When architect Christopher Arelt sat down at the Blueprints & Brews sketch challenge at this year's AIA Conference on Architecture in Boston, he wasn’t expecting to draw something as whimsical as “a door at the edge of the world." But his playful burst of creativity was precisely what earned him the Grand Prize in this unique booth event hosted by Clopay Corporation.  

“As soon as I heard about the event, the competitive juices began to flow,” said Arelt. “A love for drawing is no small part of why I am an architect, and I appreciated all the thoughtful touches, especially the ‘blueprint’ paper with white pencils.” 

During the Blueprints & Brews competition, participants were seated at The Drafting Bar and given a blue napkin and a white pencil to illustrate a random prompt generated by a spin of The Beantown Brainstorm Wheel. The contest went for six rounds and included thought-provoking drawing prompts that honored Boston’s architectural spirit, such as designing a building shaped like a lobster and reimaging Fenway Park as a floating structure. Illustrations produced during each round were then displayed on The Wall of Wicked Smart Design.  

Arelt’s winning sketch showed a flying car exiting a VertiStack® Clear inspired door out into a galaxy of stars and planets. For his winning submission, he received a custom mid-century-style illustration of one of his favorite projects produced by freelance artist Ron Schiding. Arelt selected his Greystone project located along the coast of Connecticut, a contemporary expression of timeless New England forms and materials that exemplifies state-of-the-art construction. Arelt plans to display the framed Greystone illustration at the world headquarters of his firm Nautilus Architects in Old Lyme, CT. 

When asked how the relationship between architects and manufacturers benefits the design process, Arelt said he depends on manufacturers for their technical expertise. “Clopay knows more about their products than I do, so I look to them early in a project’s development to find the right solution and make sure it’s integrated.”  

Adrienne Reitz, Director of Marketing Communications at Clopay Corporation, noted events like Blueprints & Brews at AIA ‘25 are an important part of building relationships with architects like Arelt and are a great opportunity for mutual inspiration.  

“Architects and designers get to see our latest product innovations and explore where and how to use them, and we gain insight into how they think and how we can push our own creative boundaries,” said Reitz. “It’s a blast!” 

“It was an exhilarating experience and accomplishment,” said Arelt. “It quickly became the highlight of my day at the convention!”