to let my creativity and application of knowledge and current technology to see how I can create innovative solutions with others. I enjoy the design process and charretting with others to further our ideas and manifest the ideas into colorful / thoughtful drawings. In this way I can also hone my graphic representation and communication abilities!

Ricardo: For me, competitions are a way of connecting with old colleagues and friends. Competitions provide a creative outlet to experiment and explore new typologies that I might not have a chance to work on in my professional practice at Gensler.

Cole: Architecture competitions are an opportunity to design outside of normal constraints, whether it's a change in scale, typology, budget, or location. They help keep architecture fresh and interesting. And they are a way to expand your design circle in a more social way.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Ricardo: Personally, my only struggle is in organizing my time in a way that allows me to participate in all the competitions that I would like to do. Jeremy: I’d remind them that architecture competition winners aren’t decided by the quality or experience level of the team - rather a pure concept and a well told story can go a long way.