“In all physical reality, Lagos is a floating city; but to me, I saw it as drowning city in respect to its blackened waters and harsh living situation,” said Puja Bhagat about her Corbelletti prize-winning design. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Puja Bhagat, a fifth-year architecture student in the Stuckeman School and a Schreyer Honors College scholar, was named the winner of the Department of Architecture’s 2021 Corbelletti Design Charrette.
Reza Azard, a French architect and co-founder of the architectural firm Projectiles, was this year’s Corbelletti lecturer and guest juror, who also introduced the theme for the contest: “Cities, From Old to New.”
“In all physical reality, Lagos is a floating city; but to me, I saw it as drowning city in respect to its blackened waters and harsh living situation,” said Bhagat about her design. “I used the Corbelletti drawing as a tool to play with these opposing conditions.”
A native of West Grove, Pennsylvania, Bhagat earned an honorable mention in last year’s competition.
Third-year student Noah Bennett was named the runner-up in this year’s event, which drew more than 200 entries.
Katie Bair, Mila Hirsch, Aysan Jafarzadeh and Katie Morgante each earned an honorable mention.
Named for past Department of Architecture head Raniero Corbelletti, the annual Corbelletti Design Charrette traditionally marks the start of a new school year for upper-level Penn State architecture students and celebrates hand-drawn design. The awards ceremony took place on Sept. 17 via Zoom.