GBBN presents Creative Impact Award during inaugural DAAPworks 2026 ceremony

GBBN presents Creative Impact Award during inaugural DAAPworks 2026 ceremony

Industry partner honors standout architecture student work

During DAAPworks 2026, industry partner GBBN presented the Creative Impact Awards as part of the inaugural DAAPworks ceremony at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) under new Dean Stephanie Pilat, recognizing outstanding graduating architecture student work.

Each year, DAAPworks transforms the college into a living exhibition, where studios, hallways and galleries become a large-scale showcase of graduating student work. The weeklong event features four disciplines and hundreds of final projects.

Across the college, students present capstone work that reflects years of research, experimentation and design development. Many projects address social and environmental challenges, demonstrating how architecture, design, art and planning can contribute to meaningful change.

As part of DAAPworks 2026, industry partner GBBN served as a jury for architecture student work and presented the Creative Impact Awards during the inaugural DAAPworks ceremony led by new DAAP Dean Stephanie Pilat.

GBBN announcing Creative Impact awards for the School of Architecture and Interior Design.

GBBN is a multidisciplinary design firm working across arts, health care, mixed-use and higher education projects. They use architecture, interior design, research, fabrication, technology, sustainability and environmental graphic design to deliver solutions that help clients achieve their goals.

GBBN representatives Ivan Cheung, Adam Fosnaugh, Phil Rowland and Sean Cottengim reviewed student projects across studios and selected recipients for the awards.

Creative Impact awardees during the DAAPworks 2026 opening ceremony.

Award recipients included:

• Gabriel Willard, Architecture
• Devanshi Patel, Master of Architecture
• ARCH4002-004 Architecture Studio lead by Assistant Professor Andrew Tetrault

Reflecting on the experience, GBBN jurors described the depth and breadth of student work as a defining strength of the exhibition.

"A lot of interesting projects, well organized, and it was easy to tell that any given student could have shared two to three times more content than space allowed," the jurors said.

They also noted the challenge of selecting recipients given the overall quality of submissions.

"It was a contemplative and enjoyable experience," they said. "Admittedly difficult to choose, but we were glad to be able to name both individual projects and an entire studio. The thought is that it is an important way to recognize the ideas and efforts in different sizes and scales of work."

Jurors identified recurring themes in the student work, particularly adaptive reuse and social responsibility in architecture.

On DAAP's preparation of students for professional practice, GBBN highlighted balance across conceptual development, research and presentation.

"The work this year seemed to express overall balance," they said. "Students were asked to form a question, develop the idea and present it with intention. That balance showed up consistently, which can serve students well as they move forward into their careers."

They also encouraged continued experimentation in design education.

"We also welcome and support student work that takes risks, experiments or uses school as a space to explore unexpected topics," they said.

Student Devanshi Patel's project "Stacked Sheds" reimagines industrial logistics structures.

When selecting recipients, jurors emphasized clarity of intention across three categories: idea, investigation and communication.

"We took the approach of deciding which projects seemed to show the most intention overall in each of the three categories," they said.

For future designers, GBBN offered direct advice.

"Take risks, be the kind of designer you want to be," they said.

Looking ahead, they emphasized the importance of both rigor and empathy in design practice.

"A healthy understanding of expectations and standards, paired with an empathetic approach balanced by clever questioning and experimental thinking," they said.

DAAPworks 2026 ran April 27 through May 2, showcasing final work from graduating students across the Schools of Design, Architecture and Interior Design, Art, and Planning.

From May 26 through July 26, the Reed Gallery at the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning will present the DAAPworks Directors' Choice Showcase 2026, featuring exceptional capstone projects from graduating students across disciplines.

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Photos by Kevin Bolanos Gonzalez

Featured image at top "The Gradient" Work, Life, and Community Environment group project by Miguel Mora and Maddie Gillock, provided by Andrew Tetrault.

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