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2018 Plimpton-Poorvu Design Prize awarded to pair of real estate projects

Proposal for

The 2018 Plimpton-Poorvu Design Prize has been awarded to two Harvard Graduate School of Design student teams, in recognition of noteworthy real estate projects they have developed as part of their GSD coursework. The first-prize honor was awarded to Georgios Avramides (MDes ’18), Duly Lee (MDes ’18), John Lee (MDes ’18), Emily Marsh (MUP ’18), and Alex Rawding (MUP ’18) for their proposal, “Port District Interbay: Seattle,” builds on the work they began in the course “Field Studies in Real Estate, Planning, and Urban Design” led by Rick Peiser, Michael D. Spear Professor of Real Estate Development and Co-Director of the Master in Urban Planning Program. Second prize was awarded to Dalia Alderzi (MDes ’19), Alaa Raafat (MDes ’18), and Carlotta Weller (MDes ’19) for their submission, “Gloresi#Olivetti,” initiated in course “Global Leadership in Real Estate and Development” led by Bing Wang, Associate Professor in Practice of Real Estate and the Built Environment.

Established with a gift by long-term friends, business partners, and GSD advocates Samuel Plimpton (MBA ’77 & MArch ’80) and William J. Poorvu (MBA ’58), the Plimpton-Poorvu Design Prize recognizes the two top teams or individuals for a viable real estate project completed as part of the GSD curriculum. Winning projects must demonstrate successful integration of design, feasibility, and implementation strategy. This 2018 cycle was the third for the prize, established in 2016.

“Port District Interbay: Seattle” aims to address Seattle’s social challenges through improved transportation systems and is designed to be an economic hub that links residential, office, retail, hotel, public space and trails, and connections to the surrounding community. Focusing on a swath between Seattle’s Magnolia and Queen Anne neighborhoods, “Port District Interbay: Seattle” presents a four-phase development plan that would result in more than 4,500 new residential units, 339,000 square feet of retail space, over 2 million square feet each of industrial space and office space, and other programming.

“Glories Olivetti | Barcelona, Spain” presents a redevelopment proposal focused on the 22@ innovation district at the geographic center of Barcelona, offering a gateway between this district and the adjacent El Clot community. The proposal nods to the design legacy of Olivetti Barcelona, an innovative typewriter manufacturer that was once the city’s largest employer. Similar to “Port District Interbay: Seattle,” “Glories Olivetti | Barcelona, Spain” would bring a mix of office, residential, retail, and community space to the 10-acre space, with the goal of encouraging activation and engagement from local startup, university, and research communities.

Learn more about the Plimpton-Poorvu Design Prize and previous winners.