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Emi Nevara won first place in the 2025 Student Design Awards hosted by California鈥檚 Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH). Her design for a new campus at Albert Einstein Academy High School in San Diego, CA sustainably transforms an existing structure into a modern learning environment. 听

Emi earned a Bachelor of Architecture in 2024 from the NewSchool of Architecture & Design.听This project was her final thesis with feedback and critique provided by Buddy Gessel, Principal at DLR Architecture Group.听听

Re-Envisioning Learning Spaces听

Emi鈥檚 design honors the site鈥檚 history and meets the needs of future learners. At the heart of her concept lies a bold vision: to create a learning environment that supports academic growth and inspires students to interact with the dynamic nature of knowledge itself.听

鈥淭his project is not just about reshaping a building鈥攊t鈥檚 about reshaping the way students interact with space, with one another, and with ideas,鈥� said Emi. 鈥淚 wanted the architecture to inspire learning, to encourage curiosity, and to reflect the energy of the school community.鈥�听

Fostering Intellectual Curiosity through Design听

Emi鈥檚 design philosophy for this project drew directly from Albert Einstein Academy鈥檚 mission 鈥� to teach students how to think, fostering intellectual curiosity and independent reasoning.听听

Emi鈥檚 design captures this ethos through an expressive architectural language. The building鈥檚 facade visually symbolizes the energy, diversity, and fluidity of student thought and was inspired by the movement of particles in Brownian motion鈥攖he random movement of microscopic particles suspended in a fluid caused by their collisions with the surrounding fast-moving molecules.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Beyond aesthetics, the project integrates sustainable design strategies throughout. By repurposing a former research facility, Emi鈥檚 design is both cost-effective and reduces environmental impact. 听

The campus also features adaptable interiors designed to support evolving pedagogical models, collaborative learning, and student well-being.听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听

Recognizing Student Achievement at NewSchool听

Emi’s first-place win is a听testament to her creative vision as well as her ability to translate abstract educational goals into a built environment that is both functional and inspiring, skills she honed during her studies at NewSchool.听

鈥淲e are incredibly proud of Emi and the impact her work is already making in the field of educational design,鈥� said Amin Espandiarimahalati, NewSchool Assistant Professor and Fifth Year Coordinator.

琳琅社区 the CASH Student Design Awards听

(CASH) is the premier statewide organization promoting, developing, and supporting state and local funding for K-12 public school construction and modernization. As part of CASH鈥檚 commitment to developing future leaders, the Student Design Awards were established as a joint venture by the Outreach and Architects Committees. They recognize excellence in student work that addresses real-world challenges in school planning and design.听