Tiburon teen takes top prize in international architecture contest

Redwood High School sophomore Blake Oberbauer shows off her entry in the 2022 Norwich University architecture and design competition. Blake, who lives in Tiburon, placed first in the competition, which challenged students to design a functional outdoor space for storytelling and gathering that could accommodate both large audiences of 50 people and small audiences of five people. (Elliot Karlan photo / For The Ark)

A Tiburon teen beat out dozens of her high-school-aged peers from around the world to win first place in an international architecture and design competition held late last year.

Redwood High School sophomore Blake Oberbauer, 16, won the Norwich University architecture and design competition, taking home an $8,000 scholarship to the private school, which is in Vermont. She was one of 44 Redwood students to enter the competition, with the school sweeping the top three spots as well as earning two honorable mentions.

The university has held the competition in each of the past three years; it’s open to all high-school students as well as college-level transfer students, who are judged in a separate category.

This year some 87 students submitted 40 total entries, which included those working as teams, in a challenge to design a functional outdoor space for storytelling and gathering that could accommodate both large audiences of 50 people and small audiences of five people.

For the complete story, pick up this week's edition of The Ark on newsstands or SUBSCRIBE NOW for home delivery and our e-edition.