APDesign Newsletter 7.18.11
SEATON SUMMER BUILDING UPDATE
This summer has been filled with many building projects throughout Seaton and Seaton Court. Many of these projects were set into place because the forbidden spaces - Seaton 060 and Seaton 011 - finally had a sprinkler system installed. Since the sprinklers have been put in, we can now occupy the space.
One project that may be of interest includes building a wall outside of the OZ door to increase the space of APDesign’s Computer & Networking Services (Seaton 012). This area will house equipment that has been transferred from the Krider Center to CNS. Students and faculty will now check out audio-visual materials from this office.
Another major endeavor began with Professor Zeller offering an intersession course at the beginning of the summer. His students designed and built several mock-ups of potential wall designs to enclose three studio spaces in Seaton 011. The wall on the west side of the corridor is currently under construction. Students from his course have completed the drawings for the entire space, but are currently ensuring that the westernmost studio will be habitable for the fall semester. They have poured concrete, framed the walls, built the door, installed the light fixtures, and currently are working on mounting the slats, which will make up the exterior wall material.
Stay tuned. Lots more building projects to share that will be completed prior to the start of the 2011-2012 academic year!
FIRST ISSUE OF THE NEW E-NEWSLETTER
Enjoy the first issue of our new APDesign e-newsletter. The newsletter will be published biweekly for the rest of the summer. Once the fall semester starts, the newsletter will be published weekly.
If you have any items or events for the e-newsletter, please stop by Emily Vietti’s office (Seaton 212D) or send them to evietti@k-state.edu.
ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT HEAD SEARCH
The Department of Architecture is beginning its search for a new head, following Peter Magyar’s departure from the position this summer.
“This is an exciting time for the department,” said Associate Professor Todd Gabbard, chair of the search committee. “We received high marks on our accreditation visit this spring and are now looking toward the future. We are in the midst of exploring qualitative changes to our curricula both for our professional Master of Architecture degree as well as our Master of Science degree tracks. Alongside the College, we are embracing new technologies in design and fabrication. We continue to strengthen connections to the profession and community. What we are looking for now is insightful leadership.”
In addition to Gabbard, committee members from the APDesign faculty and staff include: Blake Belanger, Don Crawford, Lynn Ewanow, Nathan Howe, Michael McGlynn, David Sachs, Susanne Siepl-Coates, Rebecca Stark, and Sam Zeller. Two alumni representatives, Shannon Bohm and Doug Shaffer, and two student representatives will round out the committee.
The committee will begin meeting in mid-July and hope to publish an advertisement for the position before school begins. Questions, comments, and suggestions may be directed to Todd Gabbard.
NEW DEPARTMENT HEADS
On July 1, Katherine Ankerson, new Department Head of Interior Architecture & Product Design, and Matt Knox, Interim Head of Architecture, began their new posts. Welcome!
NOW THAT THE KRIDER CENTER IS GONE …
As the fall semester approaches, some changes are headed our way. One of the biggest changes will be where to find the resources that were formerly housed in the Krider Center.
Weigel Library now houses the slides, videos and DVDs that previously could be found in the Krider Center. If you need to use a scanner, Weigel still has the flatbed scanner and the Bookeye scanner. Weigel will also be purchasing all media from now on, so if you have needs or recommendations, feel free to pass that information on to Maxine Ganske.
Computer and Networking Services, housed in Seaton 012 will be ready to provide AV equipment checkout and support by the start of the fall semester. CNS has projectors, laptops, digital cameras, and lighting equipment available for checkout.
Breanna Sprague, formerly a student assistant in the Krider Center, has been hired by Computer and Networking Services to help make the transition smoother. She started in her new position July 11, and will be located in Seaton 012. Breanna has a wealth of knowledge about the equipment and AV support, and we are very happy to have her back!
SUMMER LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE STUDIO FOCUSES ON DOWNTOWN KC
A summer planning and design studio taught by Assistant Professors Blake Belanger, Jason Brody, and Howard Hahn, Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional & Community Planning, is focusing on making Kansas City’s downtown civic space a better place.
With the aid of a grant from the Downtown Council of Kansas City, Missouri, the summer studio is the first phase in a yearlong study of civic downtown space that will continue with students at the Kansas City Design Center with Professor Vladimir Krstic, Department of Architecture.
According to Belanger, this summer’s students are “identifying what the critical issues are and coming up with visionary strategies for addressing those issues.”
The first phase of the studio involved investigation and critical thinking. Brody said the students are learning to understand the complexity of cities as well as the relationship of civic space to a variety of other systems, such as finance, transportation, and the relationship with neighborhoods. In the second phase, the students have been put into groups of three to develop a design project or proposal in greater depth.
Belanger said that the studio is different than most in a variety of ways: First, the eight-week studio is highly compressed, meeting every weekday for many hours per day. Also, the service-learning studio is funded and is part of a bigger project that involves working with stakeholders who have substantial interest and investment in the future of downtown Kansas City.
The students have traveled to Kansas City three times so far this semester, once for an orientation charrette and twice to meet with stakeholders representing a variety of interests in the city, including residents from downtown neighborhoods, professionals from the real estate community, and the Kessler Society of Kansas City. The input from these people is helping to inform the students’ research and design projects.
They will travel to Kansas City one final time to present their work at an open house and reception from 5-7 p.m. Friday, July 22. The open house, which will be held at the Kansas City Design Center, is open to the public.
To read more about the studio, check out their blog: http://cityecologies.blogspot.com/
WORDS FROM WEIGEL
What do Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Umberger 105, Peters Recreation Complex, and Weigel Library all have in common? These facilities are undergoing renovations during summer 2011 to make great programs even better.
The improvements in Weigel include: a painted wall (color selected by Lance) where donated art prints now hang (adding a bit of culture); portions of the floor stripped, sealed, and waxed (for the first time in 13+ years, so I’ve been told); rearrangement of furnishings and technology (responding to the voice of the people); and the addition of media shelving in early August (more about that in a future newsletter.)
Come up and check out an improving Weigel and our new resources that have arrived during the summer.
RESOURCE SPACE READY FOR USE
Resource Space, our new file/photo repository, is live and ready for you to start downloading and contributing materials.
Resource Space will allow all of us to upload our photos, audio and video files, and even text files like syllabi or project requirements to one handy place. If we use Resource Space to its full potential, it will be easier than ever to cull information needed for portfolios, accreditation needs, and promotion needs.
If you haven’t already signed up for Resource Space, here’s what you do:
To access Resource Space, go to: https://media.capd.ksu.edu/rs
Then you will need to select “Click here to apply for an account” and follow the instructions. If you have a specific username that you would prefer, David White would like you to put it in the “Comment” box. Once you receive your username and (temporary) password, you will be able to change your password inside of Resource Space by clicking on your name, if you choose.
If you have further questions on Resource Space, contact Emily Vietti.
DEVELOPMENT DETAILS
It is with much excitement that we announce that the College achieved the highest level of fundraising in its history, topping out at nearly $1.5 million. Thanks go out to all faculty, staff, and administration who played a role in setting this record.
While we already know that our alumni are incredibly dedicated to our College, this past year demonstrates that they are happy to show their appreciation philanthropically as well.
In coming newsletters, I look forward to sharing how their philanthropic support impacts different areas in the College, such as by establishing student scholarships or supporting excellence funds.
