School of Architecture - College of Design

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Support Design for Minnesota: Give Today

Design thinking goes hand in hand with civic responsibility. We Minnesotans are passionate about our parks, our cities, and the kinds of infrastructure that support sustainable living. That's why I'm asking you to support our students in their work for a greater Minnesota.

Support Design for Minnesota. Give today.

Our budget year draws to a close on June 30 will have a direct impact on communities beyond campus. This fall, our Design Duluth studio will expand to a multi-year interdisciplinary initiative in which students will work side-by-side with Duluth residents, business leaders, non-profit organizations, and city agencies to design resilient solutions to urban issues. Your gift today helps cover travel and research costs that would otherwise fall to students.

Help us raise $2,000 to support Design for Minnesota. Give today.

With summer finally upon us, there is no better time of year to appreciate our great state and the thoughtful planning that ensures its continued prosperity. Lighten the load for our students and show them you support a stronger Minnesota. Give.

Many thanks,

Tom Fisher
Professor and Dean
College of Design

[Video + Photos] Commencement 2013

Cathy ten Broeke, the state director to

Prevent and End Homelessness, spoke at the University of Minnesota College of Design's commencement ceremony on Saturday May 18, 2013.

Cathy oversees the State's response to homelessness by working with multiple state agencies, community partners, and private stakeholders to create a statewide partnership to end homelessness.

She has 20 years of experience working on homelessness in both non-profit and government sectors.

Student presenters included Beau Sinchai (B.D.A. '13), Kailene Falls (B.F.A. Graphic Design '13), and Abigail Merlis (M.Arch '13).

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Students for Design Activism at Northern Spark

A light installation by Students for Design Activism (SDA) will be on view this weekend during Northern Spark in Lowertown, Saint Paul. The idea behind the project, called Lower Course, is to connect the urban realm of downtown Saint Paul to its grand natural amenity, the Mississippi River. The installation is a collaboration between SDA and students in the electrical engineering U of M student group, Tesla Works.

"Currently, the basic idea is to evoke the idea of upstream/downstream with interactive light panels depicting the Mississippi River," explained M.L.A. student Solange Guillaume. "As visitors to Northern Spark near the panels, the boards will glow with varying degrees of brightness that stream from left to right (flowing in the direction of the river). Their location is along a walkway on the southwestern walkway past Union Depot to the underpass before Warner Road."

Lower Course will be on display from Saturday, June 8 at 8:58 pm - Sunday, June 9 at 5:26 am at the Sibley Underpass.

Participating students: Michael Richardson, Erin Garnaas-Holmes, Solange Guilliame, Lindsay Hawks, Alex Hill, Ryan Ruttger, and Elissa Brown.

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Forest Trails & Forest Tales: Exploring Place, Story, and Climate Change

A project led by a ten member interdisciplinary, advisory group including Jonee Kulman Brigham, research fellow at the Center for Sustainable Building Research, will present a free public event, Forest Trails & Forest Tales: Exploring Place, Story, and Climate Change, at the Cloquet Forestry Center on Saturday, June 22 from 10:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m. This event is part of a project called "Conversation-E: Science + Art in Service to Sustainability" sponsored by the Institute on the Environment in partnership with Green Art Together Evolving (GATE) with support from the Cloquet Forestry Center.

Other members of the interdisciplinary University team include Roslye Ultan, Liberal Studies Senior Faculty, Peter Reich, Regents Professor Department of Forest Resources, and Rebecca A. Montgomery, Associate Professor, Department of Forest Resources.

In conjunction with the event, an extended workshop (June 21 - 23) and 2 credit course (June 21-August 3, 2013) are available for those interested in further exploring how artists/all arts engage with environmental scientists on issues of climate change, and other related issues, which impact this sensitive area. The focus of the workshop and the course will be the Cloquet Forestry area where researchers consider how climate change affects both form and ecology in the forest.

By investigating the area's history and origins, myths and stories, and ecological infrastructure of this semi-wilderness, along with environmental transformations associated with both climate and cultural change, participants will see the complexity and often indecipherable relationship between the human communities and natural environments.

The intention is to broaden fundamental concepts and knowledge through conversations between artists and environmental scientists. Another objective will be to generate original research or creative projects. In conjunction with this study there will be an exhibition of works created, in part, by participating students and invited artist/scientist teams. Individual or team presentations and panel discussions are planned for public participation. Workshop students will engage in a full day open house and conclude by planning interdisciplinary projects to be completed over the summer.

Learn more + register for this event

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[Photos + Video] Design Intersections 2013

At a time when design plays a growing role in business success, there remains a communications gap between design production and design leadership. How do you bridge it? Greg Van Bellinger (B.S. Apparel '88), Hardlines Design Director at Target, spoke at Design Intersections on Thursday, May 2 about what it takes to bring strategic, thoughtful design to the marketplace.

Images from the May 2013 event

Design Intersections is a series of presentations by designers and representatives from other disciplines regarding the consequences and potential for design-induced change. Susan Sokolowski (Ph.D. DHA '99) will speak at Design Intersections in October 2013. Visit the Design Intersections website for more information.

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On MPR: Hank Butitta (M.Arch '13) Bought a Bus

Most architecture projects don't start with rusted floors and four wheels. But when Hank Butitta (M.Arch '13) decided to buy a bus on Craigslist for $3,000 and convert it into a living space for his final masters project, he saw beyond the disrepair. His project thesis went something like:

Subvert the building code
Live without a mortgage
Utilize digital fabrication
Utilize the flexibility of modular design
(And convince the College to let him park the bus in the sandpit behind Rapson Hall for four months)

His story will air on Minnesota Public Radio's The Daily Circuit, Friday, May 24 at 10:50 a.m.

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Barry Kudrowitz on WCCO-AM: Food, Space, and 3D Printing

Listen to the interview here.

This week NASA announced plans to construct a 3D food printer that will eventually provide food for astronauts in space. The obvious prototype of choice? Pizza.

Assistant professor Barry Kudrowitz, director of our Product Design program, will speak with WCCO's John Hines on Thursday, May 23 at 10:10 a.m. about how 3D printing is changing the way we think about everything from food to design and beyond. Hint: NASA isn't the first to try 3D food. A former roommate of Kudrowitz at MIT, Marcelo Coelho, created the prototype and concept designs for a food 3D printer called the Cornucopia four years ago.

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Cities On Water: Landscape Architecture Abroad

This spring, twelve Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning students participating in the Cities on Water study abroad program, along with Vincent deBritto and Cynthia Lapp, traveled from the land of 10,000 lakes to the land of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levees, bridges, and storm surge barriers.

After six weeks of preparation in Minneapolis, they traveled to the Netherlands to spend four weeks studying, living, and designing around water issues.

During a design charette with Roel Posthoorn and Hesper Schutte from Natuurmonumenten (the Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands), and landscape architect Jan Wouter Bruggenkamp, students created design schemes for 500 hectares of land and 500 hectares of water around the Markermeer.

"I signed up for Cities on Water because I believe that water issues are fast becoming some of the most pressing problems in our society," says Ryan Coates, a second year MLA student, originally from Winnipeg, Canada. He points out that in some cases, the Netherlands are completely controlling the hydrologic system, and they "use it to actually correct mistakes made in the past and improve the ecological function of the country."

Students later traveled to Venice, where they spent five weeks working in a studio on the ground of the Associazione Canottieri Giudecca, a rowing club on the island of Guidecca.

Elissa Brown, originally from Madison, Wisconsin, signed up for the program because she saw it as a chance to travel beyond the studio and focus on an increasingly important area of design: the interaction of water and urban spaces.

"As paradigms shift around climate, water management, energy, industry, and more, the concept of resiliency is becoming increasingly important." says Brown. And not just abroad. She notes that the water issues faced by the Midwest are in many ways different from what her classmates are learning about in the Netherlands and Venice.

"But," she says, "no less deserving of our attention."

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Minnesota Vikings Stadium Design Revealed

Hundreds of people were at the Guthrie Theater on Monday night when officials unveiled the proposed design for the $975 million Vikings stadium. Dean Fisher, co-chair of the new Minnesota Viking stadium's Design Implementation Committee, spoke with Twin Cities Business, Minnesota Public Radio, MinnPost, Finance and Commerce, and the Star Tribune about the space, which will span 1.6 million square feet and seat over 65,000 people for NFL games and 73,00 for special events. According to the ESPN, it will have the largest transparent roof in the world.

Dean Fisher will be on Twin Cities Public Television's "Almanac" discussing the stadium on Friday, May 17 at 7 p.m.

Tonight on #tptalmanac:Tom Fisher @mndesigndean talks about dramatic new @vikings stadium design 7pm @tpt #vikings
-- tpt Almanac (@tptAlmanac) May 17, 2013

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NEA Grant Adds to Growing Partnership with Juxtaposition Arts

The Regents of the University of Minnesota received a grant of $35,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that will support the development of design curricula and educational programming targeted to high school students. This project is a partnership between the College of Design, the Department of Landscape Architecture, and Juxtaposition Arts, a youth design education organization. It will include as many as five courses taught in an underserved North Minneapolis neighborhood and will introduce approximately 150 youth to new pathways for college and design professions.

Congrats to @uofmdesign and Juxtaposition Arts on your @neaarts Design grant.The work you're doing for and with kids is astounding!
-- Jason Schupbach (@JasonSchupbach) April 24, 2013

"The NEA is proud to support these exciting and diverse arts projects that will take place throughout the United States," said Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa. "Whether it is through a focus on education, engagement, or innovations, these projects all contribute to vibrant communities and memorable opportunities for the public to engage with the arts."

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Ignacio San Martin Receives Community-Engaged Scholar Award

Professor Ignacio San Martin (Architecture) received the University of Minnesota President's Community-Engaged Scholar Award for his work leading urban design projects in the Twin Cities area. San Martin is the Director of the Metropolitan Design Center and Dayton Hudson Chair of Urban Design. This is the first year the award has been granted and nominations were solicited from throughout the University system. An award ceremony and luncheon were held at McNamara Center on April 19th to acknowledge his accomplishment.

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Dean Fisher Shares Southdale's Story in the "10 Buildings that Changed America"

A new PBS documentary, "10 Buildings that Changed America," turns the spotlight on Edina's Southdale Center, built in 1959 by Austrian-born architect Victor Gruen. "And no, it's not because of the food court," quips the Star Tribune in a preview this week.

The documentary includes an

interview between College of Design dean Tom Fisher and WTTW host Geoffrey Baer on location, talking about the early days of the mall, when men wore suits and women got dressed up with high heels and pearls. In the early days, Southdale's Garden Court was a conservatory with birds and ponds, and the building was air conditioned in the summer using water from Lake Corneila.

"Southdale's model of turning the shopping center inward on two floors with department stores at the ends of the concourses was emulated in most malls that were built afterward," said Fisher in a Sun Current article about the show.

Other buildings highlighted include the Virginia State Capitol, Richmond, Va.; Trinity Church, Boston; Wainwright Building, St. Louis, Mo.; Robie House, Chicago; Highland Park Ford Plant, Highland Park, Mich.; Seagram Building, New York; Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Va.; and Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.

"10 Buildings that Changed America" airs locally Sunday, May 12 at 9 p.m. on TPT (Channel 2).

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[Video] Mixtec Stonecutting Artistry, Meet 3D Technology

Stereotomy is the science of cut solids and how their complex structures are assembled. Commonly used by art historians, architecture assistant professor Benjamin Ibarra-Sevilla used the process to understand how three churches were constructed in the Mixteca region of southern Mexico in the 16th century.

"The gothic vaults require drawings in order to define the underlying geometry of each of the ribs and in order to know the information necessary to carve pieces," writes Enrique Rabasa-Diaz, in a forward to the book about Ibarra's new exhibit "Mixtec Stonecutting Artisty," which opened in April at the gallery of the Centro Cultural San Pablo in Oaxaca City, Mexico. "But [In the 16th century] it was generally believed that in order to understand the particular procedures required to build a gothic vault, it was necessary to witness its construction." Easier said than done.

Half a millennium later, Ibarra-Sevilla relied on technology to help uncover the origin of stereotomy in Oaxaca and how the building technology was transmitted from Europe to Mexico. Using a 3D digital scanner, he mapped the interiors of San Pedro y San Pablo Teposcolula, Santo Domingo Yanhuitlánm and San Juan Bautista Coixtllahuaca, and then translated the data into physical 3D models printed in the College of Design Digifablab.

"The exhibition is anchored in the significance of the indigenous interpretation of occidental building construction principles," explained Ibarra-Sevilla. It will be on display through the end of June. If you can't make it to Mexico, be sure to watch this video.

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ASLA-MN's Top Award Goes to Duwamish Studio

Over the past 100 years, the lower Duwamish River Valley of Seattle, Washington has been dramatically altered. What was once home to Chief Seattle and the Duwamish Tribe has become one of the largest and most complex EPA Superfund sites in the United States.

During the fall semester of 2012, graduate students in LA8201: Everywhere Nowhere Duwamish, a studio taught by Matthew Tucker and Craig Wilson, traveled to Seattle to work with local non-profits to generate design proposals for the Duwamish River Valley. Their models contemplated ecological resiliency, sea level and climate change, urban agriculture, environmental justice, carbon sequestration, blue-green infrastructure, and superfund clean-up.

This allowed them to broaden their understanding of the complex issues surrounding the valley and its future. As part of their trip, the 21 students were required to document their findings of the site and produce a video. The example below is by student Elissa Brown.

Work done by the studio was submitted to the Minnesota chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA-MN) and evaluated as professional work side-by-side with professional offices. This spring it received ASLA-MN's top award in the Unbuilt Works category with the 2013 Professional Award of Excellence, the highest honor that can be bestowed in the state annual awards.

"For the students' work to receive professional acknowledgement of such high regard is indicative of both the sophistication of their work as well as the importance of landscape architecture in leading change in response to pressing global issues," says Tucker. "The graduate work that emerged from the [studio] is critically important, not only for its impact on the students and their ability to think creatively and responsibly in response to issues of massive change in our cities and neighborhoods, but also for its impact on the residents of the Duwamish Valley in helping them envision a future whereby a legacy of environmental injustice can be reversed, and a compelling and healthy future for the Duwamish can emerge and flourish."

ASLA-MN's 2013 Awards Celebration and Spring Gala took place on Friday, May 3, at The March in Minnetonka.

Download the Executive Summary for LA8201: Everywhere Nowhere.

Participating landscape architecture graduate students:

Stefano Ascari, Kevin Belair, Nate Bond, Elissa Brown, Ryan Coates, Stephanie Erwin, Solange Guillaume, Montana Harinsuit, Amber Hill, Stephen Himmerich, Erin Garnaas-Holmes, David Kerber, Matthew Kessler, David Kowen, Emily Osthus, Jeffrey Olson, Alex Pratt, Michael Richardson, Ryan Ruttger, and Michael Schiebe

Thanks to Seattle, WA community partners:

Alberto Rodriguez, Project Manager, Lower Duwamish River Clean-up Coalition
Kevin Burrell, Executive Director, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle
Renée Dagseth, Community Involvement Coordinator, Environmental Protection Agency

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Students, Faculty, and Staff Honored For Contributions to the College

The following students, faculty, and staff were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the College of Design during the 2012-2013 school year at the annual Honors and Awards ceremony on May 3, 2013.

Student Design and Scholarship Awards

Architecture

Theodore Wright - Architecture Undergraduate Individual
Aaron Rickard - Architecture Undergraduate Team
Daniel Scott - Architecture Undergraduate Team
Rhythm Unnown - Architecture Undergraduate Team
Theodore Wright - Architecture Undergraduate Team
Kai Salmela - Architecture Graduate Individual
David Johansson - Architecture Graduate Team
Jenna Johansson - Architecture Graduate Team
Joey Larson - Presidential Management Fellowship Program
Erin Killi - King Medal for Architecture Student Research
Abby Merlis - Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Architecture

Learn more about the School of Architecture

Landscape Architecture

Daniel Rude - Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Individual
Emily Furlich - Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Team
Michael Felt - Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Team
Kevin Tousignant - Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Team
Daniel Rude - Landscape Architecture Undergraduate Team
Amber Hill - Landscape Architecture Graduate Individual, ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Jen Krava - Landscape Architecture Graduate Team
Nissa Tupper - Landscape Architecture Graduate Team
Han Zhang - ASLA-MN Student Honor
Elizabeth Hixson - ASLA-MN Student Honor, U of MN Olmsted Scholar
Matthew Traucht - ASLA-MN Student Merit, Garden Club of Virginia's William D. Reiley Fellowship
Coal Dorius - ASLA-MN Student Merit
Stefano Ascari - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Kevin Belair - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Nate Bond - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Elissa Brown - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Ryan Coates - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Stephanie Erwin - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Solange Guillaume - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Montana Harinsuit - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Stephen Himmerich - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Erin Garnaas-Holmes - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
David Kerber - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Matthew Kessler - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
David Kowen - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Emily Osthus - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Jeffrey Olson - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Alex Pratt - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Michael Richardson - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Ryan Ruttger - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall
Michael Schiebe - ASLA-MN Professional Category, Top Professional "Unbuilt Work" Category, & Top Professional Award of Excellence Overall

Learn more about the Landscape Architecture program

Apparel Design/Studies

Sherry Sanden-Will - Apparel Design Undergraduate Individual
Rika Snyder - Apparel Design Undergraduate Team
Mai Yang - Apparel Design Undergraduate Team
Chad Sowers - Apparel Studies Graduate Individual
Mary Alice Casto - Apparel Studies Graduate Team
Meghan McKinney - Apparel Studies Graduate Team
Seoha Min - Apparel Studies Graduate Team
Harini Ramaswamy - Apparel Studies Graduate Team
Natasha Thoreson - Apparel Studies Graduate Team

Learn more about the Apparel Design program

Retail Merchandising

Hannah Bartz - Retail Merchandising Undergraduate Individual
Mary Ford - Retail Merchandising Undergraduate Team
Brittany Judy - Retail Merchandising Undergraduate Team
Emily Showers - Retail Merchandising Undergraduate Team
Ashley Trevick - Retail Merchandising Undergraduate Team
Katlyn Tarras - Retail Merchandising Undergraduate Team
Jung Mee Mun - Retail Merchandising Graduate Individual, Retail Merchandising Graduate Team
Dooyoung Choi - Retail Merchandising Graduate Team
Nayeon Yoo - Retail Merchandising Graduate Team

Learn more about the Retail Merchandising program

Interior Design

Kassi Rivard - Interior Design Team
Bridget Mugan - Interior Design Team
Jill Weinberg - Interior Design Team
Rose Franklin - Interior Design Team
Kylie Edgren - Interior Design Team
Kelsey Lahr - Interior Design Team
Melanie Povlitzki - Katherine E. Sullivan Scholarship for Study Abroad

Learn more about the Interior Design program

Graphic Design

Catherine Ensch - Graphic Design Undergraduate Individual
James Cosper - Graphic Design Graduate Individual

Learn more about the Graphic Design program

Housing Studies

Jesse LaMaack - Housing Studies Undergraduate Individual
Jenna Bloom - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Dylan Bonlander - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Sorcha Carpenter - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Justene Davis - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Megan Fowler - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Dionne Griffin - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Miranda Hanson - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Leah Hathaway - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Valerya Morton - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Angelita Scott - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Hongfa Thao - Housing Studies Undergraduate Team
Heidi Wagner - Housing Studies Graduate Individual

Learn more about the Housing Studies program

Faculty & Staff

Abby Eldridge - Outstanding Student Employee
Natalie Walker - Outstanding Student Employee
Shannon Ziolkowski - Outstanding Student Employee
Karen LaBat - Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education
Chris Schlichting - John Tate Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising
Ignacio San Martin - University President's Community-Engaged Scholar
Kristine Miller - Outstanding Community Service

College Awards

Gayle Whitney - Outstanding Civil Service/Bargaining Unit
Lori Swenson - Outstanding Professional and Administrative Staff
Greg Pickman - Outstanding Adjunct Teaching
G. Mauricio Mejia Ramirez - Outstanding Graduate Student
Arthur Oxborough - Outstanding Undergraduate Student
Lucy Dunne and Sherri Gahring - Outstanding Outreach
John Koepke - Outstanding Research
Sue Chu - Outstanding Teaching
Joe Favour - Outstanding Teaching
Kathy Guiney - Outstanding Teamwork
Holly Harrington - Outstanding Teamwork
Julie Hillman - Outstanding Teamwork
Cheryl Johnson - Outstanding Teamwork
Char Klarquist - Outstanding Teamwork

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