Erwin-Ramsey Fellowship
overview
The 2025 submission period is open!
New for 2025: Qualified candidates in the architecture schools at the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, James Madison University, and Hampton University are invited to apply.
About the Fellowship
Each summer, brwarchitects hosts the Erwin-Ramsey Fellowship for graduate and fourth-year undergraduate Architecture students at various institutions in Central Virginia. The Fellowship is aimed at deepening architectural contributions to the city of Charlottesville, where our firm has worked for the past 40 years. One Fellowship is awarded each year.
What to Expect
During this intensive three- or four-week program, the Fellow will design a research project focused on addressing a community need for residents of Charlottesville. brwarchitects will provide the Fellow with resources and mentorship, as well as a network of professional and community relationships. Each Fellowship culminates in a presentation, workshop, or other public event, designed by the Fellow, as well as a final project deliverable.
The selected Fellow will be expected to report in-person to our studio in Charlottesville for the duration of the Fellowship and will be compensated for their participation. At this time, we are unable to provide housing accomodations.
Applications are due by 5pm on March 31, 2025. Visit the link below for submission details.
2023 Erwin-Ramsey Fellow
Jo Blount, M. Arch UVa
Jo was raised in Charlottesville and has been involved in organizing efforts focusing on tenants’ associations, anti-gentrification, and community-led redevelopment in different regions. Currently, Jo is a part-time staff member at the Public Housing Association of Residents (PHAR) while pursuing her Master’s degree at UVA.
The 2023 Fellowship addressed a critical aspect of Charlottesville’s development: the commitment to racial equity and affordable housing goals in the Comprehensive Plan update and Rezoning process. Jo used her fellowship to create resources for the community engagement networks that had been established through the Cville Plans Together (CPT) Initiative.
What impressed us about Jo’s proposal is how firmly it’s rooted in existing community movements and resources. Like our resident-led design processes in Southwood and South First Street, Jo places community members at the forefront of her project, directly addressing the needs they have expressed.
Brandon Eley (B.Arch UVa ’22)
2022 Erwin-Ramsey Fellow
Extended to four weeks for the first time, the 2022 Fellowship Program developed strategies to engage underserved youth and teen populations through the built environment. Brandon spent a substantial part of his fellowship working directly with Charlottesville teens as well as as directors of teen programs in the area. The resulting project outlined small, medium, and large-scale strategies: everyday placemaking interventions, Charlottesville fellowship programs for teens, and site development strategies for architects and developers throughout the city.
Gabriel Andrade (B.Arch UVa ’21)
2021 Erwin-Ramsey Fellow
Gabriel explored the ways that we as a community feel ownership over public spaces. Focusing on common public spaces such as alleys, streets, or under trees, Gabriel assembled a ‘catalog’ of everyday/guerrilla interventions using common objects to create this sense of ownership. The Fellowship culminated in a walking tour through the Downtown Mall, using objects to remake the alleys and streets we normally overlook.
Taha Suhrawardy (M.Arch UVa ’20)
2020 Erwin-Ramsey Fellow
The 2020 Fellowship Program explored the ways that community agriculture can contribute to land-use strategies in order to reinforce the wellbeing and food security of resident-led redevelopment projects in Charlottesville. Working with our resident relationships and existing food justice initiatives, Taha applied his interest in community health and gardens and his Architecture background to Charlottesville’s development projects specifically.
Amanda Harlow (B. Arch UVa ‘20)
2019 Erwin-Ramsey Fellow
Amanda developed a Curriculum for faith congregations in Charlottesville whose missions align with affordable housing and caring for the homeless and aging populations. This immersive research project data-mapped potential sites for developing affordable housing and translated the City development process into an accessible tutorial. The resulting Curriculum assists communities of faith in identifying their opportunities and resources, becoming familiar with the development and design process, and implementing affordable housing as part of their mission.