NOMA Celebrates 17 Summers of Project Pipeline

Noma Project Pipeline
NOMA Project Pipeline

By Pansy Schulman

This summer, the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) celebrated the 17th year of Project Pipeline, a nationwide network of design education summer camps for BIPOC youth. Founded in 2006 in Cincinnati as a way to cultivate a pathway for more licensed Black architects, the annual program has introduced over 20,000 students to the fields of architecture and design. Today, 31 cities host Project Pipeline, with the largest camps held in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Central Texas.

The curriculum, which was formalized in 2012, encompasses topics such as urban and neighborhood development, drawing and sketching, and design software, and caters to students from grades 6 through 12. At the end of the week-long program, which includes field trips and site visits, students present a project that addresses an issue in their own city.