Friday, March 27, 2009
For 14 years, graduate students in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning have built houses, community centers, meeting places and other structures for different communities. The class, Graduate Design Studio VII, typically referred to by students as “Studio 804,” will be recognized for its work by the American Institute of Architecture. The class is receiving a Education Honor Award for Excellence in course development and teaching.
“It is always an honor to receive awards based on the work of Studio 804,” professor Dan Rockhill said. “This award is especially important because it serves to award Studio 804 for its entire body of work as well as the dynamics and structure of the class.”
Rockhill said AIA selected the course because it “strived to benefit communities and focused on the most progressive architectural practices.” The 22 students in the course collaborate to design and construct a new structure each semester.
“Professor Rockhill uses this class to bridge the gap between the architect and the building,” Stephanie Winn, Wichita graduate student and also a member of the class, said. “Most architects sit at a computer eight hours a day and we actually get to build what we draw on paper.”
Last year, the class built a community center in Greensburg after the tornado destroyed the town in May 2008. Rockhill said the building served as a prototype for sustainable design and building.
Currently the class is working on a sustainable house in Wyandotte County. The home includes a wind turbine, solar panels, a geothermal heat pump, recycled materials and a water reclamation system. The structure is expected to be completed in May.
“Studio 804 has always focused on the most sustainable architectural practices and we hope to educate people by setting good examples in the building industry,” Rockhill said.
This is the third Education Honor Award for Rockhill, who has taught the course since it began in 1995. Rockhill said he wasn’t a prescriptive teacher, meaning he taught students to find their own solutions to problems by leading them in the right direction.
“He always says ‘You’re the architect, you figure it out,’” Winn said. “But that doesn’t mean he’s not there guiding us and helping us figure out the answers.”
Jared Eder, Aitkin, Minn., graduate student, said he chose to attend the University’s graduate school specifically because of the class. Eder said although working with other students wasn’t always easy, collaborating with class members was a rewarding experience.
“We all sink or swim together,” Eder said. “I have learned more in the past few months than I ever could have dreamed of learning from a book or in a classroom.”
Rockhill said watching students grow from the course was the greatest reward of teaching the class.
“Every student shapes and inspires myself and their peers to do something they have never experienced before,” Rockhill said.
— — Edited by Sam Speer
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