Architecture Competition Sansusī Forest Food Court Honorable mention winners – Jordan Scheuermann, Austin Lightle and Abdullah Tahseen

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winners for our "Sansusī Forest Food Court" competition – Jordan Scheuermann, Austin Lightle and Abdullah Tahseen from United States!

Honorable mention winners from United States

Jordan Scheuermann is currently a designer at Steinberg Hart in Los Angeles. He is interested in reimagining sustainable solutions throughout the design process. Previously, he was an Assistant Teacher at SCI-Arc. He is a graduate with Honors from The Ohio State University with degrees in architecture and geochemistry. He completed his masters degree from SCI-Arc with Distinction.

Austin Lightle graduated with a master’s degree from the SCI-Arc with merit where his thesis won the Merit Award and Peer Prize. Upon graduating, he was awarded the AIA Award for Academic Excellence. Austin is currently a designer at HansonLA Architecture. Outside of the firm, Austin works on individual projects where he focuses on the intersection of architecture's digital and physical environments. He has had work exhibited at A+D Gallery, Chase Public, and the SCI-Arc Gallery. He has done professional animation work for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Concrete Flowers, among others. Austin is currently design faculty at SCI-Arc.

Abdullah Tahseen is an architect, academic and an internationally award-winning designer currently at Steinberg Hart. Abdullah aspires to rethink and reimagine contemporary forms of architecture and the future of cities through strategy, innovation, research and technology, and by combining contemporary formalism with experiential space making, in what he defines in his research as Post-Phenomenological Approach. He graduated with a master’s degree from SCI-Arc with Distinction.

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?

Jordan has previously worked at a non-profit focused on re-thinking the design process to collaborate with and advance design within underserved communities often marginalized by the design process and built-environment. He currently applies the same principles of equity and inclusiveness through architecture on higher education projects.

Austin has previously worked at Pelli Clarke & Partners Architects on numerous projects ranging from residential, cultural, and corporate headquarters, and skyscrapers. He currently works on mixed-use and single-family projects.

Abdullah has previously worked with ArmorphouStudio, a visionary design practice based in the Middle East. He was also a community leader and design advocate, especially through his role as President of AIAS AUD Chapter .He currently works on high-end mixed-use and residential projects in the US.

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

We see architecture as the art and practice of making space and form. A way of thinking that pertains to the interaction between both physical and digital environments. Architecture currently resides at an intersection of equity, inclusion, and environmental injustice. While the act of building may not directly solve these issues, the way of architectural thinking can address them and actively engage in the conversation.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions? 

We participate in competitions because it allows us to expand upon our own interests into new typologies. It gives us the ability to express our own individuality in a project that could otherwise be suppressed by hierarchical structures in a professional practice. Competitions allow us to actively engage in the conversation the future of architecture holds in relation to the current social and environmental injustice.

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

We would strongly encourage others to participate in competitions because it develops your ability to work through a vision to attack real issues. Along the process of the competition, you gain experience in what it is like to lead a project, collaborate with others, and address relevant architectural problems.