FOURTH YEAR UNDERGRADUATE
Luca Castellan—Christian Martinelli Memorial Award
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Luca Castellan—Christian Martinelli Memorial Award
About the Award
Christian Martinelli Memorial Award:
For a student who demonstrates a passion for Building Science within Architecture and is a leader and consensus builder.
My leadership emphasizes balance, where passion, creativity, and teamwork perform together, so that design outcomes reflect the strengths of the entire team. I approach projects by setting clear building science rules that guide goals, benchmarks, and innovation, all backed by collaborative hands-on work. Digital fabrication excites me because it merges efficiency with experimentation, as I explored in a design-build project led by Professor Will Galloway, which I completed in collaboration with five other students. Working with 3D-printed nylon joints and plywood sheets, we designed a bench and gathering space that combined organic shading with structural precision. I promoted a sketch-model process to minimize software barriers in the team and provoked mock-ups to ground debates in shared evidence. The experience reinforced my belief that clear dialogue and tangible testing are essential to reaching outcomes everyone can stand behind.
The lessons I have learnt working collaboratively on extra-curricular projects has influenced my academic journey. For example, I engage constructive discussions around my work and ask more frequent questions to gain insight from multiple perspectives. I have developed a stronger personal design process, one founded on iteration, as a result of working hands-on in group settings. I firmly believe that the best projects succeed when shared motivation sparks unexpected passion, allowing people to connect through both personal experience and character. For me, architecture is about being personable; fostering collaboration, building connections, and bringing people together through design.
Thank you for honoring me with the Christian Martinelli Memorial Award. I aim to continually advocate for hands-on learning in collaborative building science environments, and remain grateful for being surrounded by ambitious and inspiring educators. I look forward to continually getting involved outside of the classroom, and incorporating inclusivity into technical design over my academic and professional journey.
Christian Martinelli Memorial Award:
For a student who demonstrates a passion for Building Science within Architecture and is a leader and consensus builder.
My leadership emphasizes balance, where passion, creativity, and teamwork perform together, so that design outcomes reflect the strengths of the entire team. I approach projects by setting clear building science rules that guide goals, benchmarks, and innovation, all backed by collaborative hands-on work. Digital fabrication excites me because it merges efficiency with experimentation, as I explored in a design-build project led by Professor Will Galloway, which I completed in collaboration with five other students. Working with 3D-printed nylon joints and plywood sheets, we designed a bench and gathering space that combined organic shading with structural precision. I promoted a sketch-model process to minimize software barriers in the team and provoked mock-ups to ground debates in shared evidence. The experience reinforced my belief that clear dialogue and tangible testing are essential to reaching outcomes everyone can stand behind.
The lessons I have learnt working collaboratively on extra-curricular projects has influenced my academic journey. For example, I engage constructive discussions around my work and ask more frequent questions to gain insight from multiple perspectives. I have developed a stronger personal design process, one founded on iteration, as a result of working hands-on in group settings. I firmly believe that the best projects succeed when shared motivation sparks unexpected passion, allowing people to connect through both personal experience and character. For me, architecture is about being personable; fostering collaboration, building connections, and bringing people together through design.
Thank you for honoring me with the Christian Martinelli Memorial Award. I aim to continually advocate for hands-on learning in collaborative building science environments, and remain grateful for being surrounded by ambitious and inspiring educators. I look forward to continually getting involved outside of the classroom, and incorporating inclusivity into technical design over my academic and professional journey.
