Jason Rohal Kent State Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative graduate student | 23
Why he’s interesting … As an undergrad at the University of Cincinnati, Rohal and two other students won the Archipelago Competition in France for their underwater designs. The international competition was open to students and professional architects. Now his attention is on Cleveland’s urban landscape.
Water works … The winning project was a design for an underwater hotel and eco-resort off the coast of Belize and was featured on the Discovery Channel.
Light them up … Rohal is part of a group working with the city of Cleveland to light the Guardians of Traffic on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. “They’re one of my favorite pieces of infrastructure in the city of Cleveland.”
Building philosophy … “There is no such thing as a perfect building.” But he says the ideal structure should stand the test of time, function properly and be beautiful.
Be like Mike … A conversation with Michael Symon several years ago while dining at the former Lola inspired Rohal to come back to Cleveland and utilize his talents in his hometown rather than move to New York or Chicago.
Scuba skill set … One of the best things he’s done is learn to scuba dive so he could help build a miniature of his project in the pool. He is now a certified diver.
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