Elaine Brodsky, Chair of North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, with winner Kaniyah Parris
Benjamin Solotaire, Community Liaison for Councilman Levin, with Sophomores Antonio Perez, Jonathan Sutchen, and Johnathan Walker
Last evening at the Williamsburg Hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, select WHSAD students enjoyed the fruits of their labors. The event showcased student designs for the lobby of the Bushwick Hotel. Gathering to celebrate the achievements of these burgeoning architects, family members, WHSAD staff, political representatives, and members of the architectural firm, Gensler, viewed each group’s design concepts, chatted with students about the process involved in developing such concepts, and, frankly, just enjoyed the atmosphere of the Williamsburg Hotel. Additionally, the top three groups received their awards for the competition held this past June. Assemblyman Joseph Lentol awarded the winner, Kaniyah Parris, a plaque and had some very complimentary words for WHSAD students and the work they are doing at the school.
Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, Bill Harvey, Sophomores Jonathan Sutchen and Johnathan Walker, Elaine Brodsky, Eta Strulowitz, Development Associate, Antonio Perez, and Gensler Senior Associate, Anne-Sophie Hall.
Thank you for all of those involved, including Heritage Equity Founder and CEO Toby Moskovits and Development Associate, Eta Strulowitz; Gensler Senior Associate, Anne-Sophie Hall, and Principal, Joseph Lauro; Elaine Brodsky, Chair of the North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce; the Office of Career and Technical Education and the Office of Superintendent Karen Watts; Community Partner, Bill Harvey of William Harvey Studios; Assemblyman Joseph Lentol; families and staff of Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design; and most especially, all the students who participated in the 2nd Annual Heritage Equity Design Competition.
Below, participant in the competition and WHSAD sophomore and student correspondent, Antonio Perez recounts the special evening.
From left to right: Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, Senior competition winners William Rosales and Zeal Patel, Gensler Senior Associate Anne-Sophie Hall, Gensler Principal Joseph Lauro, and Heritage Equity Founder and CEO Toby Moskovits
On November 15 WHSAD students and teachers alike were allowed to take a break from all the chaos and celebrate our accomplishments. We were invited to attend the Bushwick Hotel Design Competition Event hosted by our partners at Heritage Equity in the glamorous Williamsburg Hotel. Many students, including me, competed in a hotel lobby design competition last year and we were finally now able to celebrate all of our hard work and accomplishments. The overall atmosphere around the competition was tense so to finally be granted the opportunity to relax and celebrate all we did was surreal. The celebration was nothing short of a magnificent experience. All the competitors felt so appreciated and special, for there to be a party in our honor was something not many of us had yet to experience. To be able to socialize with several huge names in the business and have in-depth conversations revolving around our thought process was initially scary but later evolved into something beautiful.
Sophomores Antonio Perez and Johnathan Walker stand with their presentation and awards.
The fact that students are able to participate in such events is just mind blowing. All of us are blessed to say the least to be able to imitate such prestigious projects with several of the largest names in the industry such as Gensler. Several students at the Gala also expressed the same vivid emotions as I do, one of the second place winners Johnathan Walker said, “It was a good opportunity presenting work that we had painstakingly put all of our work into for 4-5 months, so it was pretty cool.”
Project Advisors and WHSAD Architecture Teachers, Alain Codio and Abraham Rodriguez