The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) recently announced the recipients of the 2025 Steel Design Student Competition. The competition recognized thirteen exceptional projects, in two categories, that explore a variety of issues related to the use of steel in design and construction. Two teams from RPI were recognized, to see all recognized entries please see the ACSA website here. 3rd Place Urban Incline Student: Ayush Singh (B. Arch. ’26) Faculty Sponsor: Leandro Piazzi /* Project Description: Situated at the corner of 10th Avenue and 20th Street, adjacent to the High Line in New York City, the Chelsea Public Library occupies a unique and dynamic site. Traditionally, movement through the city follows the x and y axes of the urban grid, defined by intersecting streets and avenues. However, the introduction of the High Line has added a new dimension—movement along the z-axis—elevating circulation above the street level. This site becomes a critical urban node where all three axes of movement intersect. In response, the building acts as a connective link that joins these modes of circulation together. The elevated nature of the High Line introduced a sectional condition that became a driving force in the design. To address this, a ramp system stretches from the street level up to the High Line, with integrating stairs and seating along the way. This ramp acts as a public living room, encouraging community engagement and blurring the boundaries between library and city. This gesture also defines the project’s parti: two distinct volumes in contrast—one grounded and heavy, the other light and suspended. This interplay between anchored and suspended is made possible through a steel structural system. By centralizing the building’s cores, trusses extend outward to support the cantilevered event space above the ramped public space. The event space is hung by means of tension rods that trace load back through the trusses and eventually into the cores. Also, by positioning the cores in a central location, column free spaces are created as girders span from the core to load bearing walls. Above all, the design is a response to the unique spatial and circulatory qualities of its context. By embracing the vertical and horizontal axes of urban movement, the library becomes a link within the city’s evolving fabric. Jury Comments: Urban Incline is a clear and practical design that feels both complex and efficient. The meticulous use of steel to resolve the cantilevered structure and open outdoor spaces is well thought through with precision. The integration of the ramp and terraces creates a dynamic public living room that fosters community engagement. The truss and tension rod system is handled with clarity and complexity, allowing generous column-free spaces while maintaining an elegant architectural imagination. Honorable Mention Urban Ensemble – From Module Systems To Chelsea Jenga Student: Qi Han Zheng (B. Arch. ’26) & Bennard Amponsah (BCE ’25) Faculty Sponsor: Arta Yazdanseta /* Project Description: As New York City implements increasingly ambitious green building mandates, the Chelsea Library responds with a structure optimized for Design for Disassembly (DfD). This methodology ensures that buildings can be efficiently dismantled and their components reintegrated into a circular economy. Steel is especially suited for this approach due to its structural durability, reusability, and compatibility with mechanical, reversible connections. (AISC, Steel and the Circular Economy, 2020). This project was developed through the Comprehensive Design Studio II, a course that challenges students to reimagine the 21st-century library. This proposal goes further by embedding circular thinking into both form and structure. Located in Chelsea, NY, the design repositions the library not just as a civic hub, but also as a resource-conscious space that meets broader community needs, including reduced material waste and the inclusion of playful spaces. The steel frame supports a design that evolves in response to the city’s environmental and social priorities. To ensure the design is measurable in its sustainability ambitions, three benchmarks were adopted. The first is 80% modularity, enabling modules to be reused, refurbished, or remanufactured. The second is material optimization, achieved by designing 80% of structural elements to perform at or above 80% of their capacity. This minimizes resource use from the outset. The third benchmark is ease of disassembly, assessed by limiting the number of fasteners per structural connection. With a target of five bolts per joint, the design reduces labor and complexity during both construction and deconstruction. While traditional construction often results in excessive material waste and limited opportunities for reuse, this project proposes an alternative approach. It presents a steel building that is not fixed in time, but persistent. A model where the structure is not defined by permanence but by persistence, as it shifts, adapts, and endures in both form and value. Jury Comments: Urban Ensemble – From Module Systems to Chelsea Jenga receives praise for the design’s innovative use of a modular system. The thoughtful integration of sustainability benchmarks, with the steel frame provides both structural clarity and long-term adaptability. The circular diagram and explanation of the façade system could be clarified further to fully illustrate how each supports the design’s disassembly and recycling goals.