Monday, December 7, 2009
Creativity and a unique approach to design won 15 KU architecture students a Design Excellence Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects’ Kansas City chapter.
The students designed and built a trail shelter at the head of the new Rockefeller Prairie Trail, a nature trail north of Lawrence in Spring 2009. The trail leads to an overlook structure built by students in Fall 2008.
The award-winning trailhead is composed of used telephone poles, which make up the roof and serve as supportive beams.
“It won the award because it is unique,” said Berry Clemens, communications coordinator for the Kansas Biological Survey. “When you look at it, it is pretty striking.”
Alex Rea, St. Louis senior and one of the students involved in the project, said Westar Energy donated used telephone poles to the group for the project.
“It was partly budget, but architecture is making a push to be more green,” Rea said. “So we were going along with that trend.”
Clemens said the structure had panels on the sides that gave information about the surrounding environment and its history. She said the land originally belonged to Charles Robinson, the first governor of the state of Kansas and one of the first regents of the University.
The shelter also includes benches where visitors can pause to admire the prairie and surrounding wooded areas.
Rea said the group’s design competed against 70 other projects, most of which were designed by professional firms.
“Receiving the Merit Award was a shocking, nice surprise,” he said.
Matt McKillip, Lawrence senior involved with the project, said third-year students completed the trailhead as a project for a studio class.
“It is a six- to nine-hour credit course, but you basically live in the studio,” he said. “It turns into a 60-hour-a-week deal.”
McKillip said that most students involved in the project were new to construction so they did research on steelwork and woodwork. The whole project lasted 11 weeks, but construction happened much more quickly.
“We built the trailhead structure in 11 days,” McKillip said. “It was a pretty fast and furious design.”
— Edited by Brenna M. T. Daldorph
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