SCI-Arc Students Honored in Metropolis Magazine’s 2025 Future100 Awards

SCI-Arc is proud to announce that three of its graduate students—Michael Lane Boldt, Kelly Dix Van, and Naseem Soltani—have been named to Metropolis magazine’s 2025 Future100 list, which honors the top graduating architecture and interior design students across North America. This recognition highlights their exceptional creativity, leadership, and commitment to shaping the future of the built environment.

Michael Lane Boldt – SPOLIA

Recipient of the 2024 SCI-Arc Gehry Prize, Michael Lane Boldt’s thesis project SPOLIA (Advisor: Casey Rehm), reimagines architecture as a system of cooperative material reuse. Constructed from the steel of decommissioned industrial plants, SPOLIA presents a building as a catalyst for spoliation and a system for the redistribution of commonwealth. The project reflects Boldt’s interdisciplinary approach, blending artificial intelligence, graphic design, material experimentation, music production, and political research.

Kelly Dix Van – Everyday, Popular Matters

Kelly Dix Van’s thesis, Everyday, Popular Matters (Advisor: Matthew Au), addresses the challenges of overbuilding and material scarcity in the built environment. The project explores methods for cataloging and redistributing end-of-life salvage building components, aiming to reevaluate material practices and promote sustainable construction. Dix Van’s work reflects a belief in architecture’s role in shaping how we live and interact with space.

Naseem Soltani – A Blank Archipelago

Naseem Soltani’s thesis, A Blank Archipelago (Advisor: David Eskenazi), critically examines the reconstruction of sites of erasure. The project challenges conventional approaches that rely on replication or futuristic facades, proposing instead a nuanced exploration of memory, identity, and architectural representation. Soltani’s work demonstrates a commitment to critical thought, compassion, and the creation of meaningful spaces.

The Future100 program, launched by Metropolis in 2021, connects top graduating students with leading architecture and design firms, providing a platform for emerging talent to gain industry recognition and professional opportunities. This year’s cohort includes students from some of the most esteemed design programs in the United States and Canada.

SCI-Arc congratulates Michael Lane Boldt, Kelly Dix Van, and Naseem Soltani on this well-deserved recognition and looks forward to their continued contributions to the field of architecture.

For more information and to view the full list of winners, visit Metropolis Magazine’s Future100 Architecture Graduate Winners.