Charlotte OUR Scholar Jordan Harrelson Motivated To Contribute Something Larger Than Himself
Nearly 100 undergraduate students recently presented projects at UNC Charlotte’s 2025 Honors Research Symposium. Among them was fourth-year @cltarchitecture student Jordan Harrelson.
@jordanharrelson was an Office of Undergraduate Research (@clt_our) scholar this fall, working with architecture professor Jeff Balmer to further his research into the Italian architect Luigi Moretti.
“I became an OUR Scholar to pursue independent research that allowed me to combine my interests in architectural history, writing, critical analysis, and design thinking while working closely with a faculty mentor,” Jordan said. “I was also motivated by the opportunity to contribute to something larger than myself, and it was a really rewarding and fruitful process.”
Built during Mussolini’s Fascist regime, Moretti’s Casa della Gioventù Italiana del Littorio (House of the Italian Youth) was later altered, obscuring elements of the original design.
Using contemporary modeling software, Jordan worked with archival sketches and blueprints to create a detailed set of architectural drawings, the first complete visual record of the original building.
“I was most interested in examining how architecture can serve as a tool for communication and control,” Jordan said. “The Casa della GIL reveals how the built environment was used to influence an entire population through its function as a Fascist youth center in Trastevere, Rome.”
Jordan will join Prof. Balmer and 20+ architecture students this upcoming semester for the SoA Rome + Istanbul study abroad program (@rsoa_roma).
“I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to see this building in person during my time there.”
After graduation next May, he will pursue a Master of Architecture and “build a career focused on architectural preservation and sustainability.”
Congratulations, Jordan!