“What began in 1975 as a weekend experiment in structural ingenuity has evolved into a hallmark Learn-By-Doing tradition that challenges each new generation of students to conquer theory and application,” according to Cal Poly archival records.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this year’s Design Village theme was “Nexus,” meaning “a link or series of links connecting two or more things.”
A steady rain on Saturday made canyon paths muddy channels, giving real-time waterproofing tests to each design. Applied-math senior Eli Clifford made his way to Poly Canyon on Friday along with mechanical engineering senior Johnny Rourke and soil science senior Rory Burton.
The three formed Team OGMI, short for Origami, a senior team notable for the whole team not being architecture majors.
Although not of the discipline, they took on with eagerness the challenge of creating a structure from ground zero.
“We’re kind of an unorthodox team out here,” Clifford said. “Everybody’s architecture and landscape architecture, so we just like making things.”
Drawing inspiration from his applied-math capstone project on origami tessellations, he described how they constructed a central wall of triangular panels that can either fold flat or rigidly stretch.
They then attached modular sleeping pods for sleeping overnight.
“We’re sleeping in these pods tonight, rain or shine,” he said, smiling.
Team OGMI entered the contest two years ago, and came back as seniors this year. “It feels like the perfect finishing touch to our college experience.”
Steve Hall, a 1977 architecture graduate and member of The Alliance, stopped by on Saturday morning to view the open house for residents, design professionals and alumni.
The Alliance promotes interdisciplinary learning beyond the university campus, providing grants for first-year material awards, senior project grants, and networking receptions that bring students together with peers and industry professionals.
“It reminds us why we fund these things when you see students not just design but actually inhabit these buildings,” Hall said.
Hall said while the lessons of Design Village aren’t graded in a traditional sense, their impact lasts well beyond campus.
He added, “It’s not in the classroom, but it will influence how they’ll think once they’re out.” Thinking back on the rain, Hall said, “They learned waterproofing, or rather the lack thereof—and it’s pretty funny to see what’s happening.” He added the unexpected weather served as an impromptu stress test, turning student projects into a live experiment in resilience.
“I always come back whenever I can. Seeing all the effort students put into this, they make it, and then they live there.”
Hannah Huntley, an architecture student and co-president of the Design Village board, also highlighted the event’s highly immersive, student-led nature.
She described how groups manage every stage—beginning with sketching out preliminary designs in the studio, to acquiring and transporting materials a mile into Poly Canyon, culminating in on-site construction.
Additionally, Huntley said, “Something that we’ve been doing this year is looking into the history of the event.”
She emphasized the learning process that starts with lectures on structural design and culminates in live critiques around campfires.
Participants judge not just appearance but concrete considerations such as shelter, warmth and durability in real environments.
Huntley went on to detail the judging and made clear that construction quality and creativity are the two biggest criteria.
“Judges take into account not only the visual appearance of the building but also function and livability,” she said. For instance, they think about whether the students would feel okay sleeping overnight in the building, taking into consideration aspects such as warmth and protection.
She added that a majority of the judges are Cal Poly professors who, though they may not come each year, have judged previous competitions, seen builds throughout, or taught the respective class.
Huntley said, “It’s really hard to pick out one building and say ‘this is the best building of all the buildings here.”
Their quality, innovation and livability, including structural integrity, thermal performance and livability in real-world conditions, were judged by Cal Poly faculty members who include many instructors who have taught the equivalent course or judged past competitions.
A number of Cal Poly and community college groups won awards—Cal Poly’s F8 won for construction, Short-Staffed won for innovation, and S.S. Lotus took home the theme award—while Santa Monica College’s Phage took home the grand prize.
For students who were interpreting the theme “Nexus,” Design Village 2025 provided an opportunity to examine architecture as a means of creating connections among individuals, concepts and places.