AIA – CKC Meeting Report – UK College of Design
March 12, 2014
UK/CoDProfessor Michael Jacobs honored in AIA Kentucky’s Top Ten List
In celebration of AIA Kentucky's 50th anniversary, the influence architects have had on life in Kentucky, and the awareness of how a building can impact an individual and/or a community, Kentuckians were invited to nominate significant, memorable and functional buildings of all sizes and styles online.
Over 170 buildings were nominated and 50 have been chosen for an online, juried competition inviting Kentuckians to choose their favorites. Winners of both were announced at a grand reveal celebration on November 21, 2013.
Among the top ten designs is the Northern Kentucky University Student Union. Omni Architects designed the central hub of NKU’s campus. One of the firm's principals, Mike Jacobs, also serves on the faculty of the UK/CoD School of Architecture. The University of Kentucky University Health Service Building, also designed by Omni, was included in the top 50 designs.
Also in the top ten is The Ascent at Roebling's Bridge in Covington, Kentucky. The modern residential building was designed by former University of Kentucky lecturer Daniel Liebeskind.
UK/CoD 3D printing featured on UKnow
UKnow recently sat down with Assistant Professor Martin Summers and grad student Hans Koesters to discuss how students implement 3D printing technology into studio projects.
"I think it’s incredible to have the opportunity, because not every school in the country has it; in fact, most don’t," Koesters said. "I was fortunate enough over the last six months before I came here to see firms adopting this technology and people having them next to their desk and being able to crank through. So I'm having that opportunity as a student to engage in architecture in the same way I can already see it happening in the field."
Professor Wallis Miller Gives Lecture at the Centre Pompidou in Paris
Wallis Miller, Charles P. Graves Associate Professor of Architecture, spoke at the conference "Exposer L'architecture" at the Centre Pompidou in Paris on January 16 and 17.
Her lecture, "Models, Architecture, and the Academy Exhibition in Germany," covered the period from the early Prussian Academy exhibitions in the late 18th century to the Bauhaus exhibition in 1923, linking the exhibition of models to the changing definition of architecture and the emergence of modernism.
Associate Dean Mark O’Bryan Contributes to Book about Lexington’s Iconic Miller House
UK/CoD Associate Dean for Administration Mark O’Bryan and former School of Architecture instructor Melody Farris Jackson contributed to Et in Surburbia Ego, a book chronicling the design and construction of Lexington’s iconic Miller House. Jose Oubrerie, former dean of the UK College of Architecture (now College of Design), designed the house. Oubrierie was a protégé of famed French architect Le Corbusier and collaborated with him on many projects, including the church of St. Pierre de Firminy-Vert in France. The Miller House is considered one of the finest examples of residential architecture of the 20th Century.
In addition to authoring an article about the documenting the house, O’Bryan contributed technical drawings and photographs of the house’s interior and exterior.
UK/CoD professors appointed to endowed professorships
The College is pleased to announce the reappointment of Associate Professor of Architecture Bruce Swetnam to the Kentuckiana Masonry Institute Endowed Professorship. Wallis Miller was reappointed as theCharles Parker Graves Endowed Associate Professor in Architecture.Associate Professor Leonard Wujcik, Professor of Architecture, was reappointed to the Robert Lynn Leininger Endowed Professorship.
Hunter M. Adams College of Design Library and JRA Architects host Ernst Johnson Lecture
In February, Bob Kelly, an architect and former adjunct professor at the College of Design delivered the lecture, "Rendered in Brick: The Modern Architecture of Ernst Johnson at the University of Kentucky," to educate the University and local community about the value of buildings on UK’s campus designed by Ernst Johnson. The lecture was sponsored by JRA Architects, firm Johnson founded, and commenced a week-long exhibit of Johnson’s work in the design library gallery.
A member of the UK engineering faculty, Johnson was the architect for many of UK's iconic "modern" buildings, including Funkhouser Building, Erikson Hall, the Student Center, Fine Arts Building and others. He began his legacy at the university with the design of the Student Center in 1937 and continued designing buildings until 1956, including Memorial Coliseum (1950).
UK/CoD hosts Preservation South Conference
The hosted the 3rd Annual Preservation South Conference from February 28 - March 2, 2014. Preservation South is a student-run conference created to give historic preservation students and students in related fields an opportunity to present and learn from the research of their peers. A lectures from Jean Carroon, FAIA, author ofSustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings, kicked-off the conference. Carroonis a principal at the Boston-based architectural firm of Goody Clancy, and is one of the nation's experts in making historic buildings more environmentally sustainable and energy efficient. She is the author of Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings. Under her direction, Goody Clancy undertook the repair and restoration of Trinity Church in Boston - the 1877 H.H. Richardson designed church that defined the Richardsonian Romanesque style.
The conference also included a keynote address from Craig Potts, Executive Director of the Kentucky Heritage Council and State Historic Preservation. On Saturday morning and afternoon, students presented their research at Pence Hall on a wide array of preservation issues, before attending a reception at the home of Clyde Carpenter, and the conference concluded on Sunday morning with walking tours of Lexington.
UK/CoD Design Discovery Program registration is open
The Design Discovery program (registration for which opened March 3, 2014) is an intensive weeklong program held at the University of Kentucky College of Design. The program is open to high school students who will be juniors and seniors in the fall semester of 2014. Graduating seniors who have been admitted to the University of Kentucky (including the College of Design) and would like to get a head start on design concepts and skills are also encouraged to attend.
The goal of the program is to explore the many facets of design education. A major emphasis will be placed on the foundational experience of an intensive design studio, where individual education is enhanced and nurtured in a collective environment. Participants will be challenged to think creatively, analyze design, and present their work to peers and professionals.
Over the course of the week, participants will take part in a variety of events on and off campus (from morning till evening), including lectures, field trips, office visits, and workshops. Events are structured to broaden the participant's understanding of design professions, and serve as an introduction to design thinking, problem solving, the Lexington community, and the University of Kentucky.UK/CoD will host two sessions of Design Discovery: June 22 - 28, 2014; andJuly 13 - 19, 2014.
Campaign to renovate Pence Hall underway
The first phase of construction—a brand new student services suite and recruitment center—is nearly complete. These improvements serve vital functions, bring Pence Hall in line with federal regulation, and significantly improve the appearance and functionality of the College’s center. These renovations are central to attracting the best and brightest students and a new dean to lead the College.
An update on the UK/CoD Dean’s Search
The Provost’s Office has communicated weekly emails to the College to keep us apprised of progress in the Dean’s search. The Dean’s Search Committee has narrowed its list of candidates and will soon meet with the candidates at airport interviews later this month or in early April. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please refer qualified candidates to our website: