CONTACT: Whitney Hale, (859) 257-1754, or Mark Royse, (859) 257-9835
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UK Architecture Studio Receives Key to City of New Orleans
Faculty, Students Continue Service, Education in
City Devastated by Hurricane Katrina
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 21, 2006) − The City Council of New Orleans recently gave thanks to the Kentucky-New Orleans Architecture Studio (KNOA), presenting the studio with a key to the city and an official proclamation of appreciation for their work on restoration and re-design efforts of Mickey Markey Park in Bywater, a neighborhood in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
While a number of architecture programs from around the country are involved in the recovery effort,KNOA, a studio from the University of Kentucky College of Design, holds the distinction of being one of only two architecture programswith students and faculty actually living and working in the city. The other institution is Tulane University, based in New Orleans.
The KNOA studio, physically located in a historic molasses factory building at the corner of Chartres and Piety Streets, is under the direction of UK School of Architecture faculty Mike McKay and Liz Swanson. KNOA, which was formed to address the loss and destruction of Hurricane Katrina, was the brainchild of McKay and Swanson. McKay, a tenth-generation native of New Orleans, knew personally the setbacks these communities faced as his own parents and extended family experienced the loss of their homes due tothe hurricane.
In response to the devastation, McKay and Swanson conceived a satellite studio that allowed UK architecture students to participate first-hand in the ongoing, long-term recovery of an urban framework onthe unprecedented scale of New Orleans.
McKay and Swanson, who are internationally recognized for their design work on parks and landscapes, are currently bringing their expertise to bear on the studio’s first project as KNOA re-designs Mickey Markey Park. Fourteen students, including students from the UK Honors Program as well as a Gaines Fellow, are working on the new design for Mickey Markey Park, which will include a stage, pavilion, playground, lighting, fencing and public seating.
KNOA does not charge for its services, allowing the City of New Orleans and the Bywater Neighborhood Association, in the case of Mickey Markey Park, to put their entire budget allocation towards labor and materials.
“We only want to work with community groups and non-profit organizations that may not be able to afford professional architects,” said Swanson. Several community groups have approached the studio, and awareness of UK’s presence continues to grow as architecture students become more involved in the community, volunteering with groups and working on projects outside the classroom.
The Mickey Markey Park project will connect to an extended stretch of New Orleans riverfront property that is currently the subject of an international design competition. Finalists vying to design this adjacent waterfront property include noted architectsZaha Hadid, Frank Gehry and former UK architecture faculty member, Daniel Libeskind.
Students participating in KNOA this fall are: Ashlea Beardsley of Bardwell, Ky.; John Brock of Marion, Ky.; James Davis of Lexington, Ky.; Lindsey Fister of Lexington; Patrick Fromm of Lexington; Graham Gordon of Louisville, Ky.; Katie McOwen of Huntington, W.Va.; Jason Richards of Kingsport, Tenn.; Caleb Sears of Louisville; Allison Shaw of Hodgenville, Ky.; Tony Shiber or Paintsville, Ky.; Dara Solomon of Hurricane, W.Va.; Sarah Wilson of Houston, Texas;and Kevin Zwick of St. Louis, Mo.
For more information about KNOA studio, please contactMike McKay or Liz Swanson at KNOA studio at (504) 309-4209; McKay's cell phone at (504)722-8050; or Swanson's cell phone at (504) 722-7984.
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