Hanna Anderson has dreamed of becoming an architect since she was a ninth grader growing up in Sweden. Her innovative design for a community center, developed in her architecture class at Palomar College, recently was honored by a national organization of architects.

Anderson, 22, was the only community college student selected for a Student Design Award by the Society of American Registered Architects, a professional organization of architects and industry partners. She received the award May 2 at the organization’s conference in Los Angeles.

Anderson’s design, called Golden Rhythm Hall, envisions a community center where people can create music, hang out at a café, or study. The project is inspired by the golden ratio, with proportions that are aesthetically pleasing and provide excellent acoustics.

Joseph Lucido, department chair of the Design and Manufacturing Tech – Architecture program, said he was thrilled that Anderson was honored for her project.

“This beautifully conceived design draws inspiration from the golden ratio, translating timeless proportional principles into a compelling architectural experience,” he said. “Hanna’s ability to merge mathematical harmony with spatial performance results in a design that is both elegant and deeply experiential.”

Anderson was living with her family in a Swedish town west of Stockholm when she visited her older brother’s engineering high school. In Sweden, students are expected to choose their majors by ninth grade.

She said her brother’s school had a program called environmental design that featured models of houses. Anderson said she liked being able to combine her artistic interests with the science of designing a building and enrolled in the high school to pursue architecture.

When she graduated from high school in 2023, she decided to come to the United States for college. Her mother had previously worked as an au pair with a family in Escondido, so she decided to move there and enroll at Palomar College.

“I randomly chose Palomar College and it was a great fit,” Anderson said. “It has one of the best architecture programs I could have chosen.”

For a class assignment, students were asked to create a community building, such as a center, library or sports center. Anderson said the sloping shape of her design of her center was inspired by the Oslo Opera House. In her city, a community center provided a place where students could practice music or play in a band.

“It was a very good addition to the community and our culture,” she said. “I wanted to do something like that.”

The award has cemented Anderson’s plans to pursue Palomar College’s bachelor’s degree in building performance and environmental design after she earns her associate degree in architecture next spring.

She’s looking forward to a career in architecture where she can create more innovative building designs.

“With architecture, I like that you can actually change a community or an individual’s life,” she said.