The Architectural League has named Ylan Vo the winner of this year’s Deborah J. Norden Fund travel grant for her project entitled Ecologies of War and Recovery: A Case Study in Vietnam’s A Luoi Valley.
Vo’s project explores the A Luoi Valley “as an example of the post-conflict landscape of Vietnam, with particular emphasis on understanding the ecological and social conditions surrounding toxic Agent Orange hotspots that mark the valley.” Agent Orange, also called Dioxin, is the most potent carcinogen in existence, and poses major threats to environmental health and sustainability.
According to the League, Vo “‘seeks to investigate the themes of conflict, ecology, and memory with the aim of connecting the ex-urban landscape of A Luoi Valley to its historic and contemporary contexts.’”
The Fund, which awards travel grants of up to $5,000, seeks to “nurture excellence, particularly among younger designers,” namely “students and recent graduates in the fields of architecture, architectural history, and urban studies.” Vo is currently studying in the Master of Architecture and master of Landscape Architecture Programs at Washington University in St. Louis.
For more information, view the Norden Fund competition’s website, past winning projects, and travel reports from past winners.
News via The Architectural League New York.
