Fresno City College students win top honors in Chinatown design competition

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Architecture students put their creativity and technical skills to the test in a local design challenge aimed at reimagining a vacant lot in Fresno's Chinatown, with Fresno City College students earning top honors in the competition.

The American Institute of Architects San Joaquin chapter selected the empty lot at Tulare and E streets as the focus for this year's annual student design competition. Participants were tasked with creating a "community hub" centered on urban revitalization.

Fresno City College instructor Andres Diaz said the competition gave students an opportunity to apply their classroom learning in a real-world setting while competing alongside peers from other colleges.

"I think what this competition does for them is that it challenges them," Diaz said. "There's a shorter time frame. There's also that exposure to students from Fresno State and us College of the Sequoias."

Among the participants was student Paige Hankins, who approached the project by first studying the history of Fresno's Chinatown and visiting the site to develop her concept.

She used geometric shapes to represent the neighborhood's past divisions and envisioned a design that would bring the area together.

"I wanted to show how no matter what comes your way, they had all this division, but we can still form a unified space," Hankins said.

Over the course of five weeks, students developed detailed proposals that included site plans, renderings and written narratives explaining their vision.

"This cultural center serves as a reminder of Chinatown's challenging past, while ushering in a new era of connection and community," Hankins said.

A total of 46 students submitted projects. On awards night, Hankins' design earned first place overall, with fellow Fresno City College students Alexander Cazares and Liliia Skitsak taking second place and an honorable mention, respectively.

"It felt amazing, actually, to know that we as a community college program could be compared to a four-year program at Fresno State and still make it out on top," Hankins said.

Hankins said the competition also helped highlight the importance of revitalizing Chinatown and bringing attention to an often overlooked part of the city.

"I know Chinatown tends to be a sort of forgotten area of town, so it's important to bring awareness to this," she said. "Even small competitions like this can do that."

Hankins, who graduated from Fresno City College this spring, plans to continue her studies in architecture at Cal Poly Pomona this fall.

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