Math major architecture student places second in national portfolio competition
A math major in the architecture program and the Schreyer Honors College, Jonathan Wong, recently earned second-place honors in the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) spring InStudio: Portfolio Competition.
Wong is entering his fourth year in the professional Bachelor of Architecture program while concurrently pursuing a degree in mathematics at the University.
The AIAS competition, which is open to students in all years of study and all skill levels, challenges architecture students to highlight their studio work and to provide inspiration for those looking to enhance their own skill sets. First-, second- and third-place winners of the competition were announced on July 16.
A native of Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, Wong is an LEED green associate and an active member of the AIAS Penn State chapter. He is driven, he said, by the continual and ever-evolving challenges that arise through his work and studies.
“By exploring synergies between architecture and mathematics, I’ve been able to balance the two [disciplines] and, in turn, I’m able to use one to support the other and vice versa,” he said.
Wong believes that architecture can and should be used as a tool to promote social and cultural change in the world.
“Architecture has the ability to touch and make an impression on the life of every person who comes in contact with it through their daily interactions with it,” he said.
Wong turned to a wide range of other student work, including past winners of the AIAS portfolio competition, for inspiration while putting together his portfolio.
“I hope people are able to recognize my ambition as a designer to push the boundaries on what is possible within architecture in order to help people experience the world around them in a unique way,” he said.
Wong’s portfolio can be viewed via issuu.com.
Winners of the InStudio: Portfolio Competition competition were determined by a six-person jury comprised of representatives from architectural firms Gensler and WSA Studio, as well as AIAS members.