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Michael Lidwin, a third-year Architecture student, was recently awarded the national Houzz Residential Design Scholarship.

twice a year for students interested in the topics of women in architecture, residential design, sustainable residential design and residential construction management. Among hundreds of undergraduate and graduate applicants, Lidwin is the sole winner of the scholarship within the residential design category.

������ɾ���’s included an essay and samples of his work. His essay focused on his childhood memories of moving into a new residential community in Loudoun County, Virginia.

“As one of the first residents in my neighborhood, I was connected to traditions that focused on creating a legacy, rather than continuing one,” he said. “Residences became the backbone for my community, and therefore for me, as well.

“The only true consistency I know of for design is that all architecture has an underlying purpose—rooted in the ability to design for people,” he said. “Therefore, I wrote about my experience growing up in a new community and how the people within that community became my biggest influence in residential design.”

While Lidwin is unsure of the design path he will take after graduation, he says he admires residential design and firms that capitalize on people before the process and projects. “Architecture is not as much a setting or a place as it is a tool; good architecture should be able to improve the lives of its users,” he said.

Because of this scholarship, Lidwin plans to study abroad for a second time to dive deep into research while learning from international designs. “This scholarship helps enable curiosity by providing the financial security to explore cool projects in architecture,” he said. “I’m extremely grateful to Houzz for recognizing me as a residential design scholar and providing the tuition and academic support to take full advantage of all the learning opportunities here at UT.”