Drexel University’s Hillel House is sheathed in local red brick forming an abstract menorah that terraces down to the street. Arranged on four interconnected levels, the square building has thickened side walls which contain services, and four central columns which structure the middle, front, and rear.

The jury praised the beautiful consistency throughout the project—from the entrance, through the building, to the quiet & reflective retreat on the roof. The jurors also enjoyed the restraint of the building—designed with the fabric and texture of the city in mind—and the structure’s refreshing façade. The design has succeeded in playing with meaningful iconography and abstracting it in architectural terms.