University of Virginia student wins 2nd annual BLT Architects’ student design sketch competition

November 2, 2012 (Philadelphia, PA) – BLT Architects (BLTa), a Philadelphia-based architectural and interior design firm, announced today that Victor Hugo De Souza Azevedo from the University of Virginia is the winner of the 2012 Student Design Sketch Competition. The runner-up is Henry Glennon from Carnegie Mellon University and in 3rd place is Dan Brown from Drexel University. The competition was open to all college students in the mid-Atlantic region and entries were received from the winners’ universities as well as Philadelphia University, Virginia Tech, and others.  For his efforts, Mr. Hugo was offered a paid summer 2013 internship at BLTa, which he accepted.

“We were incredibly impressed by the talent, strategic thought, planning, and social consciousness that underpinned the entries we received this year,” said Michael Ytterberg, Ph.D., principal at BLTa. “Picking one winning design from the submissions we received was a challenging affair that spurred spirited conversation among our team here in the office. We were unified in our point-of-view that the quality of work that was exemplified by all the students is a testament to not only their skills and work ethic, but also of the quality of today’s architecture schools. On behalf of everyone at BLT Architects, I want to thank this year’s participants and be the first to extend my congratulations to Victor on winning the design competition. We all look forward to both mentoring and learning from you this coming summer.”

Students were challenged to create a conceptual design of a mixed-use development that included a public space at the corner of Lehigh Avenue and North Broad Street that jumpstarted the revitalization of the area and was oriented to the major public transportation hubs within a several block radius.

In describing his design, which is available at www.BLTa.com<http://www.BLTa.com>, Victor wrote, “The idea behind the stepping tower is to bridge and connect the multiple forces that come together at the intersection of Broad and Lehigh Streets.  It elevates to the sky the existing residential area on the west end of the site while creating an urban edge that speaks to the two high-rise buildings to the Northeast.”

“Participating in the BLTa 2012 student sketch competition was very challenging and exciting,” commented Victor. “It was a way to prove myself as a designer and it is quite satisfying to know that all the hard work paid off. I am thrilled with the possibility to join BLTa for an internship in the summer.”