CAPLA Receives Top Spots in 2018 EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge

April 23, 2019

CAPLA student teams have received national recognition two years in a row.

Overview
The Challenge is a green infrastructure design competition for American colleges and universities.
Who
Third year Master of Landscape Architecture Students
What
2018 EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge
Where
The University of Arizona Campus
When
April 23, 2019
Categories
Students conduct a soil percolation test

Two of the six winning teams in the 2018 EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge were from Bo Yang's third year master of landscape architecture design studio. This marks the second year in a row that CAPLA student teams held two of the top spots. The CAPLA teams received 2nd place in the Demonstration Project Category and an Honorable Mention in the Master Plan Category.

The Campus RainWorks Challenge is an annual "collegiate competition that engages the next generation of environmental professionals to design innovative solutions for stormwater pollution."

CAPLA students collaborated with students Jack Anderson and Samantha Swartz from hydrology. An key part of the EPA challenge is identifying the watershed in which the site falls in order to calculate the rates of storm water runoff. Teams used this data to inform their designs of passive and active rainwater storage systems, which include check dams, permeable surfaces, and cisterns.

2nd place - Demonstration Project Category: (Re)Searching for a Spot

Team members Matthew Lutheran, Aaron Johnson; and Zhiyuan Song re-imagined a parking lot that sits just south of the CAPLA building, creating a design that routes water through a series of swales that slow and treat water before pollutants can concentrate and pollute larger waterways.

MLA students Aaron Johnson, Zhiyuan Song, and Matthew Lutheran.

 

Honorable Mention - Master Plan Category: Socio-Hydrology

Team members Jon Choi, Jennifer Moscato, and Cody White chose to bring many of the green infrastructure improvements to the forefront of their design in a way that would directly affect and improve the user experience, rather than hiding the functional site improvements behind the scenes. This project was also the recipient of the 2018 Liba Wheat Prize and the 2019 Award of Excellence - Student Collaborative from the Arizona Chapter of the ASLA.

MLA students Cody White, Jennifer Moscato, and Jon Choi.

 

  

Subscribe to The Studio

Sign up for CAPLA's monthly e-newsletter to get the latest news and events, insights from faculty and leadership, profiles of students and alumni and more.

Subscribe Now

Latest CAPLA News, Projects and Profiles

Jackie Hogan Headshot

Research-Based Approach to Architecture: Jackie Hogan M.Arch + MS.Arch ‘25

Jackie Hogan (’25 M.Arch + MS.Arch) is a dual-degree graduate of CAPLA whose work bridges architectural practice and research-driven design. Drawn to architectural history, theory and ethics, she pursued the M.Arch + MS.Arch dual degree to explore how research can shape meaningful design decisions. During her time at CAPLA, she engaged in community-centered design through Laura Carr’s studio working with the Tuba City community and completed a thesis examining architecture’s role in disaster relief and climate-related emergencies. Now working at Line + Space, Hogan brings an evidence-based approach to projects, applying research to create thoughtful spaces that connect people, culture and the environment.

Block Up

CAPLA Lecturer and Alumni Win 2025 AIA Arizona Ideas Competition

Senior Lecturer in Architecture Oscar Lopez and three CAPLA alumni won first place in the 2025 AIA Arizona Ideas Competition for their proposal “BLOCK UP.” The project reimagines the urban tower as a vertical civic framework for Phoenix, integrating public space, housing and climate-responsive design into a shared, adaptable structure. Developed through close collaboration between Lopez and alumni Sal Arellano, Trevor Watson and Cameron Noble, the proposal explores how density can expand community and access beyond the street level, highlighting CAPLA’s impact on forward-thinking, civic-minded design in Arizona.

The white facade of Mission San Xavier del Bac is seen against a clear blue sky. A paved path leading to the mission passes through an earthen wall fronted by cactus and other desert plants.

Rehabilitation of the Retablo Facade at San Xavier del Bac | Lecture by Starr Herr-Cardillo

Learn about ongoing work to preserve decorative finishes and restore missing and damaged elements of the retablo facade of Mission San Xavier del Bac. This work is supported by the Semiquincentennial Grant Program, administered by the National Park Service.

See More