David Sachs, DArch, AIA
Professor, Emeritus
Architecture
Professor David Sachs has been a member of the Kansas State University faculty for more than three decades, bringing a rich blend of professional experience, scholarship, and creative inquiry to the College of Architecture, Planning & Design. He holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Stetson University, a Master of Architecture from Rice University, and a Ph.D. in Architectural History from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining K-State, Sachs practiced architecture for nearly a decade in a variety of professional settings, experiences that continue to inform his teaching and research.
At Kansas State, Sachs has taught an expansive range of courses spanning all levels of design studio, a lecture course in architectural programming, and advanced seminars on topics such as modern and regional architecture, urban space, architectural photography, and the design culture of Kansas City. His teaching emphasizes critical thinking, visual literacy, and the interrelationship between history, design, and place. Over the years, he has also served in several key administrative roles, including Director of the Kansas City Academic Program, Department Head, and Coordinator of the College’s Ph.D. Program.
Sachs’s scholarly interests center on architectural practice, 20th-century and regional architecture, and the history of urban space. His research methods often combine historical scholarship, oral history, and photographic ethnography. He is the author of books on A. Hays Town, a Louisiana architect, and on Kansas architecture, and contributed the Kansas section of Archipedia, the online architectural encyclopedia of the Society of Architectural Historians. In addition, he has published numerous articles, over fifty book reviews, and presented dozens of scholarly papers at national and international conferences.
Sachs served as the Regnier Distinguished Faculty Chair from 2011 to 2013, recognizing his enduring contributions to architectural education and scholarship.