SUNY Delhi Architecture Graduate Places Third in National Design Competition Against Top Universities

DELHI — SUNY Delhi is proud to announce that the college's architecture graduate Nicholas Man '25 achieved a third-place finish in the 2025 Lyceum Fellowship National Design Competition, a prestigious undergraduate contest that draws submissions from some of the most renowned architecture B.Arch programs in the country, including UPenn, Harvard, UCLA, and Boston Architectural College.

The achievement is particularly remarkable considering SUNY Delhi launched its 5-year B.Arch program only two years ago and is still in the process of earning full accreditation. It was also Delhi's first time participating in the competition.

In the 2025 Lyceum Competition, students were challenged to explore sustainable design through the lens of Caribbean culinary culture by transforming two reclaimed buildings in Bridgetown, Barbados. In his design, Nicholas Man reimagined the beachfront structures as community-driven culinary hubs that integrate hydroponic farming, local food production, and vibrant public spaces.

"Barbados spends a lot of money on imports due to limited agricultural land on the island. Incorporating vertical hydroponic farming to grow vegetables is an efficient use of space and helps lower the millions of dollars spent on imports," Man explains. "It also allows the customers to physically see the food they will be eating."

Man spent an entire semester researching and working on the project. SUNY Delhi Architecture Professor Janet Ho, who was the faculty advisor on the project, says Man had a clear vision from the beginning.

"Nick is a stellar student whose work always stands out for its strong conceptual ideas," Ho says. "He also has great graphic sensibility and drawing techniques. He created many clever and eye-catching drawings and diagrams for this competition to explain his ideas effectively, which likely contributed to his success. As a program, we are so proud of his achievement and for being competitive among his peers in other programs across the country, including Ivy League universities."

Both Man and Ho agree that his top-three finish is also a testament to the strength of SUNY Delhi's architecture program, which emphasizes hands-on, individualized instruction in a close-knit studio learning environment.

"Being a small program, we get to talk with all the professors and see different types of design ideas," Man says. "Architecture isn't just about having one solution to a problem - receiving different viewpoints and guidance from each professor is really beneficial."

He adds, "It was exciting to compete against students from some of the biggest names in architecture education. Placing above some of them was a different level of excitement. I look forward to seeing what comes next in my career."

Man received a $5,000 prize towards travel abroad. He plans to visit Barbados to experience the culture and landscape that inspired his design.

"Architecture is about more than buildings - it's about understanding people, culture, and place. I want to learn firsthand what makes Barbadian spaces unique and bring that experience into my future work."

To learn more about the 2025 Lyceum competition and winning designs, visit https://lyceum-fellowship.org/2025.