Michael Kothke’s Firm Picks Up Two Design Awards

For many, the journey to becoming a Wildcat begins before they ever set foot in a classroom. It might start with a campus tour, a conversation with a student ambassador or a glimpse of Old Main. The Wildcat Welcome Center opened on Wednesday, Sept. 9, and has officially become a cornerstone of that experience. 

For Javi Barcelo, B.Arch ’27, architecture is deeply connected to place, culture and community. His City Immersion Scholarship gave him the opportunity to explore those connections firsthand in Mexico City, an experience that ultimately helped shape the direction of his capstone project.

For decades, the Lake Tahoe Basin has worked to balance preserving the region’s renowned natural beauty and recreational opportunities with accommodating the millions of visitors and growing communities drawn to the area. A team of researchers from the University of Arizona, University of Utah and Vancouver Island University is taking on that challenge through a two-year, $350,000 project to modernize Lake Tahoe’s sustainable recreation goals.