We pin a lot of hopes on today's architecture students. That's nothing new, really: The next generation has always been scrutinized to see what principles and ideas they will develop and where they will steer design in the years to come. But in an era of climate change, rising housing costs, and a changing landscape of social awareness, that scrutiny has taken on a new sense of urgency. Change is necessary, and new approaches and innovators can help make it possible. To that end, the Studio Prize celebrates the most innovative academic studios in North America, and offers a preview of the ways students may approach design problems in their future careers. Selected by an esteemed jury of practitioners-Yolande Daniels, Eric Owen Moss, and Jennifer Yoos, all educators themselves-this year's six winning studios (including two recipients of the Sloan Award, which recognizes sustainable water conservation and management) use novel means of investigation not only to hone students' formal design skills, but to tackle issues of local and global importance, whether they're re-envisioning zoning for climate change-impacted areas, exploring housing typologies that create more affordable density, or imagining how cities can adapt as sea levels rise. The lines of inquiry instigated by the professors and addressed by the students-each of the latter will receive a share of the $25,000 in prize money provided by program sponsor, Sloan-suggest that the next wave of architects will be well prepared to help tackle the pressing problems we face.
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