Morgan State University Architecture Students Earn First Place in National Design for Aging Competition

Award-Winning “Common Ground” Proposal Reimagines Senior Living Through Intergenerational Connection, Campus Integration and Community-Centered Design

BALTIMORE — A team of architecture students from Morgan State University recently earned first-place honors in the 2026 Design for Aging Competition, a nationwide collegiate design challenge sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Design for Aging Knowledge Community and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). The national recognition distinguishes the scholars from Morgan’s School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) for their innovative approach to addressing the evolving needs of an aging population through sustainable, inclusive and community-centered architectural design.

The winning proposal, “Common Ground: An Intergenerational Living Campus for Lifelong Learning and Active Aging,” was developed by Morgan graduate students Eden Worku (M.Arch), Rachel Mensah (M.Arch, ’26), Irvin Bonsu (M.Arch, ’26), Darren Marshalleck (M.Arch, ’26) and Oluwadara Opadeji (M.Arch, ’26), under the guidance of faculty advisor Carlos Reimers, Ph.D., associate professor of Architecture, with collaborator Adesola Adenekan (M.Arch, ’26).

The highly competitive contest, themed “An Intergenerational Union: A Campus-Integrated Hub for Lifelong Learning and Active Aging,” challenged students to reimagine university-affiliated residential environments that strengthen connections between older adults and younger generations. Emphasizing wellness, accessibility, environmental sustainability and social inclusion, the competition recognized seven outstanding projects, including first-, second- and third-place winners and four honorable mentions.

Morgan’s first-place finish placed the University ahead of second-place Oklahoma State University and third-place Texas Tech University, further demonstrating the caliber of architectural talent and creative problem-solving cultivated within the school. Morgan earned additional recognition with an honorable mention for its second entry, “Reaching Out to Community: Hilltop Commons,” joining other honorable-mentioned submissions from Clemson University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, among others. The honorable mention-garnering team from Morgan comprised: Cora Grayson (M.Arch, ’26), Fernando Parada (M.Arch, ’26), Makayla Colon (M.Arch, ’26), Sarah Goodwin (M.Arch, ’26) and Marian Reed (M.Arch, ’26), with Dr. Reimers advising and collaborative support from Cameron Pope, a current graduate student in Morgan’s architecture program.

“This recognition is a testament to the creativity, talent and commitment of our students and faculty to advancing innovative, community-centered design,” said Abimbola O. Asojo, Ph.D., dean of Morgan’s School of Architecture and Planning. “Both Morgan submissions — the winning proposal and an honorable mention — demonstrate how architecture can address pressing societal challenges while fostering inclusion, strengthening intergenerational connections and creating environments that enhance quality of life. We are immensely proud of this achievement and the meaningful impact our emerging architects are poised to make.”

The Common Ground conceptual design, envisioned for Morgan’s South Campus, proposes a thoughtful transformation of underutilized institutional land into a vibrant, interconnected residential community where students, seniors, faculty, alumni and Baltimore residents can live, learn and engage across generations.

Central to the proposal are two complementary civic spaces: the Intergenerational Living Quad and the Homecoming Quad. Together, they establish a pedestrian-friendly campus environment that integrates residential housing, wellness amenities, educational facilities, recreation and gathering spaces.

The Intergenerational Living Quad serves as the community’s social center, incorporating student and senior housing alongside shared kitchens, study lounges, daycare facilities, rooftop gardens and wellness spaces. The Homecoming Quad provides a setting for larger university and alumni gatherings, strengthening connections to Morgan’s institutional traditions and the surrounding community.

Beyond its residential features, the proposed development accommodates a continuum of aging-related needs, including independent living, affordable housing, memory care and skilled nursing. Accessible pathways, landscaped courtyards and nature-integrated design elements further support mobility, health and opportunities for meaningful social interaction.

In evaluating the winning entry, competition jurors praised the project’s thoughtful integration of senior living into the broader university environment.

“Common Ground offers a well-developed model for integrating senior living into the broader life of the university as well as the surrounding community,” the jury noted, further commending the design’s accessible pathways, planted courtyards and biophilic strategies for reinforcing wellness, mobility and connections across generations.

The project also offers a compelling response to the growing challenges of social isolation and aging in place, showing how thoughtful architectural planning can build community resilience and improve quality of life.

The national award recognition follows a series of recent milestones achieved by Morgan’s architecture programs, continuing its rise as among the nation’s leading architectural programs. From back-to-back high-ranking finishes in Disney’s Imagineering Design competition (No. 1 in 2025) to building pathways for college-bound aspiring architects, SA+P at Morgan is entrenching its influence on diversifying the talent pool in an industry in which Black designers make up only about 2% of the national architecture and design workforce.

The impact is also evidenced in the continued academic momentum for SA+P programs. The University’s Master of Architecture program recently earned an eight-year reaccreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), reaffirming the quality and rigor of its professional architecture education. And the Bachelor of Science in Construction Management earned accreditation from ABET.

NAAB is the sole organization recognized by U.S. architectural registration boards to accredit professional degree programs in architecture. Morgan’s graduate architecture program is one of only two professional architecture programs in Maryland and the only such program located in Baltimore.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master’s degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 

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Larry Jones, Dell Jackson or Cheryl Stewart for Morgan State University PR
443-885-3022

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