David Zuniga, ‘23 B.Arch, Wins AIA Designing Together Contest with Bi-National Park

CAPLA Alumnus David Zuniga, ‘23 B.Arch, won first place in the 2024 AIA Designing Together Contest, where architects were challenged to turn napkin sketches into prize-winning designs.  

The competition highlighted the power of design, with submissions ranging from bus stops to national parks.  

For Zuniga’s entry, he reimagined the Mexico and United States border as a bi-national park. His learning experience at CAPLA was instrumental in developing his proposal titled, “A Bi-National Park for Ambos Nogales.” 

Growing up in Nogales, Zuniga knows the importance of fostering a positive relationship between Mexico and the United States. He sees how it holds the potential to empower future generations to embrace diversity, collaboration and the shared responsibility of living with care. 

“By merging and acting as one, they can harness their combined resources, expertise and cultural heritage to promote the health and resilience of the region’s ecosystems and social fabric,” says Zuniga. 

Zuniga took a moment to reflect on how his time at CAPLA prepared him for this accomplishment. 

“CAPLA's passionate faculty and supportive community equipped me with the creative confidence to shape my inspired visions and advocate for what I believe should be a profession-wide focus on the societal and environmental responsibilities of architects and design professionals,” says Zuniga. 

The standards he became accustomed to during his time as a student at CAPLA made a difference in his early endeavors and gave him an advantage against his competition. He learned to not only resolve pragmatic requirements, but to frame his proposals within a broader context. 

Thinking about his award-winning submission, Zuniga specifically remembered the emphasis on conceptual thinking within the B.Arch curriculum that nurtured his ability to weave designs with impassioned narratives.  

“After a few years of conducting the same exercise, it's second nature,” he says. 

Zuniga is now an Architectural Designer at Nelson Partners in Scottsdale, Arizona. In his role, he provides design support for multi-family projects and helps take them from conceptual designs to construction documents.   

“My objective is to match my creative spirit with technical proficiency in the hopes that one day I can work on projects such as a bi-national park for Nogales,” says Zuniga. 

As part of his prize, Zuniga was given an Ultimate Pass to attend the AIA Conference on Architecture and Design in Washington, D.C. this past summer.  

“When we dream together, we tap into the collective wisdom of diverse perspectives and experiences, unlocking creative solutions that transcend boundaries and inspire positive change on a global scale,” says Zuniga. 

View work that inspired David’s award-winning design below: