Architecture Archives - UTK College of Architecture + Design /news/architecture/ Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:48:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 /wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-utcoad_favicon-AppStore@2x-32x32.png Architecture Archives - UTK College of Architecture + Design /news/architecture/ 32 32 Architecture Alumni Shine in AIA East TN AUD Design Competition /2024-aia-east-tn-aud-design-competition/ Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:48:39 +0000 /?p=22133 Five of the six winning designs in AIA East Tennessee's ADU competition were created by UT School of Architecture alumni. The competition showcased innovative approaches to addressing Knoxville's housing challenges through accessory dwelling units.

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AIA East Tennessee announced six winning designs in its , focusing on accessory dwelling units, with being alumni of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s School of Architecture.

Backyard of a house with an accessory dwelling unit.
Example of an accessory dwelling unit.

ADUs—commonly known as guest homes or accessory apartments—are a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit on the same lot as a stand-alone, detached single-family home. Almost all residential lots in Knoxville can legally sustain an ADU which can generate income for homeowners and support intergenerational living. The competition aimed to increase awareness and motivate change while providing tools to help address the region’s housing supply shortage.

Jurors included Lindsay Crockett, principal planner and design review program manager at Knoxville-Knox County Planning, Matthew Griffith, architect and founding principal of In Situ Studio, and Ross Miller, principal of FormGrey Studio.

“The School of Architecture is committed to generating knowledge and disseminating high-impact ideas about the built environment,” said Carl Lostritto, director of the school and UT representative on the AIA East Tennessee Board. “I’m especially excited to see entries that are feasible and productively disruptive. In this case, my expectation is that the winning drawings will influence the culture of development in Knoxville—a good example of the real-world agency of academic discourse.”

The jurors said, “Missing middle housing is a critical issue that architects can play an important role in addressing in their communities. Seeing all the different creative approaches and concepts to designing ADUs was quite refreshing and will hopefully spark further conversations in the Knoxville and East Tennessee communities. We selected [six] submissions in the two categories for their design merits.”

Minimal Living board by Marleen Davis, with support Micah Kincaid, for the AIA East Tennessee ADU design competition.
Minimal Living board by Marleen Davis.

In the ‘Small Footprint’ category, which included studio and one-bedroom homes of 500 square feet or less, the jury selected “On Writing Home” by Cameron S. Bolin (MArch ’14), “Shifting Phantom ADUs” by Sanders Pace Architecture, founded by alumni John Sanders (’97) and Brandon Pace (’97), “54321” by Jonah Pruitt, and “Minimal Living Prefabricated ADU” by Professor and Dean Emerita Marleen Kay Davis.

“This was a win/win/win concept,” said Davis. “We were able to have faculty and students collaborating, while supporting AIA East Tennessee. I was pleased to work with a great fourth year student Micah Kincaid.”

In the category ‘Standard ADU’, which included two-bedroom-homes of up to 750SF, jurors selected “Bento House” by Jakob Mikres (BArch ’24) and “Common Ground” by Marion Forbes (BArch ’14).

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TK Davis Retires After 30 Years: A Legacy of Design and Civic Engagement /davis-retires-after-30-years-at-ut/ Tue, 24 Sep 2024 15:41:26 +0000 /?p=22065 Professor Thomas (TK) Davis has shaped the architectural landscape of Tennessee for over three decades, bringing a passion for design that has touched the lives of students and communities alike. From teaching over 800 students to leading visionary projects in Nashville, his career reflects a commitment to urban transformation and public engagement.

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Professor Thomas (TK) Davis was, it seems, born to be an architect.

As a young boy, lying in bed with the nightlight on, he’d imagine his bedroom furniture as buildings in a city.

“One of my earliest memories was sitting on the living room floor playing with blocks,” he said, adding with a chuckle, “I still have thousands of Legos.”

That passion for design led Davis to a long and influential career that’s touched hundreds of students, influenced architecture around the state, and left an impact on the field of urban design.

TK Davis headshot
Davis retired over the summer, after 30 years in UT’s ϲʿ.

A at the Nashville architecture and engineering firm, Gresham Smith, will celebrate Davis’s career and the publication of his new book, The Presence Of The Absence, which chronicles 36 urban architecture design studio semesters he oversaw during his four years as design director at Nashville’s Civic Design Center and his subsequent 15 years running the Nashville Urban Design Architecture Studio, both cooperative arrangements with UT.

In the forward to Davis’s book, ϲʿ Dean Jason Young wrote, “(Davis) has elevated conversations about the plight of cities, engaged civic leaders, and involved University of Tennessee students as partners in participatory civic design to develop solutions to pressing urban problems for the public good…. Perhaps Professor Davis’s influence is most deeply seen in our state’s capital. Indeed, it is hard to imagine the amazing transformation Nashville has undergone in the past 15 years without Davis’s involvement.”

A Center of Energy

After earning his bachelor’s degree in architecture at Cornell University, Davis spent a few years in “bottom rung” positions at architectural firms in Hartford, CT, and Boston. He found the work dull.

“I went back to graduate school (at Cornell) as rehabilitation,” he said. After completing his master’s degree, Davis spent a year in Italy. He was on a Fulbright scholarship to study architecture with his wife, Marleen, who he’d met during their undergraduate years at Cornell, and was directing Syracuse University’s Architecture Program in Florence.

When they returned to the states, TK also joined the faculty at Syracuse University.

The couple moved to Knoxville in 1994; Marleen was named dean of UT’s ϲʿ, and TK joined the college’s faculty.

During his career in academia, TK Davis estimates he’s taught more than 800 design students and an equal number of students in architecture theory courses. He co-chaired three major conferences, including the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture’s 2001 regional meeting, “Modern Architecture: An Incomplete Project,” and the American Institute of Architects Tennessee’s 50th Anniversary Conference in 2003. From 1995-2003, he organized 120 lecturers, hosted a film series, and assembled numerous exhibits. He made sure news about these activities got into the hands of the most influential architecture minds in America and beyond.

“I was helping to put the school on the map as a center of energy,” he said.

Addressing Cities Issues

From 1995-2002, Davis ran the Kingsport Regional Interactive Design Studio. From 2004 to 2008, he served as design director at the Civic Design Center.

In those roles, he solicited input and helped gauge public sentiment on development plans, brought in expertise from UT faculty and Nashville leadership, and engaged students to create designs based on real community issues.

Such efforts were “totally consistent with the mission statement of a land grant institution” because it “increased the value of citizenship in our state through outreach,” he said.

The Civic Design Center is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by a collection of passionate Nashvillians to encourage visionary design and community engagement in urban design. Back then, UT loaned a faculty member to serve as the Design Center’s design director.

UT Professor Emeritus Mark Schimmenti was the Civic Design Center’s first design director; Davis succeeded him.

Gary Gaston, left, with Marleen Davis, center, and TK Davis.
Gaston with Marleen and TK Davis.

UT Architecture alumnus Gary Gaston, now chief executive officer of the Civic Design Center and host of the Oct. 17 reception, said Davis started his role with the mission of promoting “The Plan of Nashville,” a community-based vision for the city’s urban design going into the 21st century.

During his time at the Civic Design Center, Davis co-hosted a 12-episode public access television series on civic design and spoke about urban design issues at more than 120 events.

“TK brought really competent, respected leadership,” Gaston said. “He not only influenced emerging architects to understand civic design principles but to become stewards of those principles in their careers.

Davis said he’s especially proud to have helped provide data and input that enabled Nashville leaders to adopt the Civic Design Center’s recommendation to build the 2.1 million-square-foot Music City Convention Center in its current location—close to hotels, restaurants, public transport, and in a spot where the enormous, beautiful building would encourage ongoing development.

Davis in the middle of teaching a course.
Following his stint at the Civic Design Center, Davis founded the college’s Nashville Urban Design Studio in which his students would create conceptual designs to address big issues facing the city. He’d take students to Nashville multiple times each semester to meet with Civic Design Center staff, make site visits, and meet with city officials, developers, and architects.

“TK used the city as a laboratory for his design students, which proved to be hugely beneficial to Nashville and Middle Tennessee,” Gaston said.

Honors Abound

During his time running the design studio in the Tri-Cities, Davis was awarded the “Keys to the City of Bristol.”

In 2008, he received a fellowship in the American Institute of Architects, one of the highest honors the AIA can bestow upon a member, for being “a leading advocate for enlightened civic and urban design.”

In 2012, he received a Collaborative Practice Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. The project, “Collaborations in Transit-Oriented Development,” was praised for “nurturing the teamwork of students from various backgrounds and community members to address significant urban design challenges.”

In 2013, he won a C. Peter McGrath University Community Outreach Exemplary Program Award—one of six given nationally—for a project entitled “A Participatory Outreach Partnership in Greater Nashville.”

And in 2016, TK and Marleen shared the Samuel Morgan Lifetime Service Award for Contributions to Architecture in the Public Realm, one of the two highest honors that AIA Tennessee confers. The award honors architects and individuals who have exhibited a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.

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Graduate Architecture Students Place in ACSA Timber Student Competition /graduate-architecture-students-place-in-acsa-timber-student-competition/ Fri, 20 Sep 2024 14:57:18 +0000 /?p=22069 Anna Grace Calhoon and Rupan, second-year graduate students in the School of Architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, were awarded third place in the 2024 Timber in the City: Urban Habitats Competition. Their project, "Knox Yards," reimagined Knoxville’s historic Regas Building with an eight-story timber structure, addressing housing challenges for international students and unhoused individuals while fostering a sense of community through shared spaces.

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Anna Grace Calhoon and Rupan, second-year graduate architecture students in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s School of Architecture, were awarded third place in .

Rupan, left, and Anna Grace, right, stand with their model of 'Knox Yards.' The model surpasses the heigh of Rupan, and meets the height of Anna Grace.
Rupan, left, and Anna Grace, right, stand with their model.

The team’s submission, Knox Yards, was a part of Professor Tricia Stuth’s Housing America VI: The Unfinished and the Incremental studio held in the spring in collaboration with an integrations seminar led by Assistant Professor Jeremy Magner. The competition presented a challenge for students to delve into wood construction in Knoxville’s Depot District.

Stuth had the studio focus on the Regas Building, an 1891 five-story building originally named the Caswell Harris Building, which now stands two-stories tall and serves as a non-profit resource center and headquarters to Knoxville Leadership Foundation.

“The building’s history has evolved over the century with the nearby train station drawing people into the city and, later, the interstate driving families into the suburbs,” said Stuth. “Soon after, the building suffered a damaging fire, its context had changed so drastically that there seemed no reasonable argument for refurbishing the building and the top three stories were unceremoniously removed.”

With the past decades seeing a resurgence of Downtown Knoxville, Calhoon and Rupan reimagined the building with an additional eight-story heavy timber structure offering housing. The pair drew upon personal experiences of housing’s economic and social concerns that have impacted them as out-of-state students.

Rupan, an international student from India, proposed one of their target audiences after her own experience struggling to find affordable housing upon moving to Knoxville.

“Old Knoxville itself had a history of immigrants, Irish immigrants in particular, so we drove off of that,” she said. “Between the history and my personal experience, it showed us that we need to cater to international students, particularly for housing. We also saw that the area has a lot of unhoused individuals, and the nearby temporary shelter is always full. There is a lack of institutions that are trying to provide adequate housing.”

Calhoon added that the hope would be that the international students and young families, although maybe in different life stages, would be able to communicate with each other and share life experiences.

Close up of an interstitial meeting on the 'Knox Yards' model.
“The project was centered around communal space for people to talk with each other,” she said. Because of this, the pair designed an eight-story timber structure with porches, liminal tracks and interstitial crosswalks to encourage interactions amongst the tenants.

The pair drew inspiration from UT’s Art + Architecture building’s open atrium to allow individuals to connect by seeing each other across walkways.

“It would allow these different age groups to come into accidental meetings, where you bump into a person and have a chat in community spaces like a shared kitchen or gathering room,” said Rupan. “We were focused on creating these little moments and spaces in our design rather the architecture being the dominant hand of the whole project.”

The pair considered the financial situations of their audience and challenged themselves to consider cost saving solutions in their design that would keep tenants bills low.

Their design included an all-electric ductless HVAC system (offset by a rooftop solar array) with heat recovery ventilators for residential units to allow users individual control over their environment and indoor comfort levels. Residents will be encouraged to use passive systems that lower energy consumption through ceiling fans and cross ventilation. The pair included a green roof to assist in rainwater management, collecting and re-circulating water within the building for secondary uses.

I really appreciate the commitment of Anna Grace and Rupan to tackle the premise of ‘integration’ beyond the logical or practical coordination of building systems,” said Magner. “Their project manages to bring a complex set of technical and social aspirations together in hopeful and imaginative ways that produce synergy between people, buildings, and environment.”

The pair began to consider ways timber could be incorporated into the design where they would traditionally use steel or concrete frames. Calhoon said the pair wrestled with technical demands of exposing the structure of the building, but ultimately loved the richness and warmth that the material added.

Jurors for the competition included Omar Al-Hassawi, ‎Washington State University; Erik Barth, Wentworth Institute of Technology and Gensler; and Veronica Madonna, Athabasca University. The competition is administered by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and sponsored by the Softwood Lumber Board.

Housing America is an ongoing series of studios, led by Stuth and Professor Ted Shelton, that use housing as a vehicle to consider how architects are to operate ethically in contemporary society.

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Architecture Class of 2027 Families Unite to Honor Gerber Family with Endowment /gerber-honorary-scholarship-endowment/ Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:15:17 +0000 /?p=22071 Deeply inspired by the generosity of Jeff (’82) and Marla Gerber's historic gift in 2022, the families of the Architecture School of Architecture Class of 2027 united to establish an honorary scholarship and endowment in the pair's name.

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“Jeff and Marla’s incredible generosity not only made an exceptional architectural education possible for our daughter, but also alleviated financial pressure for our family. We are deeply grateful, and their gift has inspired us to embrace the spirit of giving and support future students, ensuring the Gerber family’s legacy continues to make an impact,” said Brian and Stephanie Reeve.

The Reeve’s daughter is a part of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s School of Architecture Class of 2027, dubbed the Gerber Scholars, a group that received a transformational gift from Jeff (’82) and Marla Gerberbefore their first day of classes in the fall of 2022.

Theirhistoric $5.2 million support paid for the last-dollar tuition and fees for the five-year program for all 78 students in thearchitecture class.

Jeff and Marla Gerber, in focus, hug and smile. They receive applause from Brian Broyles, far left, and Craig Jackson, left, and Pamela Treacy, far right.
Jeff and Marla Gerber hug following the announcement of the Jeff and Marla Gerber Honorary Scholarship Endowment.

To pay forward the generosity their students received, the classes’ families united to establish the Jeff and Marla Gerber Honorary Scholarship Endowment, a scholarship and endowment to support a third-year student in the ϲʿ who demonstrates extraordinary professional promise.

The endowment was presented to the Gerbers during a Family Weekend tailgate where 57 School of Architecture Class of 2027 families traveled from 15 states to meet Jeff and Marla and share in the celebration of the endowment.

“Soon after we made the scholarship announcement two years ago, we began hearing that the families and students were responding to the gift by providing assistance to others, either financially or through volunteerism,” said Jeff. “This Saturday, when the endowment was announced, we were thrilled and honored, but not surprised. Over the past two years, we have seen first-hand the high character of this group. We are so proud to be associated with them.”

Students in the cohort have corresponded with the Gerbers since that day, sending notes of gratitude, updates on their studios, and personal milestones.

“We knew the scholarships would definitely have an effect, but we had no idea how it would turn out to be such a gift back to us,” said Marla. “It’s meant the world to us. We are grateful to learn about each student and their family. It helps to confirm that this is happening at the right place, at the right time, with the right people.”

David Anderson shakes Jeff Gerber's hand during the Gerber Family Weekend Tailgate.
David Anderson shakes Jeff Gerber’s hand during the Gerber Family Weekend Tailgate.

Moved by meeting the Gerbers and the impact they’ve had on their son’s education, David and Lane Anderson and their family chose to increase their contribution following the event.

“The incredible and continuing generosity of the Gerbers cannot possibly be repaid,” said David. “Their impact on the Class of 2027 has gone far beyond financial support. This gift will last a lifetime and, when these new architects go out into the world, they will be moved to pay-it-forward through service and philanthropy. We are proud to help in establishing this endowment so that the kindness and generosity will forever be part of the ϲʿ.

To the shock of the families and students, the Gerbers had a surprise of their own.

“As I told the students that night three years ago, the scholarship is very personal to me. The idea came together twenty years ago, and it took a lot of stars to align for it to finally come to fruition,” Jeff said. “And if it all had ended that night, it would have been worth it 100 times over, but that’s not what happened.”

He shared that his biggest regret while at UT was not going abroad. Although Jeff desperately wanted to, it was not financially feasible at the time.

The Gerbers announced they would be supporting the college’s efforts to provide greater access to global engagement for the Gerber Scholars. The students’ will receive aid towards the college’s planned preferred programs which fulfil their off-campus study requirements.

“This scholarship is really intended to give you all the tools necessary to not only be successful here, but to be successful when you get out and, in your careers,” Jeff said. “I hope that you are now free to dream big in your life and your career.”

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College Welcomes Javier áԳ, JSa, as BarberMcMurry Endowed Professor /college-welcomes-javier-sanchez-jsa-as-barbermcmurry-endowed-professor/ Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:06:20 +0000 /?p=22048 ϲʿ, Knoxville’s ϲʿ welcomes Javier áԳ, HFAIA, founding partner and principal of JSa, as the 2024 BarberMcMurry Endowed Professor. In 1996, áԳ founded […]

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ϲʿ, Knoxville’s ϲʿ welcomes Javier áԳ, HFAIA, founding partner and principal of , as the 2024 BarberMcMurry Endowed Professor.

A portrait of Javier áԳ with shoulder-length dark hair and glasses, standing with arms crossed in front of a metal staircase within an industrial building. The Mexican male is dressed in black and leans against a large rusted metal structure, looking directly at the camera.
áԳ

In 1996, áԳ founded JSa, a leading architecture practice in the renewal of the Mexico City, with more than 70 employees and offices in Mexico and Peru. The firm is well known for their comprehensive architectural interventions that rehabilitate and restore the urban fabric. They have designed and built over 180 projects in Mexico, South America and Europe.

In 2006, JSa’s project, Brazil 44, a small housing rehabilitation project in Mexico City, won áԳ and the firm the Golden Lion for Best Urban Projects at the Venice Biennale.

“This was a very small project, but with big importance,” said áԳ. “People do not need the same space to live. Like families today, they do not need to have a common structure. Families subdivide, they add, subtract, they work and live. So how do you make a space that can adapt to all those needs that families today have?”

This type of adaptive design will be incorporated into áԳ’s fall studio with students from three of the college’s schools. They will embrace áԳ’s rehabilitative practice as they reimagine the former General Shale building in Downtown Knoxville, maintaining the building footprint and adapting it into a community hub that celebrates the proximity to the Tennessee River.

This week, áԳ will take 16 architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture students to Mexico City and Oaxaca to view and other impactful sustainably focused designs and landscapes in Mexico.

Join the college for áԳ’s , at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 23.

áԳ graduated as an architect with honors from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM), received his master’s degree in real estate development from Columbia University in New York City. In 2008, he was selected as an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Since 2013, the BarberMcMurry Professorship has funded internationally recognized architects as teachers and researchers for the benefit of students at the ϲʿ.

The professorship was established by Knoxville-based firm, , to promote design excellence through teaching and research by a prominent visiting professor who is an internationally or nationally recognized practicing architect. It is the result of a bequest from Blanche Barber and a match by BarberMcMurry Architects to produce the $1 million endowment.

Previous BarberMcMurry Endowed Professors include Lawrence Scarpa in 2013; Wendell Burnette in 2015; Billie Faircloth in 2018; Mitchell Squire in 2020; and Jenny Wu and Dwayne Oyler in 2021; and Ryan Jones in 2022.

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Study Abroad in Finland: Beshoy Daniel /2024-study-abroad-finland-beshoy-daniel/ Fri, 16 Aug 2024 20:47:08 +0000 /?p=21980 Beshoy Daniel, a fourth-year architecture student, traveled abroad as abroad as a part of the School of Architecture’s Finland Summer Architecture Institute in Helsinki, Finland. “Ever since I wanted to […]

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Beshoy Daniel, a fourth-year architecture student, traveled abroad as abroad as a part of the School of Architecture’s Finland Summer Architecture Institute in Helsinki, Finland.

“Ever since I wanted to study architecture, one of the motives that led me towards the career was the beauty and the embracement of materials in Scandinavian architecture,” Daniel said.“I’ve been in love with Scandinavian architecture and their culture, in how they depict a sense of minimalism and elegance not only in their day-to-day lives but also in design.”

The 15-credit hour program spans May to August and satisfies the program’s off-campus requirement. Students studied at Aalto University, named in honor ofAlvar Aalto, a prominent Finnish architect and designer.

“Another motivation for me to select the program was being at Aalto University and learning the history and architecture that defines the pragmatics and identity of the country that has uplifted in recent years. This program allowed me to have an additional layer of conceptual and design knowledge that will play a vital role in my future practice.”

Throughout the program, students could travel independently and as part of the curriculum.

“One of the memorable experiences that I will always remember and cherish was when went to a town called Kiljava for an architectural retreat,” said Daniel. “On our second night, we sat on the beach, grilled sausage, and different kinds of Finnish foods. Towards the end, we sat around the bonfire and professors shared their favorite memories of the program and how it evolved over time.”

Daniel and his friends embraced Finnish culture including saunas and local customs and traditions.

In Finland and among other Scandinavian countries, there is a holiday called Mid-Summer where people always outside partying or out for a picnic with the family for the longest day in summer. My friends and I went to nearby island where it had a festival, hiked, and ate a lot of Finnish food.”

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Study Abroad in Finland: Caroline Robertson /2024-study-abroad-finland-caroline-robertson/ Fri, 16 Aug 2024 20:46:59 +0000 /?p=21989 Caroline Robertson, a fourth-year architecture student, traveled abroad as abroad as a part of the School of Architecture’s Finland Summer Architecture Institute in Helsinki, Finland. “First arriving in Helsinki felt […]

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Caroline Robertson, a fourth-year architecture student, traveled abroad as abroad as a part of the School of Architecture’s Finland Summer Architecture Institute in Helsinki, Finland.

“First arriving in Helsinki felt overwhelming but exciting because I had been anticipating it for several months and there had been a few meetings beforehand it felt surreal to then finally be in Helsinki,” she said. “I had a feeling of wanting to maximize all of the new opportunities and explore every inch of the city. Every corner there was something new which was refreshing because I often catch myself bored of new experiences and too comfortable in Knoxville.”

For Robertson, one of the most impactful experiences took place shortly into the program. The cohort traveled to Kiljava, a village in the municipality of Nurmijärvi and Hyvinkää in southern Finland.

“Driving along the Finnish countryside was stunning and the summer cabin we stayed at in the woods appeared like a hidden gem,” Robertson said. “Sleeping in bunk beds, sausages by the fire, and sitting by the lake with the sun still high in the sky at 11:00 pm felt like I was at camp but 10x better. We learned how to measure the summer cabin by hand and translate these measurements into drafted drawings.”

The 15-credit hour program spans May to August and satisfies the program’s off-campus requirement. Students studied at Aalto University, named in honor of Alvar Aalto, a prominent Finnish architect and designer.

The country gave Robertson a new outlook on the built environment.

“Stepping onto a campus designed by Alvar Aalto was a privilege and I got to see first hand how his drawings translated in beautiful spaces. While Alvar Aalto made a tremendous impact on Finnish architecture, the Finnish design culture was unlike anything I had experienced. The Finnish design culture prides itself in well built things, design competitions that yield beautiful public spaces, and attention to every detail. These are just a few design approaches that I am now determined to use in my future practice as an architect and designer.”

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College Celebrates Faculty Research /college-celebrates-faculty-research/ Mon, 17 Jun 2024 12:30:55 +0000 /?p=21876 This spring, Dean Young recognized 11 faculty members with one of the four college awards during the ϲʿ’s State of the College address.

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The ϲʿ strives to reinforce faculty in establishing and maintaining a record of strong research, scholarship, creative achievement and engaged scholarship. In an effort to grow the college’s research portfolio and support faculty, Dean Jason Young established the Research Development Program which aims at cultivating, supporting, leveraging and encouraging faculty at all stages of their research development.

This spring, Dean Young recognized 11 faculty members with one of the four college awards during the ϲʿ’s State of the College address.

The Alma and Hal Reagan Research Seed Award was established to help kickstart shorter-term, high impact research projects or the beginning stages of potentially longer-term projects. These projects target categories that address the college’s strengths and strategic priorities. This year’s awards were presented to…

  • Jennifer Akerman, Associate Professor of Architecture, Critical Practice in Architecture
  • Liz Teston, Associate Professor of Interior Architecture, and Catty Dan Zhang, Associate Professor of Architecture, The Weather Holds: Atmospheric Thresholds in the New South
  • Scott Wall, Professor of Architecture, 100 Maps of Finland: Selective Cartography

The James Musgraves Research Award supports faculty with research projects in later development stages that would benefit from additional funding to complete them. This year’s awards supported…

  • Gregor Kalas, Associate Professor of Architecture, Eternal City of Compassion: The Reuse of Ancient Architecture for Charity Centers in Late Antique and Early Medieval Rome
  • Marshall Prado, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Composite Hybrid Additive Manufacturing Process (CHAMP)
  • Rutenberg, and Avigail Sachs, Associate Professor of Architecture, The Mechanized Landscape: Statecraft and Environment in the Tennessee Valley

The ϲʿ Grant Writing Program Award assists faculty in identifying and developing proposals for external funding in support of longer-term research agendas. Faculty recognized for this year’s awards included…

  • Kalas, Structural Resilience and Architectural Restoration in the Aftermath of Postmodern Crises
  • Hojung Kim, Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture, Mekong Delta Handicraft: A Blueprint for Mang Thit’s Cultural and Architectural Heritage
  • Zhang, Non-Smoking Architecture: Synthesizing Digital Design Workflow, Smart Technologies, and Domestic Weather Forms of Contemporary Living in the East Tennessee Region

The Faculty ReCharge Program was established to refresh faculty members’ own learning, rejuvenating them and their future students. The stipends enable faculty to travel, reflect on and develop teaching priorities, new courses and pursue other academic endeavors. This year’s program supported five awards.

  • Carl F. Maples Faculty Development Award: Akerman for her proposal to travel to the Pacific Northwest to develop a journal article.
  • Lindsay and Maples Faculty Award: Mark Stanley, Assistant Professor of Architecture, for his proposal to travel to Japan to study the fallout of the US history of nuclear materials.
  • ϲʿ Fund Award: Wall for his proposed travel to Lapland while he is in Finland this summer.
  • Architecture Faculty Award:Prado for his proposal to attend the RobArch 2024 Conference in Toronto.
  • Dean’s Excellence Faculty ReCharge Award: David Fox, Associate Professor of Architecture, for his proposal to initiate research for a book on the Thorncrown Chapel by E. Fay Jones, FAIA.

Faculty research profoundly impacts students’ courses and industry knowledge by infusing cutting-edge findings and innovative practices into the curriculum. As faculty engage in diverse research projects, they bring fresh insights and contemporary perspectives into the classroom, enriching the educational experience.

The Research Development Program aligns with the college’s forthcoming vision and strategic priorities, including a robust research program.

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Alumnus Appointed to White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council /alumnus-appointed-to-white-house-environmental-justice-advisory-council/ Tue, 11 Jun 2024 12:30:34 +0000 /?p=21870 Michael Walton (’07) will serve on the White House Advisory Council on Environmental Justice Advisory Council. The alumnus looks forward to sharing his personal experience growing up in rural East Tennessee and professional experience in sustainable development and deploying clean technology.

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, to the , a federal advisory committee established under Executive Order 14008 of January 27, 2001, on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.

The 36-member council provides advice and recommendations to theWhite House Environmental Justice Interagency Counciland theChair of the White House Council on Environmental Qualityon how to address current and historic environmental injustice.

Michael Walton, back left, with wife, Bailey, and sons Finn, left, and Henry, right.
Walton, back left, with wife Bailey, and sons Finn, left, and Henry, right.

Walton serves as the general manager of Energy Transition Finance and partner of Emerald Strategy Group, a strategic advisory firm committed to accelerating the deployment of clean energy technologies. Growing up in Greeneville, Tennessee, he ignited a passion for sustainable development and community service through environmental summer camps and Scouting America, leading him to pursue a degree in architecture.

“Architecture gave me the opportunity to tangibly improve quality of life and quality of the environment, balancing big picture ideas with practical execution,” said Walton. “The faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s ϲʿ were leading experts in sustainability and positioned me for success in the industry.”

While in the architecture program, Walton interned in the Office of the Architect of the Capitol in Washington DC, served on then Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam’s Student Advisory Board, and studied abroad at ETH Zürich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.

Prior to Energy Transition Finance, Walton served as Executive Director of Green Spaces for nine years, a non-profit organization that improves economic, social, and environmental resilience, with a focus on empowering the most vulnerable communities in Tennessee receiving three Environmental Stewardship Awards from Governors Bill Haslam and Bill Lee and the Community Collaborator Award from the Chamber of Commerce. Before that, he was a project architect at Perkins+Will in Washington DC for eight years, a global multidisciplinary architecture and design firm serving leading environmental nonprofits and industry-leading technology companies.

Walton looks forward to sharing his personal experience growing up in rural East Tennessee and professional experience in sustainable development and deploying clean technology.

“I am excited to collaborate with a diverse group of dedicated professionals and community leaders to address critical environmental challenges and promote practical solutions for a healthier and more sustainable future for all communities across the county, especially those that have been and are at risk to be left behind in past transitions,” he said.

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Ambroziak Named James R. Cox Professor for 2024 /ambroziak-named-james-r-cox-professor-for-2024/ Thu, 02 May 2024 18:25:13 +0000 /?p=21810 Katherine Ambroziak becomes the fourth faculty member from the ϲʿ to receive the James R. Cox Professorship.

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Katherine Ambroziak, associate professor of architecture and associate dean for academic affairs and research, has been selected as a James R. Cox Professor. She was announced as a recipient of the professorship by Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Academic Honors Banquet.

The three-year award provides a total stipend to be used at the recipient’s discretion. She becomes the fourth faculty member from the ϲʿ to be awarded the professorship.

Ambroziak, left, with Provost John Zomchick, center, and a fellow Cox Professor at the Academic Honors Banquet.
Ambroziak, left, with Provost John Zomchick, center, and a fellow Cox Professor at the Academic Honors Banquet.

Ambroziak has been recognized with the 2019 Diversity Achievement Award by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the 2016 Fred & Rosalee Oakley Award from the Association of Gravestone Studies, and the 2015 UT Excellence in Academic Outreach.

In addition to her teaching and research, Ambroziak has a long-standing service to community-based initiatives including the UT Smart Communities Initiative, Appalachia and the Red Bird Mission of Clay County, and most significantly, the Odd Fellows Cemetery Reclamation Initiative. Her sustained work on this project has progressed from hosting community discussions to implementing various design projects within the cemetery that vitalize and showcase the significance of the cultural site.

“Besides being completely humbled by this, I am encouraged that the Cox Professorship recognizes service, in all its forms, as a commendable activity aligned with teaching and scholarship,” said Ambroziak. “I know how fortunate I have been to meld the three in a way that holds significance for me, my students, my colleagues, and my community. The community organizations I work with and my community partner, the Knoxville Re-Animation Coalition, are my sources of joy. They have allowed me to experience intellectual and personal growth, and to be part of a history that roots Knoxville. I also appreciate the encouragement by the university for engagement work – that our academy allows room for this kind of research exploration.”

The James R. Cox Professorship honors faculty members for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. The university’s gifts from Cox, a Knoxville native, helped establish professorships in 2002 for faculty in the arts, theater, biological and physical sciences, architecture, and forestry industries.

His generosity extended to the ϲʿ with the establishment of an endowment in honor of his nephew, James Musgraves who graduated with his architecture degree in 1970.

Previous recipients of the Cox Professorship from the college include Tricia Stuth, Edgar Stach, and George Dodds.

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