Kennesaw State Architecture Student Wins Prestigious Portman Prize For Outstanding Thesis

Press release from Kennesaw State University:

May 17, 2021

Kennesaw State architecture student wins prestigious Portman Prize for outstanding thesis

Azha Parker

KENNESAW, Ga.
(May 17, 2021) — Kennesaw State University’s Department of Architecture has named Azha Parker as the recipient of the 2021 Portman Prize for Outstanding
Thesis, awarded to students who best exemplify comprehensive research and design excellence
as determined by a panel of experts.

Parker was chosen among 36 fifth-year architecture students for the award, earning
a $2,000 prize and a summer internship with award sponsor Portman Architects. Kennesaw
State joins the Georgia Institute of Technology and Harvard University as the only
institutions to award the Portman Prize.

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work over these past five years, and winning this prize
has definitely validated that I can design and implement these architectural ideas,”
Parker said. “It motivated me to try to achieve more in architecture after graduation.
I hope to use my skills to effect lasting change in the African-American community."

Parker worked alongside Pegah Zamani, associate professor of architecture, on her
thesis, “Black Holistic: A Response to Respiratory Health and Equity through K-12
Environments and Community-based Design,” which examined asthma cases in an elementary
school in Portsmouth, Va., and how the built environments of African-Americans and
other minorities affects their overall health."Azha and I have focused on the critical intersection of K-12 education, health and
equity in the built environment to rigorously decode our research inquiry into a design
solution by analyzing the overlapping multiple layers from a human scale to a sustainable
and equitable community at large," Zamani said.

The competition marks the culmination of a three-semester project that begins as a
thesis prep course, where students work with faculty to choose an architectural topic
to explore, and continues with a research course where students continue to investigate
their topic and begin to work with their advisors. Fifth-year architecture students
participate in a studio during their final semester, where they combine their research
and architectural skills to present a new perspective on their topic. KSU’s Department
of Architecture is one of only a handful of programs nationwide that requires its
undergraduate students to pursue thesis projects while earning an architecture degree. “The Portman Prize helps us maintain the unique spirit of exploration that defines
our undergraduate thesis sequence and encourage our students to develop a more holistic
design approach that ties big ideas to the built environment,” said Liz Martin-Malikian,
thesis coordinator.

As part of her thesis, Parker analyzed the environment surrounding the elementary
school and discovered that it was built upon a capped landfill. She used this newfound
knowledge to implement ecological practices to help remediate the effects of the landfill,
including phytoremediation, the process of extracting metals from the soil using plants.
Parker’s research site visit in Virginia was funded by the Atlanta-based Center for
Sustainable Communities.

“I wanted to design a gym to help both the students and the African-American community
as a whole,” said Parker, who also designed green walls that students could plant
on, an outdoor classroom and a nature exhibit. “I wanted to break the generational
tension between nature and the African-American community in a culturally appropriate
way, and architecture is how I could do that.”

Parker also won the People’s Choice Award for her thesis, which was voted on by her
classmates. She plans to continue in the workforce and keep studying to get her architecture
license in the future.

"The thesis process is an incredible part of the undergraduate experience within our
college, and it fills me with pride to see our students grow under the guidance of
our talented faculty members," said Andrew Payne, dean of the College of Architecture and Construction Management. "We are fortunate to have partners like John Portman & Associates who share our
values with regard to architectural excellence and look forward to following Azha
as she tackles new challenges."

– Josh Milton

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

This press release was produced by Kennesaw State University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.