38°84: Issue 003, Special Edition, Spring 2021

stories of design + place

stories of design + place

THE FUTURE OF THE COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Spring 2021 Issue 003

SPECIAL EDITION ISSUE 003

THE NEW COLLEGE OF DESIGN

The Dean Distilled

Make No Small Plans

Photo by Mark Cornelison/UK

Now... I think of three things: the plight and opportunity of a pandemic; the sadness and enlightenment of our current civil unrest; and the brilliant moment, in front of us, for common ground.

This issue of 38°84 is the result of years of dedicated work to reimagine the College of Design. You will see details of the physical building within these pages yet in tandem lies an atmospheric and cultural shift in paradigm. The opportunity of the building is this: to use space and technology to change the culture. We bring the shop forward, and not just spatially to the front and center of the building. We also bring the concept of making, in a visible and holistic way, to the first-year experience of all students in the College, as a means of common grounding.

We bring students in all disciplines together into communal space, rehabilitating our internal house and then extending an invitation to the further reaches of the Commonwealth, the region and the world. We change our recruitment aim, and we actively engage with other entities on campus – beginning with the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the College of Medicine, and the Department of Landscape Architecture. With the launch of our new Department of Product Design in 2020, we further enhance our history and future of land-grant service in developing realworld deliverables to our most pressing challenges.

In our marathon to arrive at this moment, Corbin Keech, a member of the Studio Gang team, reminded me of the Chicago urban legend and often-quoted “make no little plans” attributed to architect Daniel Burnham:

“Make no little plans...Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever- growing insistency...’’

The moment is here – within the walls of an adapted reuse landmark, we embrace our role not just as preservationists, but as polyculturalists, those enlisting open space and the act of making as the instruments of unity and equality.

Mitzi R. Vernon, Dean i

The Dean Distilled

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The Dean Distilled

Make No Small Plans

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Issue 003 SPECIAL EDITION

So, where did 38°84 come from?

Geographically, the latitude and longitude

The Magazine of the College of Design at the University of Kentucky

of the University of Kentucky is:

Dean Mitzi R. Vernon

38.0406° N, 84.5037° W

Editor Julie Wilson

We trimmed that down to keep things

Designer Daniel Livingston

simple, but the essence is the same: we are here to celebrate the Bluegrass Region and the impact our college, our university, our city and our state has upon the world.

Direct comments or questions to: Director of Communications UK College of Design 112 Pence Hall Lexington, KY 40506-0041

Our design students are taking what they learn here and translating it into projects

@UKCoD

that can have a global impact. We start at

@ukcod

38°84, but it won’t stop here.

@cod_uky

38°84 is published for alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the College of Design at the University of Kentucky.

Copyright ©2021. All rights reserved. 38°84 Vol 3, Spring 2021. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the College of Design at the University of Kentucky. Want to make sure your name is on the alumni list to receive future issues of 38°84? Send inquiries to paige.sherman@uky.edu.

The University of Kentucky is committed to a policy of providing opportunities to people regardless of economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, veteran status, or physical or mental disability.

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Table of Contents

Features

Contents

014 Requiem: David Biagi

028 CoD+PPE

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SPECIAL SECTION THE FUTURE OF THE COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Introducing Product Design

THE NEW COLLEGE OF DESIGN

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034

Introduction

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A Case Study in Adaptive Reuse

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Studio 38°84: Virtual Summer Camp

Floor Plans for the New Building

058

036

New Building, New Neighbors

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Social Space

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Open Studio Space

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Hacking the Studio Desk

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Polycultural Shift

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BUILDING FEATURES

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Common First Year Studio

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Departments

Office Offset: COVID Office Pods The Dean Distilled

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AT A GLANCE What’s New at the College of Design

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Entrepreneurial Project Studios

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The Kentucky You Should Know

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Maker’s Suite

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Fabrication Dock and Environmental Canopy

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Boiler Maker Yard

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STUDENTS Student Achievements

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Student Work

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The Clearing Stair

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NOMAS Comes to Campus

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The Forum

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An International Perspective

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Center for History, Theory & Preservation

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BUILDING TEAM

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Design Philanthropy Team

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Design Team

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Studio Gang

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K. Norman Berry Associates Architects

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NAMING OPPORTUNITIES

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ALUMNI New Heights for Preservation

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Alumni Spotlight: Randall Stevens

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FACULTY Faculty Research

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Honorable Mentions

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EVENTS

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End of Year Show

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Firm-to-Studio

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Design Career Fair

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Naming Opportunities Map

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Great Meadows

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Additional Information & Updates

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AT A G L A N C E

What’s New at the College of Design 4

What's New at the College of Design

SoA Director Johnson Publishes New Book School of Architecture Director Jeffrey Johnson recently published the new book, “The China Lab Guide to Megablock Urbanism.”

Johnson served as co-editor with Cressica Brazier and Tat Lam. Superblocks are the basic unit of China’s urban development, but they are also spatial instruments with social, cultural, environmental, and economic implications, operating between the scales of architecture and the city. These redefined “Megablocks” then become laboratories for the consequences, opportunities, and potential global proliferation of Chinese urban models, reconsidered through the filters of ecology, economics, and ethics. As the world continues to urbanize, the book positions the Megablock in its variety of hybrid forms as a promise of an adaptable model for future urbanization. It includes contributions from renowned architects, scholars, and urbanists, like Steven Holl, Yung Ho Chang, and Jun Jiang.

“Despite its negative impacts, China’s dominant model for new housing developments – self-contained gated superblock communities – offers a starting point for the reconsideration of mass urban housing and possible hybrid forms. The superblock is both architecture and urbanism, and it provides the basic DNA for large-scale urban development in China,” said Johnson.

The book is co-published by Actar Publishers and Columbia University GSAPP. 38º84

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AT A G L A N C E

CoD Offers New Online Certificate in Digital Design Literacy The Undergraduate Certificate in Digital Design Literacy is a four-course (12 credit hour) program offered by the College of Design. The core value of the online Digital Design Literacy certificate is the belief that digital literacy and good design can enhance the vitality, effectiveness and impact of any project.

Developed and led by School of Architecture Associate Professor Liz Swanson, the program offers a suite of courses that can serve students and professionals throughout the Commonwealth, allowing enrollees to harness the power of design technologies for their professional growth and personal use. The program requires students to successfully complete four of the five courses that can be taken in any order. These include: a discussion course that introduces students to the vocabulary of visual culture, representation, and implications of visual culture in the digital age; and four technical courses that facilitate the creation of high-impact digital products. Students will learn how to read and create powerful images, cultivate a message using various online platforms, and use digital techniques to fabricate three-dimensional prototypes. Upon completion, students will be able to engage the digital world with confidence.

Courses include: ARC 280: Visual Culture in a Digital Age A-S 280: Introduction to Photographic Literacy DES 285: Visual Storytelling DES 380: DIY Maker: Using Digital Technology to Make Things DES 385: Understanding Websites The program leverages leading-edge technologies and existing online platforms to address the emergent need for both digital fluency and design savvy. From establishing a resonant online presence to capitalizing on the availability of DIY software and tools, digital design and literacy online is increasingly essential for entrepreneurs and creatives alike.

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What's New at the College of Design

College of Design Collaborates with CAFÉ to Create Winchester Design Studio As the second off-site studio in the College’s repertoire – the first being Studio Louisville – Design Studio Winchester was developed to allow students and faculty to address design and community development issues in an immersive environment. The studio is run from a storefront on the town’s Main Street.

Launched last fall as a collaboration between the University of Kentucky and the City of Winchester, Design Studio Winchester formed as a joint effort between the College of Design and the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), specifically its Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky (CEDIK). Teams from both colleges work together with Winchester’s government and business communities to address community engagement and economic development opportunities.

Eugene Poole Receives Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award Eugene Poole, a 1985 alum of the School of Architecture, received the Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Award for the College of Design at the 29th Annual Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Awards Luncheon Ceremony last fall. This award is given to an African American alum of the College whose faith, hard work, and determination has positively impacted the lives of people on campus, the city, state, or nation. This recognition was particularly special this year as UK commemorated the 70th anniversary of Lyman T. Johnson who was the first African American student to attend the University of Kentucky back in 1949.

Poole is the United States Capitol Jurisdiction Executive, Sr. Project Executive/COTR in Washington D.C. He is a designer with over 25 years of design, construction, and executive level leadership experience.

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AT A G L A N C E

Welcome to New Faculty & Guests Bringing with them a wealth of design experience, these new faculty members and visiting scholars are enabling the College to provide a broader range of offerings to prepare its students for a diversified field of design.

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What's New at the College of Design

Mustafa Al-Alwani

Leonardo Fuchs

Al-Alwani is practiced in sustainable urban design and architecture, with experience in both decision-making strategies and policy making. In 2010, Al-Alwani worked on redeveloping the city of Babylon depending on the concept of sustainability and sustainable development. In 2014, he worked at the University of Babylon as a professor where he published many research papers in the field of sustainability and smart cities. Currently, he is a Visiting Research Scholar in the College of Design, working with professors Jeffrey Johnson and Jeff Fugate on many projects, including about COVID-19 within cities, featuring Lexington as its case study.

Fuchs is an architect and urbanist from Brazil living in the U.S. His work investigates architecture and form as a locus of politics, intertwining writing, drawing and design. Fuchs graduated with honors from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and earned his Master of Architecture degree from Yale University. After recently graduating, he is developing BRUMA, an interdisciplinary practice, and teaching at University of Kentucky School of Architecture. He was a curatorial member of the Brazilian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale and co-curates Reframing Brazil – Brasil de Outras Formas, a traveling exhibition to be inaugurated at the Yale Architecture Gallery.

Haviland Argo, AIA

Ingrid Schmidt

Argo holds degrees in architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and the College of Design at the University of Kentucky where he was a Gaines Center for the Humanities Fellow. He has worked in the offices of Gray Construction, OMA, WorkAC, and REX. Argo served as project manager and on-site owner’s representative for 21c Museum Hotels in Louisville, Cincinnati, Durham, and Lexington and is currently constructing an agritourism destination at Hermitage Farm in Oldham County, Kentucky, focusing on food, bourbon, horses, and art.

An Assistant Professor in the School of Interiors and the School of Architecture, Schmidt is a multidisciplinary designer and co-founder of SUBSTUDIO. Her research aims to challenge perceptual boundaries through the construction of finely tuned visual and textural elements. Her work relies on full-scale material experimentation to test the emotional and social impacts of highly stimulating, sometimes obliviating environments. She brings her practice into the classroom through introductory design exercises, learning through making, and film analysis as a critical reflection of our built environment.

Aanya Chugh

Schmidt holds an M.Arch from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a B.S.Arch from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. She has seven years of professional experience working for artists, architects, and interior designers including Heather McGill, Anderson Architects, and Michael McInturf Architects. Her work has been exhibited at the Detroit Month of Design, as a part of the Chicago Architecture Biennale, and at Movement electronic music festival.

An Instructor in the School of Architecture, Chugh is a designer, strategist and educator based in New York City. She received her bachelor’s degree in architecture at Barnard College and a Master of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Chugh began her career as an architect at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, where she collaborated on the renovation of the historically landmarked 1271 Avenue of the Americas. Over the last five years, Chugh has continually served as a guest critic at institutions like Columbia GSAPP and Harvard GSD, and is concurrently teaching in the architecture B.Arch program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Hannah Dewhirst A Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Interiors and the School of Architecture, Dewhirst is a designer, co-founder of SUBSTUDIO. She received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Michigan and a Master of Architecture from Cranbrook Academy of Art. She brings to the table 8+ years of professional experience working for award-winning firms such as Steven Holl Architects, Rafael Viñoly Architects, and Gensler.

Susana Verdi New to the School of Interiors, Verdi’s experience lies in humanspace interaction and the psychology behind it all. She began her career as a graphic designer in Caracas, Venezuela, where she owned a small studio for six years designing for artistic nonprofit organizations. After moving to the U.S., Verdi was influenced by architects and designers such as Victor Papanek and Frank Lloyd Wright that inspired her to design in a more transcendental way. Today her experience focuses on the planning and design of healthcare and corporate facilities as well as high-level expertise in design concept development, renderings, designing presentations for the clients, and interviews for potential projects.

Dewhirst uses light and water as primary mediums, sensory deprivation, immersion, and mythology to create otherworldly experiences. The process of making is a vital act of discovery, wherein experience and intuition, alongside digital fabrication processes and material experimentation allow for an ongoing feedback loop.

Her work has been exhibited at the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Cranbrook Art Museum, Movement Electronic Music Festival, and Detroit’s Month of Design.

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AT A G L A N C E

THE KENTUCKY YOU SHOULD KNOW The Somewhere Project explores the history and potential future of the Appalachian region 10

The Kentucky You Should Know

Kentucky, famous for its thoroughbreds and rolling farmland, also has a scarred landscape of coal-mined hills to acknowledge. Located in the Appalachian region of Eastern Kentucky, what place do these coal mines serve in a post-industrial America?

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AT A G L A N C E

That was the question posed to the students of The Somewhere Project, a design studio in the College of Design, as they considered how to transform a prototypical mine site in the Appalachian Basin in Kentucky into a contemporary arts institution. And what constitutes a cultural “institution” was also up for interpretation.

Essentially, students had to determine what to replant – physically and culturally – in an area blighted by decades of extraction.

Led by School of Architecture Assistant Professor Brent Sturlaugson, Director Jeffrey Johnson, and cofounders of NYC-based Only If Architecture Adam Frampton and Karolina Czeczek, The Somewhere Project studio was formed through a partnership

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with Somewhere Appalachia, an initiative established

by Brook Smith that redevelops former Kentucky coal mines with an arts destination. Their vision is to see Eastern Kentucky as a place of unique thriving local economies that enhance the existing natural and cultural assets of the region and offer economic opportunity for all people while keeping ownership, assets and wealth rooted in local communities.

Students from The Somewhere Project studio explore sites in Eastern Kentucky and engage with stakeholders and members of the community.

“The Somewhere Project combined the School of Architecture’s efforts to reimagine the studio experience with our intrinsic goal of community engagement,” said School of Architecture Director Jeffrey Johnson. “Since the University of Kentucky stands at the threshold to the Appalachia region, we felt this collaboration would enlighten students to the potential of investing in such a culturally rich area.”

The Kentucky You Should Know

Examples of student work exploring ways existing sites could be adapted for contemporary use.

The research-driven studio had students focus on long-term architectural concepts for the area, using existing buildings and landscapes – including the Straight Creek mining site in Bell County, Kentucky – as their guide. (Two students’ project from the studio earned them an award from Virtual Design Festival, see page 18.)

Students were also asked to design a space for Cripplewood (Kreupelhout) (2012-2013), a 59-foot wax sculpture of a fallen tree created by the artist Berlinde de Bruyckere; the artist originally exhibited the piece at the 2013 Venice Biennale and agreed to permanently display the work within a coal mining site through Somewhere Appalachia. The work may be displayed alongside the work of local folk artists, emphasizing the uniqueness of Appalachian culture.

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“For it to find its final and permanent resting place in the Appalachian Mountains, a landscape that was wounded by intensive mining, healing slowly over time, and now injected by this act of kindness, of hope, renewal and restoration is just perfect,” the artist wrote in a statement.

The final component was for students to speculate on the potential feasibility and benefit of tourism connected to the cultural institution they design in this rural context. This immersive studio project gave students the opportunity to address the ripple effects of design, from social impact to fiscal policies to cultural heritage.

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Biagi and family in the home he designed and built in Todds Point, KY.

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Photo by Scott Utterback/The Courier-Journal

Requiem - David Biagi

David Biagi, an internationally recognized architect and full professor at the University of Kentucky, age 60, died of thyroid cancer on October 20, 2019, at his home in Todds Point, Kentucky.

Requiem:

David Biagi David Biagi was the inaugural director of the School of Architecture at the University of Kentucky’s College of Design (2003-2016), Interim Dean of the College of Design (2007-2008), and the Director of Studio Louisville, the College’s first satellite studio (2017-2019). He earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree at the University of Kentucky in 1982, and his Master of Architecture degree in 1987 from The Ohio State University. After graduate school, Biagi worked for several years in New York City at the acclaimed firms of Eisenman Architects and Gwathmey Siegel Architects where he honed his visionary design skills.

In 1996, Biagi was selected for the “40 Under 40” list (the top 40 architects under the age of 40 in the United States), named once every 10 years, at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. He was a 16-year member and past president of the Kentucky Board of Architects and also served on the National Council of Architectural Registration Board as chair of the education committee, as a juror, and as a representative.

were acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2019 as an example of early experiments in computation.

And while his accomplishments were many, it is perhaps his legendary support for the College and his colleagues that may leave the most lasting impression.

“David was one of the most aspirational people I met when I arrived as dean in 2015,” said Dean Mitzi Vernon. “I realized quickly that he shaped the most of what he had into good will but with critical clarity about his standards for good citizenship and design.”

Biagi’s efforts to help the College realize its dream of a new building lasted until his very last days. “He had been working hand-in-glove with me for months on fundraising strategies, showing up for meetings, often every week — astonishing,” she said.

And as we come upon this milestone move for the College, we honor David and his endless dedication.

In 2014, he received The Ohio State University, College of Engineering, Knowlton School of Architecture, Distinguished Alumni Award. Digital architectural renderings Biagi created while in graduate school

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A drawing from Biagi’s time in graduate school, now part of the collection at MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

FACING PAGE, clockwise from top: David Biagi with studio; The Kentucky Native Café, designed by Biagi and Bruce Swetnam; David with his family — wife Tricia and children Sophia and Leo; Biagi was integral to the development and launch of Studio Louisville, a satellite studio in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville, KY; Biagi at the MoMA Artist Party in 2019.

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Requiem - David Biagi

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ST U D E N T S

Student Achievements The Somewhere Project Named Top 10 Projects in Virtual Design Festival The Somewhere Project by School of Architecture students Jane Foote and Lexi Bowling was recently named one of the top 10 most innovative projects

by Virtual Design Festival. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Virtual Design Festival created this platform for graduates to share their work in place of their traditional shows.

More than 50 schools around the world participated in this event, with this UK School of Architecture project chosen as one of the most interesting. Foote and Bowling’s Somewhere Project imagines an educational center and museum located on an abandoned coal mine in Eastern Kentucky. Read more about The Somewhere Project on page 10.

MUED Graduate Student Montre’ale Jones Receives Multiple Honors Congratulations to Montre’ale Jones, who earned the Leadership Award from the Lewis Honors College during its Spring 2020 Medal Ceremony virtually for graduates on May 7. The Leadership Award is given to a graduating senior who has excelled in leadership positions at the university, department, college, or community level. Jones was also the recipient of the Torch Bearer Award at the 29th annual Lyman T. Johnson Torch of Excellence Awards in fall 2019.

This honor is given to a student in each college whose academic achievement and ability positively impacts the lives of others. See page 20 for details on Jones’ work with the College’s chapter of NOMAS. 18

CoD Students Place in Photo Contest Congratulations to Lawson Dyson, Allison Peterson and Tori Vaughn. These College of Design students each earned 3rd place prizes in UK Confucius Institute’s 2020 “China in My Lens” photo contest.

An image from the Somewhere Project

by SOA students Jane Foote and Lexi Bowling.

UK students, faculty and staff, as well as local high school students and state educators who have visited China, were able to enter.

SOI Student Wins UK Oswald Research and Creativity Competition Congratulations to third year School of Interiors student Emily Andreasson who earned first place in the 2019-20 UK Oswald Research and Creativity Competition. The competition award is the outcome of Andreasson’s research project titled “Remembering Wonder: Research on Alternative Play and Memorial Structures.”

Andreasson carried out summer research toward the design of a contemplative playscape on the grounds of the Lexington Friends Preschool campus to honor the memory of esteemed faculty member and LFP community member Sarah West. This effort is part of a larger research endeavor by professors Lindsey Fay and Jordan Hines who were recently awarded the College of Design Research and Creative Activities Program Grant from the University of Kentucky. The work continued as part of a collaborative studio spring 2020 between the School of Interiors and the School of Architecture.

Student Achievements

Above, clockwise from top: Montre’ale Jones is the recipient of multiple awards for leadership and positive impact; photos submitted to the “China in My Lens” contest by Allison Peterson, Tori Vaughn and Lawson Dyson.

Left: Emily Andreasson earned first place in the Oswald Research and Creativity Competition for her project “Remembering Wonder.”

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ST U D E N T S

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Student Work A Mason Gohde, Product Design first year B Katherine White, Architecture first year C Isaac Peck, Architecture first year D Julia Murphy, Interiors second year E Luci Wilder, ARC 499 furniture elective F Mackenzie Donachie, Interiors fourth year G Sophie Gershtenson, Interiors second year H Emerson Mudd, Architecture third year I Sarah Hannah, Architecture third year J Megan Quish, Interiors first year K Lawson Dyson, Interiors third year L Jolyn Nicole Dorris, Architecture first year M Lauren Henning, Architecture first year 20

Student Work

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Student Work A Fraiza Hyder, Architecture first year B Grace Tankersly, Interiors first year C Caden Worley, Product Design first year D Madison Hoover, Interiors second year E Gregory Willett, Architecture graduate F Emily Andreasson, Interiors fourth year G Haidyn Williams, Interiors second year H Jordan Day, Studio Louisville Fall 2019 I Danika Hak, Interiors first year J Katie Plummer, Architecture second year

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ST U D E N T S

Students bring NOMAS chapter to the University of Kentucky

In 2018, Montre’ale Jones and Kiara Merriweather – both recent alumni of the School of Architecture – knew all about building models. They also knew that, as people of color, seeing themselves reflected in the population of the College was essential to their education. With this in mind, the two set their sights on building a stronger model of diversity for the College of Design.

“We were longing for a different kind of design space,” said Jones, “a diverse space with a different type of empowerment.”

With the support of School of Architecture professors Bruce Swetnam and Jill Leckner, and Student Affairs Officer Sipera Simons, Jones and Merriweather led the charge to establish a chapter of NOMAS – the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students – at the University of Kentucky.

NOMAS is the student chapter subset of NOMA – the National Organization of Minority Architects – whose mission is “to empower our local chapters and membership to foster justice and equity in communities of color through outreach, community advocacy, professional development and design excellence.” The

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organization is driven to minimize the effect of racism in the architecture profession.

Using this philosophy as motivation, Jones and Merriweather attended the NOMA annual conference in fall 2019 then registered the NOMAS chapter as an official UK student organization in spring 2020.

In October, Jones – who is now in the Master of Science in Urban and Environmental Design (MUED) program in the College – was even appointed to the NOMAS National Executive Board as the New National Student Representative for 2020-2022.

Grateful for these students’ foresight, Associate Dean for Students Bruce Swetnam continues to support their efforts to bring additional outlets for diversity into the College. “I couldn’t be more delighted that Montre’ale and Kiara pushed forward to make something new happen,” he said. “Their voices, and the ones that come after, will benefit us all as we strive for inclusivity. Their work is an indispensable part of the College’s new future.”

As with most of 2020’s plans, COVID disrupted their plans for an enterprising launch yet Gabriella Rivera,

Equity And Diversity in Design

Montre’ale Jones, left, and Kiara Merriweather, above, launched NOMAS at UK in spring 2020.

the 2020-21 President of the UK chapter, has continued to see interest from students. “COVID kind of slowed everything down but students, they’re really excited for it,” she said. “They are looking for something a little different… community, an opportunity to be together.”

NOMA is a small organization, just over 2,000 members nationwide, but Jones wants students to know that its impact can be great. He is a strong advocate for the networking opportunities students can experience, whether at the national conference, the fellowship program, even a job bank. “I get emails about new job postings – from designers to project managers – every day at 1 a.m.,” said Jones. “Once I graduate all I have to do is access this job bank! It’s not like I’m competing with a bunch of other people.”

Started as an outlet for people of color in design, UK’s NOMAS chapter is currently exploring ways to engage students outside of their membership base.

“Since I’ve been president, I know people who aren’t of color really want to be engaged,” said Rivera. “Just

like the NOMAS website says, design is the connection to everyone.”

For Jones, he sees the chapter as a way to have honest conversations about race. “We really want NOMAS to have spaces where everyone can continue those conversations like Black Lives Matter, so it’s not really a surprise,” he said.

When starting the chapter, Jones and Merriweather wanted the foundation to be about race, to create safe spaces for minorities. Then after that, the goal is to invite people not of color to join the conversation. “We want to start having different pockets of spaces where people don’t have to be afraid to ask questions,” Jones explained. “This is something you can’t get in class, it’s another educational piece you don’t normally get.”

Next fall, NOMAS will be celebrating its 50th anniversary at its national conference in Detroit, and Rivera hopes to send students so they can return to UK and encourage others to participate.

Follow the UK NOMAS chapter on Instagram: @uk_nomas_chapter 38º84

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AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE 26

An International Perspective

ST U D E N T S Nashia Olise and Lade Akinyemiju, two SOA students from Nigeria, were unable to return to their home country in spring 2020 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

CoD students from abroad share their pandemic experience In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic made itself known in the United States, forcing the University of Kentucky, among other schools, to make a major shift in its instruction methods. So instead of studio, College of Design students retreated to their homes to finish the Spring 2020 semester.

Most students anyway.

For two CoD students, that trip home was deemed impossible. Lade Akinyemiju, a graduate student, and Nashia Olise, an undergraduate, both in the School of Architecture, are coincidentally, both from Nigeria. Their home – a 6,000-mile trip from Lexington to this African country – had closed its borders to all international flights because of the pandemic, which meant they were forced to stay in Lexington.

“It gets lonely and unnerving at times, but having professors who are mindful, compassionate and understanding really helps.”

Yet while they were only two of a handful of students still remaining on campus, they became familiar with all of the same means of connection as their peers at home.

“I maintained connections with my fellow students through emails, calls, text, social media and Zoom,” said Akinyemiju. ”Initially, it felt strange collaborating and hanging out with colleagues through Zoom or having design review from my bedroom but this is the new normal, which is no longer new.”

Even though they had good relationships with their instructors before the pandemic hit, what truly came to light through all of this shifting is the compassion these students felt from their CoD professors. “I was able to

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maintain a good relationship with my professors,” said Olise. “My studio professor at the time, Jason Scroggin, checked up on me to see how I was coping.”

The same held true for Akinyemiju. “Being an international student, in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, it gets lonely and unnerving at times, but having professors who are mindful, compassionate and understanding really helps,” he said. “My professors checked on me in class and outside of classes, not only during school session, but also during the summer break.”

Often times, their professors and UK organizations served as resources for outside support. Olise learned about the Big Blue Pantry, just a short walk from her dorm in Blazer Hall, which made it easier for her to get groceries. Akinyemiju relied on updates from the University, International Student & Scholar Services, and UK Graduate Student Congress to stay abreast of notices coming from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

There was news that students who were fully enrolled in online classes – which is now what UK and many other universities were doing – would face the risk of deportation. Yet at the same time, Nigeria was not allowing anyone to return home, causing quite the quagmire. (Luckily, the USCIS modified the Student and Exchange Visitor Program to allow for online classes due to the pandemic.) “My professors and my colleagues reached out to me personally. The Dean of the College of Design also reached out to international students in the college to reassure us,” he said. “The offers of support and care is really humbling and it is reassuring to know that you are not alone.”

Through all of this, these two international students were able to stay on course as they continued with their classes. “I stay motivated and focused on my schoolwork by constantly reminding myself of how far I have come and my end goal,” said Olise. “One quote [by Robert H. Schuller] that has helped me during this time is ‘Tough times never last, tough people do.’”

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Clockwise from top left: UK College of Law Professor Jennifer BirdPollan using a faceshield during class; Fabrication Lab tech Pooya Mohaghegh and Shopmaster Paul Masterson work on a prototype; details of the face shield components; completed face shields ready for distribution; Dean Mary Davis of the UK College of Law

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CoD + PPE

COD+PPE

College of Design Assists in PPE Production for UK Organizations In response to the high demand for PPE due to COVID-19, the UK College of Design has been able to offer its skillset to help produce face shields.

Over the summer, the College of Design became the hub and point of contact for the design and production of face shields – both the ones that cover the forehead down as well as the ones that go from the neck to the top of the head, each one serving a different purpose to prevent the viral spread.

Joe Brewer, Director of Facilities in the College of Design, saw the opportunity and quickly assembled a team of faculty and staff from the College to conduct a charrette via Zoom. Several iterations were developed over the summer by the team that included: School of Architecture Professors Mike McKay, Jason Scroggin, Marty Summers, Jordan Hines, Brian Richter and Fabrication Lab Technician Pooya Mohaghegh.

Yet the true stars of this concept are a foldable and interlocking chin extension with a headband made from state-of-the-art laser equipment.

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McKay’s design for the shield and Mohaghegh’s band design paired to become the final iteration shared with UK HealthCare. With input from Chief Technology Officer/Associate CIO Jason McReynolds and Assistant Chief Medical Officer for Inpatient Service Dr. Ashley Montgomery-Yates at UK HealthCare, the College of Design developed the prototype and produced hundreds of shields for front-line healthcare workers.

“The global magnitude of the coronavirus has been daunting, but the silver lining is that we have been able to put product design into practice to offer some much-needed relief, even before our new program launches” said Mitzi Vernon, Dean of the College of Design. “Designers are at their best with a problem to solve and can change on the fly to respond to crisis.”

Since then, other UK colleges – including the College of Communications and Information and the College of Law – are using our shields for faculty during in-person classes. The College also donated several shields to healthcare workers at a Lexington-based, long-term care facility.

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New Chair Jon Mills shares his intentions for the College’s newest program

INTRODUCING PRODUCT DESIGN On a macro level, product design is intrinsic to just about everything we see or touch. In the broadest sense, design encompasses “the active decisions that need to be made to bring something into the world or to alter something about the world,” explains Jon Mills, the new chair of the Department of Product Design in the College of Design.

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Introducing Product Design

Form studies from Mills’ firstyear product design studio.

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For students beginning their exploration into the world of design, however, that definition may be a bit nebulous. Instead, Mills uses a metaphor most college-bound students can appreciate. “Designers are silent influencers,” he says, comparing designers’ abilities to quietly affect people’s behaviors to those in social media who drive trends in more overt ways.

This quiet power requires awareness and responsibility, something Mills is instilling in the inaugural cohort of Product Design students this fall as they begin their transition from consumers of design to creators of design. “We have a set number of years to help students who will go out into the world and wield a lot of influence,” he says of preparing future designers to understand the impact of their work.

As the first program of its kind in Kentucky, the Department of Product Design’s Bachelor of Science degree offers a blend of traditional design approaches and a conscious openness to future opportunities.

Along with studio and technical skill courses, a series of flexible and broad-ranging special topics courses allows the program to quickly respond to changing topics, movements, and technologies in the everevolving design industry. This adaptability is crucial to educating future designers: “The world is changing so fast — socially, economically, culturally — we can’t know what’s going to happen,” says Mills, “but what’s exciting is how we will respond as designers.”

What does it mean to launch a new design program right now? According to Mills, a first step is acknowledging that designers are accountable to others. “It’s understood that designers have to be more than form givers,” says Mills. “We have to be mindful that we’re responsible for creating the props for peoples’ lives. Ultimately, people engage with our designs to achieve their own goals.” To cultivate this perspective, the program places heavy emphasis on a robust research process. Expanding traditional notions of

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market research for design validation, students will be challenged to fully engage the complex, interconnected systems surrounding an issue before identifying points of intervention. From sustainability and energy concerns, to social equity and advocating for users’ needs, Mills explains, this foundation of research foregrounds long-term impact as necessary criteria for design.

“The world is changing so fast, we can’t know what’s going to happen,” says Mills, “but what’s exciting is how we will respond as designers.”

The program’s dedication to meaningful design is also evidenced in shared coursework with the new undergraduate degree in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering, which culminates in a collaborative senior studio experience.

By merging engineering rigor and design thinking, students from both disciplines will be better equipped to create positive impact in the health industry through new products, services, and systems.

Already, the first cohort of Product Design students were challenged with addressing a contemporary issue while working with faculty from the College of Medicine. “Our recent design sprint exploring the complications of wearing hearing aids and masks together was a crash-course for students in designing for others, and introducing health-related projects,” explains Mills. “It was also a huge hit with our students, who appreciated that they were ‘doing design’ in their first semester.”

Introducing Product Design

Mills instructs his studio, encouraging use of the designer’s notebook.

challenges of financing his college tuition, Mills enlisted in the Air National Guard and his time as a jet engine mechanic was pivotal in how he looked at design. “I worked on the engine, which was an enormous collection of moving parts and systems,” he says, which laid the seeds for his eventual focus on systems design. The vast array of special tools necessary to maintain those engines also fascinated him. “I was really interested in who designs all of the special tools that had to be made and the process leading up to those decisions,” he adds, noting the importance of maintaining the products and systems we put into the world.

FACING PAGE, clockwise from top left: Product design students take their first visit to the Fabrication Lab; The inaugural first year students learn how to critique each other’s work; During the first design sprint, students take on the challenge of wearing hearing aids with face masks.

Mills sees so much potential in the new program and its opportunity to positively impact the region, particularly in the fields of medical product design, manufacturing, and engagement with nearby communities.

“This is the chance to build something that doesn’t have a mold yet. That’s what drew me here,” he says.

Prior to coming to UK, Mills was an assistant professor in the Multi-disciplinary Design program at the University of Utah, joining that program in its early years and contributing to its research-based approach to various scales of product design. Before that he taught in the Industrial + Interaction Design program at Syracuse University, gaining experience teaching across the five-year, professional degree curriculum of an established design program. These experiences give Mills a unique perspective on what is possible with undergraduate design education and the experience to lead the launch of this new program in the UK College of Design.

Like many others, Mills’ own path to product design was not a straight course. His interest in drawing was encouraged by family when he was young, and when making the decision to attend college he channeled that passion into studying architecture. To address the

DEGREE Bachelor of Science in Product Design CAREER PATHS Transportation, medical devices, consumer electronics, housewares, furniture, athletic gear, clothing and soft goods, travel, toy design, packaging, and more

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That shift in perspective led Mills to change his major to industrial design upon returning to school, where he learned the technical skills and methods of the discipline. He eventually applied those approaches to water system and education access projects at home and abroad, experiences that cultured an awareness of design’s role in issues of sustainability and social impact. He plans to incorporate this experience into the Product Design program’s curriculum, ensuring that students understand the long-term impact of their work. In describing his approach to building the program, Mills says, “My role as the head of this new program is to build a quality design education for our students, while knowing that ultimately whatever we do here will impact all of the people our students will design for throughout their careers.”

To Mills, the success of the new Product Design program relies on making this educational experience accessible to the wide array of potential students in the Commonwealth, including those who may not see college as a viable option. He notes the importance of having an inclusive student and faculty body that represents the world’s diversity of thought, culture, and perspective as a necessary component of any design program — especially one launching in our current era. To Mills, “Every individual has both kinetic and potential energy. Everyone has their own interests and curiosities, and this new program is a multiplier to channel those energies for positive impact through design.”

TOPICS Special topics courses include contemporary technology, healthcare, professional development, materials exploration, and more LEARN MORE For more information about the Product Design program, visit design.uky.edu/product-design.

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Examples of student work from the camp, created through virtual instruction and with the help of a curated supply kit.

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Virtual Summer Camp Comes to the College of Design

STUDIO 38°84

Virtual Summer Camp Comes to the College of Design

The inaugural Studio 38°84, a summer design camp in the College of Design, which was to be a residential camp for high school students on UK’s campus, instead shifted to an online experience. This shift may very well be the catalyst for expanded and diverse methods for introducing the concept of design to potential students.

Hannah Dewhirst and Ingrid Schmidt, professors who teach in both the School of Interiors and School of Architecture, led two successful sessions of Studio 38°84 during summer 2020. Accepting the challenge of teaching a hands-on practice remotely, Dewhirst and Schmidt developed a kit that was mailed to each student before camp, including all of the materials they would need to produce the design models.

“It evolved into a very accessible program,” said Dewhirst. “For a course fee of $200, students from all over the country received a pre-fabricated set of materials, and we provided live, hands-on demonstrations, and 10 days of instruction, discussion, guest lectures and critique.”

Though the intention was for students to have access to the College’s fabrication lab, Shop Master Paul Masterson and Fabrication Lab Technician Pooya Mohaghegh instead developed videos to show students

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how each piece of equipment was used to develop the materials they received in their kits. This allowed students to get a sense of how fabrication tools help them translate their ideas into physical form. “My whole view of the design world was widened in an amazing way,” said Kerry Brown, a rising high school senior who attended the first week of Studio 38°84.

“This camp showed me that the most essential component of design is communication, communicating a concept to the viewer, user, or occupant, and thereby facilitating an emotional connection on a deeper level.”

“My whole view of the design world was widened in an amazing way.”

Dean Mitzi Vernon plans to utilize aspects of the camp’s online instruction to think forward about how we create a blend of methods to reach prospective students. “The experimental nature of the camp has allowed us to rethink how we can teach our Design 100 class each year as well as new ways to offer tactile courses online enhancing our path toward equitable instruction,” she said.

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Office Offset Architecture students design COVID office pods for studio project

Designers find solutions for human-centric problems, that’s both the draw and the challenge to design. But the global pandemic threw at us a myriad of unparalleled obstacles, and for many students that meant pivoting from the fully traditional in-person studio experience to slightly modified, hybrid or a fully online model.

backyard office, and they were all absolutely fantastic,” said Massie. The studio collectively narrowed it down to two designs and began the build.

Yet these variables did not deter the students in Bill Massie’s third-year architecture studio from facing a timely project head on.

Each third-year studio was assigned a previously planned project, but that did not deter them. Instead, Massie’s students spent the first half of the semester skillfully completing the original assigned project then began work on these remote offices on Oct. 16. “It was nearly impossible,” said Massie. “No one can do a design build in one semester, let alone half a semester.”

Personal space has never been more important as it has during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finding room to social distance while continuing to work has been imperative to fighting the spread of the virus. So in response, Massie’s studio took on the challenge of designing a private office space to give people that separation of work and home life.

The students spent a great deal of time together building the designs on a former railroad platform in Paris, Ky., adjacent to Trackside Restaurant and Bourbon Bar, that was used as the construction site. To adhere to pandemic protocol, the students worked in shifts, wore masks and remained socially distant while working outdoors.

The Build

“This studio was a great learning experience because we were working in a short period of time to get many details perfected,” said SoA student Claire Kemp. “The added level of intensity that came with this work style combined with COVID restraints, such as wearing

The irony of building an office space during the pandemic for the pandemic was indeed an unusual predicament, but Massie’s students rose to the occasion. “Each student designed a 100-square-foot 36

Office Offset

masks and social distancing, created more challenges that made us reimagine the studio culture. Developing those skills and real building experiences were so valuable to me.”

Right before winter break, the two models were nearly complete. Because the studio relied on in-kind donations of material, the build was put on hold until the winter session when a donation of flat panel steel was to arrive. They used this black, mini-corrugated steel to finish the outside. “It looks like black corduroy,” Massie explained.

The Design The two unique office spaces were designed to meet the needs of a single user, with a desk, storage and shelving, all built for a residential backyard or driveway. Complete with built-in electrical and a heating/cooling system, these offices can be easily installed by running an electrical conduit from the main house. Essentially, plug-and-play.

Office #1 is a space that enhances natural daylight while providing a water feature through the roof design and downspout when it rains. The interior, measuring 8 feet by 12 feet, features a desk space that spans along the front facade with shelving at the end of the desk. This design also includes digitally fabricated plywood and steel shelving on the wall opposite the desk. These shelves act as storage as well as an aesthetic background for video calls.

Office #2 provides a space with many different opportunities amid the 80-square-foot interior. There are three separate desk spaces, two at sitting height and one at standing height. The unique glass roof design of Office #2, along with the windows on the entrance and rear façade, provide enhanced interior moments of natural lighting. The walls are made of digitally fabricated plywood panels with steel bookcases.

Two unique single-user office spaces were designed for easy installation in a residential backyard or driveway.

FACING PAGE: Prototypes for the office pods were built on a former railroad platform in Paris, KY. RIGHT: Renderings of the final two design options.

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NEW HEIGHTS FOR PRESERVATION HP Alum Caitlin Brashear Works on the Apollo 11 Mission Control Center Restoration Although it may appear a bit of a leap to go from pres- materials NASA would be using in the space.

“I [also] learned about how they manufacervation to space, that’s exactly what Caitlin Brashear tured materials that are no longer in producdid. A 2015 alum of the Department of Historic tion so they could replicate certain features,” Preservation, Brashear is now a historian with the Brashear explained.

Texas Historical Commission (THC), which served as a consultant to NASA when it was restoring the Apollo And while all of these experiences will remain 11 Mission Control. The restoration was complete and unforgettable, there is one that stands out Mission Control was reopened on June 29, 2019, on the as the most memorable: “The best part for 50th anniversary of the moon landing. me was getting to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony when they officially unveiled the The Mission Control room was restored with scientific completed restoration project; retired Flight Director accuracy, thanks in part to the services of THC. “As Gene Kranz performed the ceremonial ribbon cutting,” one of the historians on our team, I was fortunate she said. enough to be assigned to review any NASA projects submitted to our office,” said Brashear, who started Being a part of this historical anniversary celebration working for THC in 2018. could have only happened with her prior education in historic preservation. “The education I received at Admittedly, Brashear explains that while she only UK has been helpful to me in my role with the THC,” played a minor role in the review of the restoration, it said Brashear. “I was thankful for having background was definitely a highlight of her career thus far. “Being on the review team for this project was monumental for knowledge of the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Restoration, and I got to apply my knowledge of the me because projects like this are the reason I became fascinated with historic preservation,” she said. “It really Section 106 process, which I learned about in preservation law class.” helped me understand how Section 106* consultation plays a vital role in protecting historic resources.”

Now that the Mission Control restoration is over, Brashear continues to use her knowledge with Section As a member of the team, Brashear had access to 106 in consultation with other Federal agencies, several behind-the-scenes moments, including a tour including NASA, by conducting trainings so other of the Mission Control room during the restoration agencies can understand the benefits. process and access to some of the proposed building *Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA) requires federal agencies to consider the effects on historic properties of projects they carry out, assist, fund, permit, license, or approve throughout the country.

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New Heights For Preservation

ALUMNI The fully restored Apollo 11 Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas

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ALUMNI

IT’S THE PROCESS, STUPID. A Message from SoA Alum Randall Stevens I often joke that I have never had a job but have worked plenty. Upon graduating from the University of Kentucky College of Architecture in 1991, I started a company called ArchVision and have been an entrepreneur ever since. I have been a founder and CEO of four companies, each to varying degrees of success, over the past 30 years and am currently loving my work as CEO of the software company AVAIL (getavail.com). AVAIL is making great inroads to solving critical information challenges in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) market.

Like most entrepreneurs, there was never a master plan; just a passion for working on interesting problems and adjusting along the way. I have always looked for opportunities and take advantage of them when they present themselves. First and foremost, I guess that makes me opportunistic. Because of this I have also never hesitated to take a different path. While my wife reminds me that I cannot solve every problem I see, it is a great exercise to think through an issue and potential solutions. It’s part of the lens through which I look at the world: the lens of critique.

I was in the architecture program at UK from the fall of ’87 until graduating in the summer of ’91.

That also happened to be a great time to have an interest in computers and specifically in 3D graphics.

Combining those interests provided me with a unique set of skills by the time I finished my degree. So, what to do with it?

There is a quote by famed entrepreneur and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen that “entrepreneurs are cursed to live five years in the future.” What he

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means by that is they have some vision of the future that drives them and makes them run, not walk, toward that destiny. Only time tells if that vision is an insightful prediction or a hallucination, but I think it is important to understand that at the time it makes the entrepreneurs’ decision relatively easy. If you are convinced you can see the future, why would you bet against it?

I caught glimpses of the future while I was in architecture school of how I thought technology could change the industry. Those visions led me to run as fast as I could to immerse myself in trying to contribute to that affect. I could have taken a job at a local architecture firm and started applying the things I had learned in my time at UK but that likely wouldn’t have led to being able to serve hundreds of thousands of people in the industry through my chosen route of software development. As I can reflect now, it was also a choice that leveraged some very valuable skills that were ingrained while studying architecture.

Having been involved in starting and running several technology companies over the years I became interested in the foundations of entrepreneurship and what makes some more successful than others. Fuel was poured on those embers in the late 2000s when Steve Blank (steveblank.com) began espousing a customer development methodology. That led to immersing myself in trying to help other entrepreneurs in the community by passing on Blank’s words of wisdom.

What made some entrepreneurs successful and others not? Blank’s answer was a simple one: listen. Listen to customers and solve their problems. Ultimately that is what architects do, isn’t it?

It's the Process, Stupid

“Studying architecture or design is not about learning to design or build buildings, it is about learning how to creatively solve problems.”

As I started presenting to groups about what makes entrepreneurs successful, I began reflecting on my own journey, both the informal and formal teachings, training and skills that led to varying degrees of success. I believe the reason Blank’s words caught my attention was that at their core were two of the principle skills engrained through the design program at UK: iterative design and critique. Combine the two, and they inform process.

It’s the Process, Stupid. Everything leads back to running the process. In hindsight, I saw it for the first time while I was in studios with professors Clary, Gillig, O’Bryan, and Deger and through critique by Dean José Oubrerie as well as my studio mates. What I did not realize at the time was how valuable those skills would be as I pursued my career. It is a gift I would not trade for anything.

Studying architecture or design is not about learning to design or build buildings, it is about learning how to creatively solve problems. You learn that if you run the process, you get better outcomes. Period. It is not about your ideas; it is about taking anything and improving upon it by exposing it to critique. Keep the good, get rid of the bad or mediocre. Rinse and repeat.

Iterate. You can run the process by yourself but guess what happens when you involve others? Their critique makes it even better.

I took all of this for granted as I left the architecture program at UK. What I was surprised by as I began my professional career was how few people understood the value of running the process. Many take critiques personally and confuse it with criticism. Applied properly, you learn to put your personal feelings aside

and trust the process. I encourage entrepreneurs to fall in love with the process, not the idea. It is an effective evergreen strategy as ideas come and go.

At AVAIL, I have assembled an engineering team that is chock-full of formally trained designers and engineers. Joining me on the product design and engineering team are Shelly Skeens, who was at UK College of Architecture in the ‘80s, as well Donovan Justice (UK College of Design ’11). Another member of our team, Erika Wilcox (Miami University Department of Architecture ‘12) and Donovan both went back to school after their architecture training and picked up degrees in computer science, a lethal combination for being successful at what we do. They are joined by traditionally trained computer scientists who I would venture to say have come to appreciate the value of running a design process as an invaluable contributor to our success. We are building technology that is helping some of the world’s most influential architecture and engineering firms like Gensler, Woods Bagot, Leo A Daly, LPA, Corgan, SCB, Populous, EYP, HED and Olson Kundig improve their own processes. All from here in Lexington, Kentucky. It is a rewarding position to be in and one we do not take for granted.

I am thankful for the foundation that was formed for me at UK and the College of Architecture. I cannot imagine another degree program that would provide the core skills necessary to not only survive but thrive in an ever-changing world. Isn’t that what education is supposed to be about? The study of design may well be the last great truly liberal education and one that prepares you for success in any direction your visions take you.

Randall Stevens is an AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction) industry veteran with the better part of 30 years of software development, sales, and management experience.

He founded ArchVision in 1991, a software development firm specializing in 3D graphics and content management technology for the design industry. Stevens is the inventor of the software technology Rich Photorealistic Content (RPC) currently being used by AEC customers in more than 100 countries. He also owns and operates Base110, Base163, and Base249 housing central Kentucky creative and technology companies in over 30,000 square feet of office and co-working space in Lexington, Kentucky. He is a frequent speaker and lecturer on technology and entrepreneurship. Stevens also serves on the UK College of Design Dean’s Advocacy Board.

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FAC U LT Y

Faculty Research Doug Appler Integrating Historic Preservation into Post-Disaster Recovery: The Role of the Main Street Program. With Andrew Rumbach. Historic preservation is an important part of community resilience to natural hazards. In the aftermath of disasters, however, preservationists sometimes struggle to find the resources or support necessary to repair or protect historic resources. Disaster-affected communities in the United States have used the Main Street Program to help guide their recovery efforts, with positive outcomes for historic preservation. In this paper we use an explanatory case study research design to analyze three communities that have used Main Street during post-disaster recovery: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Waterbury, Vermont; and Lyons, Colorado. Preservation Education and Research, Vol. 11, 2019.

Urban Renewal through the Lens of Unsuccessful Projects: The Pralltown Neighborhood of Lexington, Kentucky.

With Julie Riesenweber. This article examines the Pralltown neighborhood of Lexington, Kentucky, and the concept of the “unsuccessful” urban renewal project. Pralltown was created for and by freed slaves following the Civil War, and for virtually its entire existence, it has endured public policy efforts to change the neighborhood. Journal of Planning History 19(3) 2020.

Hannah Dewhirst Lens. Lens examines digital fabrication and handcraft processes, reconfiguring and reordering techniques of hybridization.

Segments that are both hard and soft bond together, allowing for a multi-dimensional misread of material and of purpose. Exhibited as part of the “Unsupported Exhibition” at the Parachute Factory in Lexington, Kentucky. Published in: “Unsupported” Traveling Exhibition published by Cincinnati Beat, 2018.

Home Beautiful. Referencing the dizzying, illusory domestic interiors of the 1970s, “Home Beautiful” plays upon this “more is more” aesthetic, blending and layering pattern, texture, scale, surface, and form. Typically divorced from their contexts, the historical versions of these interiors were curating capitalistic ideas around class and taste, making the profession of “decorating” an exclusive club that borrowed and stole from a multitude of sources.

The interior is rich with personal experience - nostalgia, intimacy, ritual. The patterning in “Home Beautiful” is translated through multiple mediums, referencing the body, a topographical landscape, an interstellar image. Through hand craft and digital work, SUBSTUDIO opens the personal, private, domestic interior and examines it. Published in: Dezeen (09/2020), Cultured Magazine (09/2020), Artsy.net (09/2020), Detroit News (08/2020).

Lindsey Fay Evaluating the NICU: Examining Design Factors Influencing Care Practices of Open Bay and Single-Family Room Designs. This research investigates a NICU moving from an open-bay model to a single-family room design at the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital. Professor Fay and her multidisciplinary research team employed a multi-methodological research design to assess unit efficiency and communication at decentralized nursing stations, huddle spaces, and corridors in the NICU. Refereed Publications Santiago, J., Real, K. & Fay L.L. (2020, under review). Making sense of a new NICU environment: A multi-methodological approach to examine communication through the SEIPS model. Health Communication. Fay, L.L., Santiago, J., Real, K., & Isaacs, K. (2020). Patient room design: A qualitative evaluation of attributes impacting healthcare professionals.

Critical Care Nursing Quarterly. Fay, L.L., Santiago, J., Real, K., & Isaacs, K. (2020). Designing for efficiency: Examining the impact of centralized and decentralized nurse stations on interdisciplinary care processes. Journal of Nursing

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Administration, 50(6) 335-342. Refereed Presentations Fay, L.L., Santiago, J., Real, K., & Haynes, S. (2020). Evaluating the NICU: Examining design factors influencing care practices of open bay and single-family room designs. Healthcare Design Conference, HCD Virtual. Santiago, J., Real, K. & Fay L.L. (2020). Making sense of a new NICU environment: A multi-methodological approach to examine communication through the SEIPS model. NCA 106th Annual Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana. Fay L.L., Santiago, J., & Real, K. (2020).

Evaluating communication in patient room design: Employing a multidimensional framework for assessment in a pre- and post-occupancy evaluation. Kentucky Conference on Health Communication, Lexington, KY. Seidler, D., Gale, A., Pearson, M. & Fay L.L. (2020). Exit survey assessment strategies to measure program success and student engagement IDEC 2020 Annual Conference, Tulsa, OK.

Jordan Hines Lexington Friends Preschool Memorial to Sarah West. With Lindsey Fay (School of Interiors). The Lexington Friends Preschool Contemplative Playscape Studio will design and fabricate a project inspired by non-traditional play that memorializes the spirit of former UK-College of Design faculty and LFP parent, Sarah West. The project objective is to create a structure that is beautiful, child-centered, and promotes a range of play types including nature-based play, risky play, and contemplative play. The Contemplative Playscape will be produce a different kind of memorial space in which the act of remembrance is produced through interactivity and action.

These actions range from unpredictable and fast movements, to curated moments of stillness and reflection. A central question for the studio will be: How can a play sculpture provide opportunities for a range of activities that embody the principles of nature based play (Randomness, Change, Unpredictability), and the act of remembering the legacy of Sarah West (Regularity, Repetition, Curation).

Rebekah Radtke Global Studio. The Global Studio offers a platform of design practices—architecture, interiors, historic preservation, urban environmental design, and product design—that engage cross-cultural issues impacting the built environment.

Operating in comparative global contexts, the studio invests students and faculty in interdisciplinary design thinking and making activities that confront diversity, inclusion, social justice, and sustainability. Global Studio supports cross-pollination of design practices that enhance student understandings of how diverse voices contribute to more inclusive design methodologies with global impact.

Ingrid Schmidt Lens. Lens examines digital fabrication and handcraft processes, reconfiguring and reordering techniques of hybridization.

Segments that are both hard and soft bond together, allowing for a multi-dimensional misread of material and of purpose. Exhibited as part of the “Unsupported Exhibition” at the Parachute Factory in Lexington, Kentucky. Published in: “Unsupported” Traveling Exhibition published by Cincinnati Beat, 2018.

Home Beautiful. Referencing the dizzying, illusory domestic interiors of the 1970s, “Home Beautiful” plays upon this “more is more” aesthetic, blending and layering pattern, texture, scale, surface, and form. Typically divorced from their contexts, the historical versions of these interiors were curating capitalistic ideas around class and taste, making the profession of “decorating” an exclusive club that borrowed and stole from a multitude of sources.

The interior is rich with personal experience - nostalgia, intimacy, ritual. The patterning in “Home Beautiful” is translated through

Faculty Research

multiple mediums, referencing the body, a topographical landscape, an interstellar image. Through hand craft and digital work, SUBSTUDIO opens the personal, private, domestic interior and examines it. Published in: Dezeen (09/2020), Cultured Magazine (09/2020), Artsy.net (09/2020), Detroit News (08/2020).

Jason Scroggin Massimals in the Loop (2019). Chicago Pedway, a network of underground tunnels linking major buildings and transit stops in the Chicago Loop. Presented at a variety of scales, each Massimal demonstrates a transformation of color as you move around and through the traveling herd distributed throughout the pedway. The Massimals are situated to bring attention to the Pedway’s unusual form and features and encourage people to consider the potential of spaces often neglected as merely a means of moving between locations. Chicago Pedway.

Chicago, IL. December 20, 2019 – TBD. Featured in The Chicago Tribune Dec. 26, 2019; Skyline Dec. 11, 2019.

Chandy (2019). Chandy is a hanging light installation commissioned by 21c Museum Hotel for their annual New Year’s Eve celebration. Featured in 21c Museum Hotel.

Lexington, KY. December 2019 – January 2020.

A Bench, Chairs: End Grain (2019). A Bench, Chairs: End Grain is a custom bench seat with planters designed specifically for the gallery space of Institute 193 to accompany Emily Ludwig Shaffer‘s exhibition, From The Ha-Ha Wall Comes The No-No Dance, on display. It is comprised of six separate elements that can be distributed to encourage intimate exchanges. Floral arrangements were provided by Michler Family Florists. Featured in 17th edition of NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance). Miami, FL. December 5 – 8, 2019; Institute 193. Lexington, KY. May 3 – June 8, 2019.

Rainbow Twins (2019). The Rainbow Twins were commissioned to take part in the exhibit “Toys” at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center. The exhibit focuses on the act of play, toys as works of art, and the design and craft behind making interactive objects. The pieces on display are fabricated from colorful lightweight sheets, cut and fitted together to form a full scale “eggcrate” model of a bear shape inspired by toy model building kits. Featured in Peninsula Fine Arts Center.

Newport News, VA. June 7 – September 8, 2019.

Cloud Garden (2014). Cloud Garden is a series of big soft clusters that invite visitors to play in, on, and around its voluptuous shapes or simply relax in the company of others.

Featured in Bubbletecture. London: Phaidon Press. 2019.

Conference Papers and Presentations “One Light, Two Light, Red Light, Blue Light: A Responsive Environment in an Urban Context.” Research + Design Project from the design elective course, Fabricating Play, presented at ACSA108 Virtual Conference | OPEN session Society + Community. June 15-19, 2020.

“Love Stack: Engaging Design-Build Pedagogy.” Research + Design Project from the design elective course, Fabricating Play, presented at Schools of Thought: Rethinking Architectural Pedagogy. Norman, Oklahoma. March 5-7, 2020.

“Material Topologies.” Research + Design Project presented at The Practice of Teaching | Teaching of Practice | 2019 ACSA/ EAAE Teachers Conference. Antwerp, Belgium. June 28-29, 2019.

Invited Peer Review Scientific Committee, 2020 ACADIA Conference “Distributed Proximities,” 2020.

Brent Sturlaugson Radical Access. This research presents strategies by which architecture and architectural pedagogy might be radicalized toward more equitable ends. It engages with a local debate over a text amendment to the zoning ordinance (ZOTA) of Lexington that would allow the construction of accessory dwelling units, and it invites students, faculty, and practitioners in architecture working with planners, residents, and administrators to help define the terms of the ZOTA and to envision its possible implications. Brent Sturlaugson, “Radical Access,” Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Conference Proceedings 108 (Washington, D.C.: ACSA Press, 2020) Supply Chain Materialism. The goal of this research is to unsettle prevailing assumptions of sustainability in architecture by analyzing the supply chain of building materials. By closely following the transformations of architectural materials and those that transform them, the tangible effects of design become more apparent (e.g. material extraction, environmental pollution, waste streams), and the intangible forces become more visible (e.g. economic incentives, labor abuses, political spending). Brent Sturlaugson, “Supply Chain Materialism,” Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Conference Proceedings 108 (Washington, D.C.: ACSA Press, 2020)

Liz Swanson Blueprints for Future Outlaws. Blueprints for Future Outlaws is an ongoing research and drawing project that examines the contemporary struggle for human rights through the lens of architectural space. Comprised of 28 large-scale drawings completed by hand, the project explores the visual tension between figurative and abstract representation and how drawing can instigate a curious emotional state of “in-between” where the known and the mysterious merge. Featured in: Home As Situation. Group Exhibition at The University of Kentucky SA/VS. Selection, May 2020. Exhibited October 2020. Single-Handedly: Contemporary Architects Draw by Hand Group Exhibition curated by Nalina Moses at Art Omi, Ghent, New York, January 2020. This is an ongoing, traveling show. Art by Architects Group Exhibition curated by the NYAIA at Darlington Hall at the Church of the Heavenly Rest, New York, New York, September 2019.

Helen Turner UK Sustainability Challenge Grant: Place Setting. The UK Campus Kitchen recovers food that would be wasted to prepare meals for students. Currently operating in Funkhouser 207, this project intends to redesign, renovate, and rebrand the space to promote sustainability through enhanced understanding of food security and awareness of programs associated with feeding campus communities.

Cohorts: A Strategy For Affective Peer Critique. In design education and practice the ability to collaborate and communicate is critical. Explored in a fourth and first year studio, faculty members developed an affective peer critique method to consider how students can become primary participants in the critique process and active producers of feedback.

ASID Grant: Materials-In-A-Box. Materials are fundamental to interior design, but recent shifts have made instruction and connection to physical materials difficult. This research will create a material box, an educational resource, to enhance the use and understanding of materials, regardless of geographic or economic limitations and physical or virtual modes of learning.

ACSA 109th Annual Meeting: Expanding the View, 2021.

Scientific Committee, 2021 ACADIA Conference “Hybrids & Haecceities,” 2021.

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FAC U LT Y

Rebekah Radtke Named SoI Interim Director Starting with the Fall 2020 semester, Rebekah Radtke has been appointed to the position of Interim Director of the School of Interiors.

“During this unprecedented time, I am grateful to have someone with Rebekah’s enthusiasm and progressive view of design education to serve as our Interim Director,” said Dean Mitzi Vernon. “Her cross-disciplinary engagement within the College has proven invaluable in the past and will be especially relevant as we move forward with new programs.”

Radtke has collaborated with faculty from the School of Architecture on such projects as Global Studio: Shanghai, an interdisciplinary endeavor investigating urbanism, architecture, and interiority in Shanghai, as well as design-build projects in Appalachia and Lexington.

She was one of 20 community leaders from cities across the United States to have been selected to participate in the 2018 Emerging City Champions fellowship program, which is funded by the Knight Foundation. She is a member of the Interior Design Educators Council and Environmental Design Research Association.

CoD Faculty Earn Sustainability Challenge Grants Two CoD team projects recently earned UK Sustainability Challenge Grants. The Sustainability Challenge Grant program is designed to engage multidisciplinary teams from the university community in the creation and implementation of ideas that will promote sustainability by simultaneously advancing economic vitality, ecological integrity and social equity.

Building Community Through Innovation and Sustainability of Kentucky’s Forest This team included: Bruce Swetnam – College of Design; Brent Sturlaugson – College of Design; Chad Niman – Department of Forestry; Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto – Department of Civil Engineering; and Joe Brewer – College of Design. Leveraging a diverse team across multiple disciplines at the University of Kentucky, the group took a three-part holistic approach in stimulating the production and adoption of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering industries. Using their $44,550 grant, they plan to conduct research, distribute information via a symposium and build a shelter for UK’s new sawmill and much more.

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Place Setting: Enhancing Sustainable Approaches to Food Security and Community Engagement This interdisciplinary collaboration of faculty and students from Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Interior Design as well as Writing and Rhetoric worked to revitalize a student-led service organization, the Campus Kitchen at the University of Kentucky, and its community enrichment programs that address food waste and food insecurity. This group earned a $32,250 grant to conduct their research. Team members include: Helen Turner – School of Interiors; Michael Pennell – Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies; Tammy Stephenson – Dietetics and Human Nutrition; and Kendra Oo – Dietetics and Human Nutrition.

Honorable Mentions

SoI Professors in “Never Normal” Exhibition School of Architecture/School of Interiors professors Ingrid A. Schmidt and Hannah Dewhirst, also co-founders of SUBSTUDIO, recently had their piece “Home Beautiful” in the new exhibition, Never Normal, presented by Form & Seek and Design Core Detroit – Detroit Month of Design.

Referencing the dizzying, illusory domestic interiors of the 1970s, “Home Beautiful” plays upon this “more is more” aesthetic, blending and layering pattern, texture, scale, surface, and form. Typically divorced from their contexts, the historical versions of these interiors were curating capitalistic ideas around class and taste, making the profession of “decorating” an exclusive club that borrowed and stole from a multitude of sources. The exhibit ran through Dec. 12, 2020.

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A Milestone Anniversary Congratulations to Dr. Allison CarllWhite who is celebrating her 30th year teaching in the School of Interiors.

Carll-White is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Historic Preservation and its former chair.

Swanson Publishes “Wondrous Things” In November 2019, SoA Professor Liz Swanson published Wondrous Things, an interactive children’s book that explores hand-digital hybrid drawing techniques and the role of community participation in storytelling. It was selected by The University of Kentucky College of Education & Fayette County Public School System for 2020 READ Program. Other honors included being selected for Vogue magazine’s “2019 Ultimate Gift Guide for Tots & Teens” and Top 10 Bestseller at The 2019 Kentucky Book Festival facilitated by the Kentucky Humanities Council.

Swanson was also one of the featured artists in the recent exhibition Home as Situation, a virtual project by the Bolivar Art Gallery. Many artists working today are addressing notions of home in unexpected ways, particularly challenging traditional definitions of home and proposing new approaches to understanding its complexity and fluidity.

Roccanova’s Studio Receives Community Action Council Grant Professor Tony Roccanova’s 3rd year architecture studio was recently awarded a grant from the Community Action Council of Bourbon, Fayette, Harrison and Nicholas Counties for its work studying the Winburn neighborhood of Lexington.

Working with the design studio led by Roccanova and assisted

by Joe Brewer, Director of Technology and Facilities, and Shop Master Paul Masterson, the Community Action Council will advance its work to help people with low income participate in finding solutions to poverty within the Winburn neighborhood.

“One of the many skillsets required of future architects is a level of awareness and empathy for the world around us,” said Professor Tony Roccanova. “By engaging in community-based design projects, we allow our students to enter the professional world with that hands-on experience.”

The design studio will help CAC develop social capital and promote community involvement by identifying and capitalizing on the assets, leadership and talent present.

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“One of the most important things we do at the College, both historically and eminently, is our focus on community engagement,” said Dean Mitzi Vernon. “We create a conduit between studio work and the community through our satellite studio initiatives, like we have done with Studio Louisville, to ensure the impact we are making aligns with the needs of the community – in the spirit of the land-grant.”

In accordance with NAAB accreditation standards, the students will be asked to use site analysis, data mapping, and other design technologies to propose a building project, complete with plans, sections, elevations and technical drawings. In conjunction with this curriculum, the studio will be working with the Winburn Community Action Council on two projects aimed at assisting the community outreach mission of the nonprofit organization and furthering our students design education: a large site model and mapping systems, and a design/build construction on the premises of the CAC on Winburn Drive.

Honorable Mentions

FAC U LT Y

SoA Faculty Present “Points in Space” Exhibit Last fall, several members of the CoD faculty developed an exciting and unusual exhibit for Gallery Hop at the Downtown Arts Center. Guests were invited to have their portrait drawn by a real robot, showing an alternative side to the UK College of Design and the perception of the design profession with the new exhibit “Points in Space.” The exhibit featured a multi-media, interactive experience combining photography, robotics and video projection.

SoA Earns Spot on Best Architecture Degrees List Congratulations to the UK School of Architecture, which was recently ranked #13 out of the 50 Best Architecture Degrees by Learn.org. To compile this list, Learn.org considered hundreds of universities across the country and selected the University of Kentucky based on academic and career resources, the quality of education, faculty, and more. Other factors for the selection included National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accreditation, study abroad opportunities, on-campus facilities, and the types of architecture degrees offered.

Sturlaugson Writes Intro for “Critical Spatial Practice” SoA Professor Brent Sturlaugson edited and introduced a new essay forum in the Critical Geographies in Action section of Society & Space, an international, interdisciplinary scholarly and political project. “Critical Spatial Practice” looks at climate change, gentrification, and critical spatial practice, exploring the intersections of architecture and geography, theory and practice.

Through both a peer-reviewed journal and its editor-reviewed companion website, Society & Space publishes articles, essays, interviews, forums, and book reviews that examine social struggles over access to and control of space, place, territory, region, and resources.

SEC Deans Take a Stand on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion After a monthly meeting of deans of the SEC design schools, an advertisement was placed in the fall 2020 edition of INSIGHT Diversity Journal as an expression of the collective commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in our schools.

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FAC U LT Y

SoA Professors Earn AIA KY 2020 Honor Award Congratulations to SoA Professor Jill Leckner and SoA Director and Professor Jeffrey Johnson, whose project, National Sawdust, recently won an AIA KY 2020 Honor Award. The adaptive reuse, music venue project, located in Brooklyn, N.Y., was in collaboration with Bureau V and Arup.

The design challenge posed by the owner of National Sawdust to the design team was to create a top-tier performing and recording space for emerging musicians and enthusiastic patrons.

“The National Sawdust design illustrates how existing buildings can find new life without compromising performance. The jury was impressed by the design team’s choreography of a surprising amount of program in the simple brick structure. The design complexity was supported by plans and sections that delineate a convincing relationship between materiality, poche, and spatial sequence. The jury especially liked the layered, exterior patchwork of new and existing elements that greet the community.”

-Jury Comment

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Honorable Mentions

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EVENTS

College of Design Honors Event Taking advantage of the opportunity to use the space before the transformation, the College held its annual Honors event in April 2019 inside the former Reynolds Building space. More than 300 attendees – including students, alumni, faculty and staff – took part in the evening, with remarks by Provost David Blackwell.

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Events

Design Career Fair After a successful inaugural event in 2018, the College of Design held its second annual Career Fair in the UK Student Center. A total of 28 firms participated in the networking event.

At Great Meadows In fall 2019, an intimate discussion was held with guests and Jeanne Gang, FAIA, founding partner of Studio Gang and the design architect for the new building. The event was held at Great Meadows in Crestwood, Ky., home to Rev. Al Shands (seen above with Gang) and his illustrious art collection. Guests included the Dean’s Advocacy Board, friends of the College and UK Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Dr. Eric Monday.

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The College of Design has waited 50 years for a building opportunity that will allow its programs to grow, diversify, and cross-pollinate. And now, on the precipice of a new era in design education, the College has made plans to transform a 20th-century tobacco warehouse into a vibrant ecosystem for future generations of designers.

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The New College of Design

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Southwest facade of the new building, featuring the main entrance and fabrication dock with environmental canopy.

The New College of Design The former Reynolds building, situated at one of the most prominent entries into the city of Lexington, is set to serve as a nimble artifact that teaches students about architecture, interiors, historic preservation, landscape architecture, urban design, product design, and biomedical engineering — all in a 21st-century, polycultural learning environment. With Studio Gang as the Design Architect and K. Norman Berry Associates Architects as the Architect of Record, the College has laid the groundwork for a pioneering approach to design education. “I appreciate the cultural approach and language that Studio Gang built into the project. We move now from thinly linked monocultures to a polycultural environment and an adaptive reuse opus that symbolizes the sustainable future for which we must advocate,” said College of Design Dean Mitzi Vernon.

The heart of this cross-cultural learning environment stems from the design of shared spaces and amenities – including the fabrication lab, café, and lecture hall – that encourage students, faculty, and visitors to gather and mix. You’ll have architecture students in plain sight of interiors students, urban design in the same corridor as product designers, etc. – all of which will innately influence work and promote interdisciplinary interaction. And in a building that arose from a mixture of reuse and repair at many levels, the College of Design is leveraging this moment as a way to promote campus and community. The College is set to welcome those outside its walls to experience the new building and the culture created within.

The open volume of the former Reynolds tobacco warehouse will provide a space for multidimensional, cross-disciplinary education and preparation for real-world issues: global, national and within Kentucky. It will serve as a pinnacle of engagement within the city of Lexington.

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The New College of Design

With Studio Gang as the Design Architect and K. Norman Berry Associates Architects as the Architect of Record, the College has laid the groundwork for a pioneering approach to design education.

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THE NEW COLLEGE OF DESIGN

The former Reynolds Building is set to become one of the most significant adaptive reuse projects on campus and in the Commonwealth.

The former Reynolds Building, as seen in these photos from 2020, has served many purposes over the years and had fallen into disrepair.

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The New College of Design

A Case Study in Adaptive Reuse Preservation is part of our DNA. From our master’s program to the osmosis into all areas of design, historic preservation serves as a mainstay of our pedagogy. We embrace the idea that the former Reynolds Building can become one of the most significant adaptive reuse projects on campus and in the Commonwealth — a working model of partial preservation efforts that translate to a formidable teaching moment for our students.

With its storied past and substantial physical space, the former tobacco warehouse can become a flagship building that not only champions adaptive reuse but will serve as a venue for greater faculty research, public symposia and an exemplary champion of Lexington’s historic preservation efforts.

The walls of the former Reynolds Building have seen the rise of economic prosperity since 1912 when the R.J. Reynolds Company of Winston-Salem, N.C., purchased the former Burley Loose Tobacco Company Warehouse at 662-676 South Broadway. Their plans for the building, which lay in the heart of Lexington’s tobacco district, was to convert it into a redrying plant.

In 1905, loose leaf auction sales began in Lexington and was an immediate success. This was a catalyst for the city to become a leading tobacco market and inherent to its rise as a strong economic competitor. After decades of prosperous business, the Reynolds Company sold the building to the Commonwealth of Kentucky for use by the University of Kentucky on June 25, 1959.

The former Reynolds Building has hosted many UK programs over the years — including a brief stint by the College of Architecture — but its longest inhabitant was UK’s art department, from the late 1960s until it moved into the new School of Art and Visual Studies Building in 2015. With the College of Design as its new occupants, the building will operate as the physical embodiment of adaptive reuse and design at its very core.

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Axonometric view of the new building and surrounding grounds.

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The New College of Design

THE NEW COLLEGE OF DESIGN

OPEN STUDIOS

BOILER MAKER YARD

THE FORUM

OPEN STUDIOS

OPEN STUDIOS

ENVIRONMENTAL CANOPY

Upper Floor Open studio spaces, demarcated by the existing timber column grid, are flooded with natural light from a new skylight system.

The new building will be a working model of adaptive reuse that translates to a formidable teaching moment for its students.

BOILER MAKER YARD

COMMON FIRST YEAR STUDIOS THE FORUM

CHTP

MAKER’S SUITE

FABRICATION DOCK

MAIN ENTRY

Main (Middle) Floor Learning and making spaces are organized to encourage mixing between disciplines, while “clearings” in the original structural grid create new gathering areas.

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New Building, New Neighbors

Two established programs plan to join the College of Design The College of Design is currently home to five academic programs: architecture, interiors, historic preservation, urban and environmental design, and product design. Yet as the move to the new building comes into focus, the College has been able to extend a welcome to two other University of Kentucky institutions to further expand the circle of design: Landscape Architecture and Biomedical Engineering.

Students and faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture – which is part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment – will move from South Campus to the new College of Design Building upon its completion. A cost sharing arrangement between the two colleges is allowing this move that will truly bring all of the design programs at UK under one roof. Sharing the term “architecture” is more than just happenstance; landscape architects design places that support human endeavors and that sustain the future viability of urban and rural environments.

UK offers the only landscape architecture program in Kentucky accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). The department, which first conferred degrees in the late 1970s, is highly ranked among landscape architecture programs and has a successful contingent of alumni. One of Landscape Architecture’s hallmarks is its community design engagement program, which has benefitted communities throughout the region and has allowed its students to interact with communities and with students in the other design disciplines.

“Landscape Architecture has worked with the programs in the College of Design over many years to foster student and faculty collaborations. We have been partially successful, but the locational logistics and the lack of daily interaction have been a challenge for all of us,” explained Ned Crankshaw, Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture. “While the faculty members of all our programs will benefit from being together in [the new building], I am most excited about the opportunities that students will have to be immersed in

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collaborative experiences that will benefit them in their future careers. I am thankful to Dean Mitzi Vernon for proposing our inclusion and to Dean Nancy Cox for her support of this move.”

The Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) recently launched a new undergraduate degree that has a design emphasis. Their new curriculum includes several courses from the Product Design curriculum, which creates intrinsic collaboration between the two student cohorts.

Some of the courses throughout the curriculum are jointly created by College of Design and BME faculty to enhance the ergonomic and healthcare option.

Because of this collaborative venture, a senior BME studio will be housed in the new building, giving students access to the new modern fabrication facility that is essential to their education.

“Collaboration between the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Product Design enabled creation of novel educational programs that meld design and engineering to create new breeds of professionals that combine creativity and technical savvy to advance human well-being,” explained BME Associate Professor David Pienkowski. “Close collaboration between these departments enables students to gain new exposures offering them creative design skills intermingled with quantitative analytical skills. This new collaboration offers not only educational benefits, but expanded extramural research involvement as well as new service opportunities.”

The College of Design is taking advantage of this new building opportunity to grow and diversify its programming. The Reynolds building, situated at one of the most prominent entries into the city of Lexington, is set to serve as a nimble artifact that teaches students in a 21st-century, polycultural learning environment.

The New College of Design

Social Space

Sketch by Studio Gang design team

New building to create points of engagement While adaptive reuse will be its trademark, the new College of Design building will also provide multiple areas where students can safely gather outside of the classroom.

The distance between the heart of UK’s campus and the new College of Design building was taken into account when considering the needs of students, faculty and staff. Essential to all modes of work and study, food and drink will be available in the new Café, located on the main floor of the building. Designed to easily segue from inside to outdoors, the Café will serve as both a place to refuel and socialize.

“The Café will play an integral role in the daily life of the College, providing ample opportunities for soft collaboration between faculty and student colleagues across all academic disciplines – contributing to the polyculture inherent in the DNA of the College,” said Bob Haffermann, AIA, LEED AP, managing principal of K. Norman Berry Associates Architects (KNBA), the project’s Associate Architect and Architect of Record.

“Insertion of a large glass overhead door in the south façade allows the building to open to the entry plaza.

This opening, coupled with the Café’s location in the 38º84

southeast quadrant of the Clearing lobby, will allow free flow of café and building patrons alike with the commodious space provided.”

In addition to the Café, the new building will provide several outdoor areas for social gatherings. The landscaped areas in front of the main entrance not only serve as environmental stabilizers but encourage outdoor use as an extension of the classroom or study space.

The area along the east side of the building – the site of the former railroad platform where product from the old tobacco warehouse would arrive and depart – reuses the railroad trestle as another outdoor area where students can study or classes can migrate outside. This is another innovative example of adapting the former space for reuse in the 21st century.

The trestle also overlooks the walking path that serves as a means of wayfinding from main campus to the College, creating an artery of integration to the School of Art & Visual Studies and other entities at the University.

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Open Studio Space The concept of an open studio environment is more than open and more than flexible. It provides for significant self-navigation of students’ education. By removing the obstruction of walls, students are able to learn from their peers both directly and indirectly.

Exposure to projects from all disciplines allows for a broader and deeper definition of the field of design, thus encouraging a polycultural ecosystem.

While there will be flexible and mobile wall units for increased pin-up space – which will also serve as room partitions between studios – the open studio concept is one of the seeds to germinate a stronger sense of community and cross-pollination within the College.

Each space will also feature a digital display identifying the individual studio and the donors naming the studio. See page 91 to learn about the Firm-to-Studio naming opportunity.

The Student Hackable Desk Project (see page 64) as shown in the upper level open studio space of the new College of Design building.

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The New College of Design

Exposure to projects from all disciplines allows for a broader and deeper definition of the field of design.

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HACKING THE STUDIO DESK

What if students could customize their studio desktops to better suit their needs?

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Hacking the Studio Desk

Hands-on learning takes on a whole new meaning when you are a design student. You develop the idea through multiple iterations, then head to the fabrication lab to bring it to life.

This process, on repeat for the four years in their undergraduate program, will be the same for just about every student, yet for studio with Director of Design Technology Bill Massie, there is personal investment in their final project.

Two studios have designed student desks for the polycultural environment entrenched in the new building for the College of Design. “It occurred to me when planning for the new facility that student desks should be slightly different than they were 20 even 10 years ago,” said Massie. “Everybody is working on laptops now. Actual drafting tables? They don’t even use them anymore.”

FACING PAGE: Fabrication Lab Tech Pooya Mohaghegh assembles the laser-cut steel frame for the new studio desks.

TOP RIGHT: Rendering of the new desk with accessories.

BELOW: CoD students transport desktops to their next studio.

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As Massie, along with other members of the new building committee, went on a tour of other design colleges, he made note of the steel desks found in many of these studio spaces. This concept organically aligned with Massie’s digital fabrication expertise, resulting in a fully immersive studio concept. “I thought ‘I have a way that students could involve themselves in the design process, and we could pull off designing and building our own student desks,’” Massie concluded.

With the purchase of the Fab Light steel-cutting tube laser, Massie set the studio in motion during the spring 2020 semester with help from Pooya Mohaghegh, graduate student and fabrication lab technician, researching and developing plans for the desks.

Yet as with many other well-laid plans, COVID forced the shut-down of the physical prototyping of the desks, so Massie developed a comparable studio during the 2020 Winter Intersession to perfect the design. “We

are going through the process of refining to the point where we can be inordinately confident about cost,” explained Massie.

The concept is for students to be able to remove the desktop – made of 3/4” plywood – and take it from studio to studio, year over year, with the ability to personalize the design as they develop more fabrication skills during their time at the College. “They can modify and alter it to put a drawer in it, to do anything else,” he said. “They can hack the desktop that goes with them.”

Think cutting board or laptop holder, whatever modifications a student wants to make. The bottom of the desks, made with the steel tubing and a substrate for connecting accessories, remain fixed in each studio.

As freshmen come into the program, one of the first fabrication lessons could be these desktops and the accessories of their choice, using the computer file that includes all the necessary parameters. “Students learning by being exposed to state-of-the-art technology, that’s the future of how we’re going to build everything,” said Massie.

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Prototype removable backstop with slots for configurable shelves and other add-ons, connected with steel risers (optional accessory)

Removable plywood desktop (included in base unit)

Plywood desktop substrate (included in base unit)

Desktop, substrate and frame make up the base unit (pictured opposite); backstop and drawers/cabinets can be added as optional accessories.

Prototype removable and configurable drawer and storage cabinet (optional accessories)

Laser-cut steel frame that can be etched with donor name (included in base unit)

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Hacking the Studio Desk

Want to buy or sponsor a studio desk?

Scan the QR code to learn more, or contact Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy Don Witt at dwitt@uky.edu or Associate Director of Philanthropy for the College of Engineering Patrick Robinson at patrick.robinson@uky.edu

Students in Professor Bill Massie’s hackable desk studios include Trevor Cox, Harley Fields, Pooya Mohaghegh, Apiwat Potchanant, Chaysen Smith, Grace Butler, Lauren Davis, Jackson Karnes, Claire Kemp, Alyssa Ramsey, and Jackie Russell.

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Monoculture Existing conditions of the building, meant for a single, primary use.

Stairs and Canopies Stairs and canopies are inserted to punctuate and complement existing structure.

Shared Program Clustered to support a diverse ecosystem of learning, teaching, and making.

Open Studios Open work and social spaces to encourage collaboration and incubate ideas.

Workspaces & Classrooms Work and study spaces frame and nourish the polycultural ecosystem.

Landscape The landscape extends the academic life within the building and connects the College with the greater campus community.

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Polycultural Shift

Polycultural

Shift

One of the driving forces behind the development of the new College of Design building has been to ensure that all students, faculty and staff could reside in the same space – not just for pragmatic purposes but to develop a strong social and interdisciplinary connectivity. The idea of “polyculture” has become the nexus tying together the College’s multiple programs and an important concept informing Studio Gang’s design.

Blurring the lines between the programs encourages a multi-dimensional, cross-disciplinary education that will prepare students for real-world issues on a global, national and community scale. The reality of bringing together the different disciplines to create something better, something new will encourage the evolution of design education at the University of Kentucky.

Whereas students start their design practice through computer renderings, the fabrication lab brings the reality of design out from the virtual realm, marrying the two initiatives. “Computing is the way we filter all information now but the problem is that it favors the virtual, not the real” explained Massie. “And we are the people who build the real.”

For Dean Mitzi Vernon, the placement of the shop is key to the evolving pedagogy of the College. “The beauty of where it’s located is so important to the first-year experience,” she said. “When you come in as a freshman, you will be looking through your studio, through the glass to see how it all happens. In fact, whoever you are... you will know the college upon entry... the making is right there.”

“It’s so critical that today’s designers are equipped to take on the urgent challenges facing society, like climate change and inequality, whose complexity demands an interdisciplinary approach.”

This concept of polyculture is easily identifiable in the new iteration of the design shop planned for the building. Once relegated to the basement – figuratively and, more often than not, literally – fabrication labs of the past inadvertently encouraged a segregated community among design students. “It segregated the planning from the making,” explained Director of Design Technology Bill Massie. “It basically suggested in a roundabout way that ‘making’ is less important than ‘designing.’”

With the advancement of digital technology, fabrication labs took on a more explicit role in design education yet physically remained out of site in the back of the house. The physical location has led to its social isolation, implying a type of bias that the physical fabrication of design is less significant than the digital design.

With the new building, this systemic bias is about to be dismantled. “At this moment, with the new building, we’ve taken what has been in the background and brought it to the foreground where it should be,” said Massie. “It’s equalizing the value of what we do.”

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And not only will students witness design in the making, they will see it manifest by their peers.

Students learning from each other creates a culture of reciprocity among programs and years, which complements the approach they will see in their professional careers – a polyculture.

“It’s so critical that today’s designers are equipped to take on the urgent challenges facing society, like climate change and inequality, whose complexity demands an interdisciplinary approach,” said Jeanne Gang, FAIA, founding partner of Studio Gang. “Our design for the new building encourages students to meet and mix, learn from each other, and share tools and ideas from day one, helping them build the collaboration skills that are a necessity for the continuing relevance of our professions.”

It’s this blending of designing and making that will best prepare students for real-world engagement.

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The new College of Design building is one of the University of Kentucky’s most expansive adaptive reuse projects to date.

The former tobacco warehouse will be gutted, maintaining the “bones” of the structure while incorporating Studio Gang’s modern and efficient design — from the Clearing Stair at the heart of the building’s structure to the open studios and hands-on learning spaces evident of the polycultural approach that can be found throughout the new College of Design.

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Building Features

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Common First Year Studio 8,000 SQ FT | MAIN FLOOR

Common means equal access. As we move into the new building, the Common First Year Studio will house multiple studios within the space, including for freshmen in architecture, interiors, product design and landscape architecture.

The function of this shared space creates an integrated environment of learning, allowing for shared equity in skill-development that is further enhanced with access to the technology of the Maker Suite, located directly across the hall. This is the premise behind the Common First-Year experience. As most students will be new to the concept of design thinking, this cross-disciplinary space provides access to discovery: technology, visualization and the expansive field and scales of design. Students then move from the main level studio to the upper level into their respective programs with a larger community and a shared skillset within a polycultural environment.

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Common First Year and Entrepreneurial Project Studios

B U I L D I N G F E AT U R E S

Entrepreneurial Project Studios 1,100 SQ FT | 4 STUDIOS | MAIN FLOOR

These studios are highly visible workshop spaces on the ground floor, showcasing works-in-progress from students and faculty while providing dedicated space for special projects. Studio projects can include those sponsored by the community or outside industry as well as faculty and faculty/student team projects. These studios give those contracted with a project the dedicated space to focus on their work, and at the same time, allow guests to view the projects in progress inside these publicfacing spaces.

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B U I L D I N G F E AT U R E S

Maker’s Suite 8,000 SQ FT | MAIN FLOOR

Materials Library The Black Box Assembly Lab 3D Print Lab Digital Learning Lab Softgoods Lab Laser Lab CAD / CAM Lab Wood Lab Metal Lab

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Maker's Suite

The Maker’s Suite, along with the Fabrication Dock and Environmental Canopy, is one of the most public facing features of the new building and the academic experience. At more than 8,000 square feet and comprised of multiple specialized areas, the Maker’s Suite accommodates the multi-programmatic needs of the College. “With the new building, we’ve taken what has been in the background and brought it to the foreground where it should be,” said Director of Design Technology Bill Massie, referring to the College’s efforts to desegregate making from designing. “It’s equalizing the value of what we do.”

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B U I L D I N G F E AT U R E S

Fabrication Dock & Environmental Canopy 3,800 SQ FT | EXTERIOR

While its aesthetic role is not insignificant, the fabrication dock’s purpose is to extend the Maker’s Suite to the outdoors, allowing students to build full-scale models in a protected environment. This outdoor shop, shaded by a new grove of native trees and new canopy that shades the south elevation, includes a rolling gantry that allows for easy movement of student projects and deliveries across the platform.

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Outdoor Maker Spaces

Boiler Maker Yard 2,600 SQ FT | MAIN AND UPPER FLOORS

Repurposed from its duty as the building’s heating element, the new Boiler Maker Yard is an open-air area that provides additional workspace for student and faculty builds.

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B U I L D I N G F E AT U R E S

The Clearing Stair 2,300 SQ FT | MAIN & UPPER FLOORS

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The Clearing Stair

The Clearing Stair is inserted into the heart of the building, designed to intuitively guide the flow of traffic and to encourage movement and interaction among the College community and visitors. From this spot, you can see throughout much of the building and appreciate the architecture of the reimagined warehouse. The central jewel of the architecture, the Clearing Stair serves as the interior stamp of Studio Gang, the design architect for the project.

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Like the Roman gathering spaces of antiquity, the Forum serves as a multipurpose, centrally located space for public gatherings. The beauty of the Forum – the College’s main congregative space – is how its design unlocks the benefits of the historic building’s height and sectional shift. The 2,400-square-foot Forum includes a shared balcony so those outside its doors can still engage with what’s happening inside (i.e., you can be in the hall, in an upper classroom or standing on the balcony to view the activity going on within the Forum). The space can also easily be reconfigured for events, studios and other uses.

Technology within this space also allows the College to broadcast events to those outside the building, and the acoustically treated interior provides clear movement of sound.

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The Forum

B U I L D I N G F E AT U R E S

The Forum 2,400 SQ FT | MAIN & UPPER FLOORS

Large Lecture

Typical Use

Reviews & Critiques 38º84

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B U I L D I N G F E AT U R E S

Center for History, Theory & Preservation 1,500 SQ FT | MAIN FLOOR

The Center for History, Theory & Preservation puts a public face on the importance of history and theory to the College of Design. The center also highlights the Department of Historic Preservation and the significance it plays in the pedagogy of the College. Kentucky, which has the fourth highest number of listings on the National Register of Historic Places, is a strong advocate for preservation, and the Center is a way for the College to celebrate that part of the Commonwealth.

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Center for History, Theory and Preservation

The physical space will include retractable projection screens, lounge seating for quiet study and exhibition space. The movable panels dividing the space makes the room adaptable for large or small groups, allowing it to also serve as lecture space while also housing the College’s liaison to the library, the circulation desk and the office for the Director of the Center for History, Theory & Preservation.

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BUILDING TEAM

Meet Our New Design Philanthropy Team As we hit our stride with the new College of Design building, we are honored to announce the addition of two seasoned philanthropy directors to the team: Don Witt and Patrick Robinson. Don and Patrick will work with the College of Design to support its fundraising campaign as we move toward the next phase of construction.

Don Witt Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy dwitt@uky.edu

Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy Don Witt has worked at the University of Kentucky in the Office of Philanthropy for three years. He has responsibilities that bridge the gap between philanthropy and alumni affairs – bringing a holistic approach to outreach and engagement. Prior to this position, Don was Associate Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Kentucky as well as Director of Admissions and University Registrar – a career spanning 36 years. These experiences transition extremely well to the world of philanthropy and alumni affairs, creating relationships with various constituencies in support of UK goals related to research, engagement and service.

In addition, Don helped to start the original UK Visitor Center (now located in the Gatton Student Center), started and established the UK Veterans Resource Center (now located in Erikson Hall), and taught in the UK College of Communication and Information for 25 years.

Patrick Robinson Associate Director of Philanthropy, UK College of Engineering patrick.robinson@uky.edu

Patrick Robinson is the Associate Director of Philanthropy in the University of Kentucky College of Engineering. Patrick has held this position since May 2018 and in this role works with alumni and friends of the College to secure major philanthropic support. Previously, he was the associate director of advancement for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) and worked there in a variety of philanthropic and alumni engagement roles for nearly 15 years.

Prior to joining KCTCS in July 2003, Patrick began his career in philanthropy in 2000 as a student worker at the University of Kentucky in both the William B. Sturgill Philanthropy Building and the UK College of Engineering Office of Alumni & Philanthropy.

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Building Team

THE FUTURE OF THE COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Design Team

College Building Committee

Design Architect: Studio Gang Team

Doug Appler

Jeanne Gang FAIA

Joe Brewer

Mark Schendel

Ned Crankshaw

Juliane Wolf

Jeff Fugate, Committee Chair

Corbin Keech

Faith Harders

Julia Roberts

Jeffrey Johnson

Kristina Eldrenkamp

Jill Leckner

Emily Licht

Charlotte Leedy

Olesya Vodenicharska

Bill Massie

Schuyler Smith

Ginny Miller

Mauricio Sanchez

Wallis Miller

Melissa Long

Jon Mills

Jay Hoffman

Pooya Mohaghegh

William Emmick

Jordan Phemister

Margaret Cavenagh

Rebekah Radtke Joe Rey-Barreau Tony Roccanova

Architect of Record: K. Norman Berry Associates Architects

Azhar Swanson

Robert Haffermann

Bruce Swetnam

Katie Halsey

Marty Summers

Christopher Fuller

Helen Turner

Carole Yocum

Dan Vivian

Kathryn Sanders

UK Facilities – Capital Projects Management Division

Curtis Thrush Bill Case Eric Schweinhart

Dall Clark

Sara Woods

Keith Ingram

Carter Scott

College Representatives

Veena Reddy

Jeff Fugate Bill Massie

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Beloit College Powerhouse in Beloit, WI; Completed in 2020, Studio Gang reimagined the former coal-burning power plant as a student union centered on recreation and wellness.

Before

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After

Studio Gang

BUILDING TEAM

DESIGN ARCHITECT

STUDIO GANG After reviewing 29 applicants and narrowing the field to six finalists, in 2019 the UK College of Design was honored to announce Studio Gang’s selection as the Design Architect for the Reynolds Building project.

Studio Gang founding principal and MacArthur Fellow, Jeanne Gang, FAIA, Int. FRIBA, brings a span of qualifications to this project. “Jeanne has a history with Lexington and the College, and Studio Gang has been an integral part of our important work in the Portland neighborhood of Louisville,” said Dean Mitzi Vernon. “With her broad portfolio of work, she understands community engagement, adaptive reuse, and as we look at the Reynolds Building, we consider the district and Lexington’s University City status, anticipating the critical role Jeanne will play in that evolution.”

Jeanne Gang was the only architect named as one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People for 2019. Her distinguished honors only highlight her dedication to sustainability, environmentalism, urban sensitivity, and diversity, as evidenced by the diversity in her practice and her pay equity pledge. She was last year’s recipient of the UK College of Design Brown-Forman Visiting Chair Endowment, and co-taught Studio Louisville with Professor David Biagi, a satellite studio that engaged members of the Portland neighborhood of West Louisville to explore how architecture and urban design reflect and foster community identity, health, and resiliency.

A selection of Studio Gang’s signature designs: the upcoming Global Terminal at O’Hare International Airport; Campus North Residential Commons at the University of Chicago; and Writers Theatre in Glencoe, IL.

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BUILDING TEAM

ARCHITECT OF RECORD

K. NORMAN BERRY ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS As the project’s Architect of Record, K. Norman Berry Associates Architects brings with it a strong track record in historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects, and their experience in working with major firms on large projects will prove invaluable for the College of Design.

“I believe that the most important opportunity that the Reynolds Building affords the College is to showcase how a historic building can change and be updated to ‘modern’ programmatic needs, while retaining its essential character as a utilitarian warehouse space as originally designed. The bones of the building can be treated as a historic restoration project while reflecting the educational and pedagogical direction of the College of Design as it trains future generations of designers,” said Bob Haffermann, AIA, LEED AP, Managing Principal at K. Norman Berry.

Formed in 1971, Norman Berry opened his firm in Louisville.

Currently, the firm has 12 registered architects, eight LEED registered and four designers. The firm has been recognized with numerous awards including an AIA National Design Award, six AIA Kentucky Design Awards and seven Preservation Awards.

Historic Fayette Co. courthouse in downtown Lexington. KNBA led the project team to preserve the character of the original building while restoring and updating the structure for a new mix of uses.

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K Norman Berry Associates Architects

The Speed Museum in Louisville. KNBA served as architect of record on an addition and renovation to this award-winning structure.

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Giving to design education is giving to the future.

Naming Opportunities With the new College of Design building comes the unique opportunity to publicly honor those who have made an impact through design while simultaneously supporting the future of design education. Whether you are interested in a more specialized opportunity – like an area within the Maker’s Suite or an individual studio – or choose to honor an alum or former professor by naming an office or common space for them, there are a myriad of ways to help the College pay tribute to those who have helped us get to where we are today.

promote its town/gown mission with the University.

With these enduring tributes, you ensure the next generation of design students are equipped with the foundational history and modern skillset for an innovative and prosperous future.

Gifts can be made over time and through various means, so please contact Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy Don Witt at dwitt@uky.edu or Associate Director of Philanthropy for the College of Engineering Patrick Robinson at patrick.robinson@uky.edu to discuss your gift.

There will also be several signature public spaces in the new Design Building where your donation can benefit the College on a larger scale. Not only will our students have the breadth of space to engage in deeper design thinking, but the building will give the city of Lexington another venue to further

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Naming Opportunities

Firm-to-Studio Our partners in the industry play a critical role in the future of our students as they plan their professional careers. You can make an impact today as the College prepares its move to a state-of-the-art building that will transform the future of design education at the University of Kentucky.

Each magenta bar represents one of the large digital displays located throughout the open studio areas on both floors of the new building.

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The Firm-to-Studio program allows you to make an impactful pledge to name one or more studios over five years. More importantly, naming a studio gives you the opportunity to share your firm‘s story, work and mission. Customized digital displays located respective to the named studio will run narratives, not only for students but for all visitors to the College.

Alumna Debra Lehman-Smith with LSM Studio in Washington, D.C., and K. Norman Berry Associates Architects are the inaugural firms that will be participating in this program. Please see the New Building page on our website (design.uky.edu/newbuilding) for details and Firm-to-Studio options or contact Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy Don Witt at dwitt@uky.edu or Associate Director of Philanthropy for the College of Engineering Patrick Robinson at patrick.robinson@uky.edu to learn more.

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Naming Opportunities Main (Middle) Floor

Public Spaces The Clearing Stair SEE PAGE 78 The Forum SEE PAGE 80 Visitor’s Center & Reception Area Café

Studios Common First Year Studio (12 studios) SEE PAGE 72 Sponsored Entrepreneurial Studios (4 studios) SEE PAGE 73 Studio Desks SEE PAGE 64

MAIN FLOOR

FACULTY OFFICES & CONFERENCE ROOM

COMMON FIRST YEAR STUDIOS

MATERIALS

BLACK BOX

ASSEMBLY

3D PRINTING

DES STO

DIGITAL LEARNING

SOFT GOODS

LASER

METAL

MAKER’S SUITE

WOOD

CAD/CAM

FABRICATION DOCK

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Naming Opportunities

Maker’s Suite SEE PAGE 74

Administration + Faculty Spaces

Materials Library

The Dean’s Conference Suite

The Black Box

Faculty Offices

Assembly Lab

Faculty Commons

3D Print Lab Digital Learning Lab

Other Sponsorship Opportunities

Softgoods Lab

Center for History, Theory & Preservation SEE PAGE 82

Laser Lab

Design Store

CAD / CAM Lab

Boiler Maker Yard SEE PAGE 77

Wood Lab Metal Lab

Name the College

Fabrication Dock & Environmental Canopy SEE PAGE 76

Name the Building Name the School/Department Firm-to-Studio SEE PAGE 91

THE FORUM

CENTER FOR HISTORY, THEORY & PRESERVATION

M

BOILER MAKER YARD

VISITOR CENTER

THE CLEARING STAIR

DESIGN STORE

ENTREPRENEURIAL STUDIOS

THE DEAN’S CONFERENCE SUITE

CAFÉ

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Naming Opportunities Upper Floor

UPPER FLOOR

FACULTY OFFICES & CONFERENCE ROOM

OPEN STUDIOS

MEDIUM CLASSROOM

STUDENT ORG SEM SMALL CLASSROOM

FACULTY OFFICES

OPEN STUDIOS

ENVIRONMENTAL CANOPY

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Naming Opportunities

Public Spaces

Classrooms & Student Spaces

The Clearing Stair SEE PAGE 78

Large Classroom

The Forum SEE PAGE 80

Medium Classroom Small Classroom

Studios Open Studios SEE PAGE 62

Student Organization Seminar

Product Design & Biomedical Engineering Senior Studio

Other Sponsorship Opportunities

Graduate Studios

Name the College

Studio Desks SEE PAGE 64

Administration & Faculty Spaces Director’s Suite & Conference Room

Boiler Maker Yard SEE PAGE 77 Name the Building Name the School/Department Firm-to-Studio SEE PAGE 91

Faculty Offices Faculty Conference Room

BOILER MAKER YARD THE FORUM

LARGE CLASSROOM

DIRECTOR’S SUITE & CONFERENCE ROOM

THE CLEARING STAIR

PRODUCT DESIGN / BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING SENIOR STUDIO

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GRADUATE STUDIOS

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THE FUTURE OF THE COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Scan the QR code or visit design.uky.edu/newbuilding for updates, project information, live construction camera feeds, giving opportunities and more.

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Naming Opportunities

THE FUTURE OF THE COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Updates & Additions

Scan the QR code or visit design.uky.edu/newbuilding for updates, project information, live construction camera feeds, giving opportunities and more.

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Naming Opportunities

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Philanthropy Team Don Witt | dwitt@uky.edu Patrick Robinson | patrick.robinson@uky.edu Communications Director Julie Wilson | julie.wilson@uky.edu

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stories of design + place

stories of design + place

THE FUTURE OF THE COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Spring 2021 Issue 003

SPECIAL EDITION ISSUE 003

THE NEW COLLEGE OF DESIGN