BGSU architecture alumni honored with national, statewide awards from the American Institute of Architects

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Empowered for career readiness with a comprehensive and collaborative approach to education, new alumni of the Bowling Green State University Architecture and Environmental Design program recently won awards at the national and statewide level from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for their work.

Alex Borger ’24 took second place in the AIA Students InStudio Portfolio Competition, a nationwide competition in which Borger entered a portfolio largely completed as a student at BGSU.

Additionally, Madeline Montgomery ’24 and Eduardo Cabrera ’24 swept the AIA Ohio Student Design Competition Awards by finishing first and second, respectively. No award was given for third place.

Borger, a Columbus-area native who graduated last spring, said he developed his design style during his time at BGSU with the guidance of innovative faculty like construction management department chair Linda Beall.

“I put in a lot of the work that I was proud of from my undergrad at BGSU, a lot which highlighted and explained my process and what I did to get to where I was,” he said. “At BGSU, you’re allowed to bring your own style, and professors are there to mold you and help you get to where you want. I was always focused on doing my style, which allowed me to get to where I’m at now.”

Through the BGSU College of Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering, students in the construction management and architecture and environmental design programs learn together in the School of the Built Environment, just as architects and construction managers work together in the field. Students also must complete two cooperative educational experiences.

For their final senior studio as BGSU undergraduates, architecture students were tasked with designing a mixed-use development project for an area of Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

For one of her internships, Montgomery interned at Dimit Architects – whose office sits right next to the site in question. The combination of classwork and an internship became an award-winning contest entry for Montgomery, who is now pursuing a Master of Architecture degree at BGSU.

“The information I learned in studio helped me get my internship, and information from my internship really familiarized me with the site from the studio project, so it definitely works hand-in-hand,” Montgomery said. “I’m really glad that I’ve done internships already because they help you with classwork while also giving you insight into what you’ll be doing in the workplace.”

Cabrera, a native of the Dominican Republic, said support from faculty at BGSU helped him apply the concepts he learned as a student to the real world.

The connections between classwork and its outside applications made him more comfortable as a future architect, he said.

“The faculty, especially in the architecture program, is very keen on putting you out there and helping you make connections to the outside world,” Cabrera said. “They’ve helped put me in a position where I feel comfortable practicing in the professional world of architecture.”

The BGSU Master of Architecture program received the full, eight-year accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) in 2023, becoming the only program in northwest Ohio to hold NAAB accreditation.

The distinction allows BGSU graduates to immediately secure their professional licensure upon graduation, after which they can practice architecture anywhere in the United States.