2×8 Celebrates 21 Years of Design Excellence with Opening Reception at the AIA|LA +
ACLA Center for Communities

Los Angeles, CA – November 25, 2024 –
The Center for Communities buzzed with energy last week as 2×8, the annual student exhibition and scholarship program celebrating its 21st year, hosted its opening reception. Showcasing the innovative work of students from 14 schools of architecture across California, the event brought together students, professionals, and design enthusiasts to honor creativity and collaboration in architecture.

Scholarship Awards
Seven talented students were awarded scholarships of $2,000 each, recognizing their exceptional projects. Among these scholarships, three were given in memoriam, honoring individuals instrumental in the early success of 2×8:

1. Fissure/Ascend by Isaiah Lee from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (AIA-sponsored scholarship)
2. The Sky’s The Limit by Tashfiah Ahmed from East Los Angeles College (Sponsored by D. Michael Hamner, FAIA Architects)
3. Co_Living (Collaborative Living in The Castro) by Clayton Copeland from Otis College of Art and Design
4. Shroud by Ryan Hoo from Pasadena City College Architecture

Memorial Scholarships

• Randal Stout, FAIA Memorial Scholarship:
  Awarded to Isabel Molina and Ezalden Alleheibat from UCLA Architecture and Urban Design for their project Las Colinas
• Stephen Kanner, FAIA Memorial Scholarship:
  Awarded to Chaoying Zhao from UCLA Architecture and Urban Design for their project Scale Weave
• Tatiana Sarkosian Memorial Scholarship:
  Awarded to Adrian Aranda and Justin Zhu from USC School of Architecture for their
  project The Digester

These scholarships honor the legacies of Randal Stout, FAIA, Stephen Kanner, FAIA, and Tatiana Sarkosian, who were instrumental in founding and leading 2×8 in its early years and shaping its continued success.

Jury & Leadership
The 2×8 jury featured an esteemed panel of architects and designers:

• Barbara Bouza, FAIA
• Thom Mayne, FAIA
• Trevor Abramson, FAIA

This year’s program was led by Alicia Morales and Marco Marraccini, AIA, who served as Committee Chairs, ensuring a thoughtful and impactful exhibition.

A Celebration of Design and Collaboration
With this year’s theme, COLAB, emphasizing nurturing the pipeline of architects, collaboration, and mutual support; 2×8 continues to be a vital platform for emerging talent in architecture. Through the support of Grants from The Snap Foundation, the HMC Designing Future Foundations, and the Barbara Bestor Foundation, the program provides financial support through scholarships while fostering connections between academia, industry, and the larger community.

For more information on 2×8, to review the winning projects, and to view the exhibition, visit: 2×8.org

WHAT IS 2X8?

A student competition for higher education students throughout California.

An exhibition of all submitted work.

A scholarship program that awards multiple winners.

It was formed to introduce student work to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries.

To celebrate the pedagogical diversity of schools across California, 2×8 invites multiple schools across the state to participate and allows student projects to receive scholarships at the opening event.

COLAB

The 2024 fall’s exhibition will work around the theme of “COLAB.” The theme aims to highlight the importance of collaboration in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry.

This can be exemplified through cross disciplinary collaboration, community engagement,  innovative sustainable solutions, local + global partnerships, and unique technological solutions.