MEET THE WINNER

Ruben Quesada
Sabana

Ruben Quesada is a former project architect at ZGF Architects and the recipient of the AIA’s John Wiebenson Award by AIA DC. He is currently pursuing his MBA at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business, where he focuses on artificial intelligence and innovation strategy. Ruben is the co-founder and CEO of Sabana, an AI-powered platform that helps architects and engineers streamline product selection and specification workflows. Sabana was founded in 2024 with Saket Kulkarni and recently completed the Techstars AI Accelerator.

Watch Ruben Quesada's Pitch

What’s at Stake?
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Meet the Judges

A panel of top architects, AI pioneers, and investors will evaluate your idea.

Bradford J. Prestbo, FAIA

Principal, Director of Boston Office | Studio NYL

Bradford J. Prestbo, FAIA, is a leader in high-performance design, advanced technologies, and maker culture integration in architecture. An AIA Fellow, he leads the BSA MakeTANK and serves in AIA’s Technology in Architectural Practice community. He is also a sought-after speaker, educator, and mentor within the industry. 

Sam Zolfagharian, Ph.D.

President | YegaTech

Sam Zolfagharian, Ph.D., is a product leader with a background in R&D, skilled in leading global Agile projects and driving Autodesk partnerships. Her expertise in construction technologies and data analytics has contributed to $15B in industry cost savings.

Shaun Abrahamson 

Managing Partner | Third Sphere 

Shaun Abrahamson leads Urban Us, investing in startups tackling urban climate challenges. A seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor, he has built and exited ventures like MediaSentry and Starmedia Network. He holds an MSc from MIT, an MBA from the Berlin School of Creative Leadership, and is the author of Crowdstorm.

Casey Rehm

Coordinator, MS Architectural Technology | SCI-Arc

Casey Rehm is a designer and algorithmic consultant based in Los Angeles, with over a decade of architectural experience across New York, Berlin, London, and LA. He holds an MSAAD from Columbia University and a B.Arch from Carnegie Mellon. Currently, he teaches graduate design studios and seminars on programming and robotics at SCI-Arc.

Patrick Chopson, AIA

CPO and Co-founder | cove

Patrick Chopson is the CPO and Co-Founder of cove, an AI-powered architectural services firm, where he leads product development and research. A licensed architect with a Master’s in High Performance Buildings from Georgia Tech, he has 20+ years of experience in architecture, research, and mechanical engineering. He co-founded Pattern r+d, has been featured in major publications, and co-authored Build Like It’s the End of the World (2024).

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR PITCH

‎Competition Rules

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  • ORIGINAL WORK ONLY – All submissions must be 100% original and created by the entrant/team. No plagiarism allowed. 

  • NO CONFIDENTIAL DATA – Submissions must not contain proprietary or sensitive information unless publicly shareable. 

  • FINALISTS MUST PARTICIPATE – Selected finalists must be available for both: 

Submission Guidelines

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  • PITCH DECK (Max 5 slides): A structured visual summary of the idea.‎

  • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (1 page): Outlines the problem, solution, AI application, and impact. 

  • SUBMISSION FORMAT: PDF only (deck & summary).

  • DEADLINE: April 8, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET (no late submissions).

All files must be uploaded via our dedicated submission portal.

Who Can Enter?  

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  • Open to individuals or teams (max 5 members per team).

  • Must be at least 18 years old. 

  • Open to participants worldwide, except where prohibited by U.S. regulations

  • The pitch must be original work and not previously commercialized.

Judging Criteria (100 Points Max)
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FAQs

Watch the Future of AI in Architecture Unfold
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Register to Attend

Be part of the excitement! Watch five finalists pitch their AI-driven ideas in a live virtual event, judged by a panel of AI experts, venture capitalists, and architecture leaders. 

‎Winner announced live!

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