Innovators Shine at 3rd Annual Showcase
Over 1,000 gathered at the Annual Showcase to explore student innovations, sustainable building techniques and the growing impact of AI on the future of design and construction.
More than 1,000 students, faculty, staff and industry professionals gathered at the Rudder Theatre Complex on Thursday, Oct. 9, for the Texas A&M College of Architecture’s Annual Showcase. The daylong event showcased innovations ranging from robotic construction vests to ancient adobe techniques, demonstrating the wide range of research and creativity.
Hosted by the college, the Showcase is one of its biggest events of the year. It brings together people from across disciplines to explore how architecture, construction, landscape architecture and urban planning come together to improve the built environment.
Students Demonstrate Tomorrow’s Solutions
Visitors explored hands-on exhibits, live demonstrations and presentations throughout the day, with several projects drawing consistent crowds.
One popular demonstration featured several robotic vests designed to assist construction workers with demanding tasks like heavy lifting and painting ceilings. The project, Wearable Robots for Construction Safety Applications, aims to reduce injuries and improve worker health. After receiving feedback from industry professionals, the latest version now includes safety hooks and bright straps for better visibility.
Student research poster presentations also took center stage. Carrie Conton ’26, a master’s student in urban and regional planning, presented a plan using autonomous vehicles to improve public transportation in rural areas like Waller County. Her project focused on making transit more efficient and accessible for small communities.
Experts Address Real-World Collaboration
Faculty and industry experts joined the conversation through panels and presentations that bridged academic research with professional practice.
In Building Communities Together, professors from architecture, construction science, landscape architecture and urban planning discussed how working with local communities helps students connect classroom learning to real-world needs. The panel emphasized that the best solutions emerge when designers listen to the people who will actually use the spaces they create.
The Built Environment 101 panel brought together city officials, architects, construction managers and more experts to discuss how their fields intersect to create better places to live, work and learn. The cross-disciplinary conversation highlighted the complexity of modern building projects, where success depends on coordination across multiple specialties.
AI and the Future of Building
Technology emerged as a major theme throughout the day, culminating in the keynote address by Stephan Fabel from NVIDIA’s DGX Cloud. Fabel challenged the audience to recognize they're living through an industrial revolution powered by artificial intelligence.
To illustrate its impact, he pointed to the Stargate data center project in Abilene, Texas. Stargate is a $400 billion facility that was permitted in five days, compared to the typical five years, thanks to collaborative efforts between developers and city officials working around the clock.
But Fabel's most urgent message focused on people, not processors. Texas faces a skilled worker shortage so severe that Stargate had to source construction workers from 38 states. Data centers still need electricians, pipefitters, and HVAC technicians — jobs that aren't going away despite technological advances.
The challenge, he argued, is closing training gaps and ensuring communities have access to workforce development programs that prepare them for an AI-driven construction industry.
Recognizing Excellence
Following the keynote, the day concluded with a closing ceremony honoring standout participants:
- Anne McGowan-Schooler, instructional professor of construction science, won the Best Demonstration
- Amir Hossein Oliaee, a doctoral student in construction management, earned the Best Oral Presentation
- Architecture students Dariya Ghaffari ’27 and Daniel Velasquez '26 were recognized for the Best Poster Presentation
