2010 Architecture, Planning and Design Achievements
* K-State's student chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects earned fourth place in the organization's recent Student Design Competition in Boston. For the competition, teams had to optimize the renovation of an existing community center and community garden in the Boston area. Dec. 2010
* Peter Magyar has been elected a charter member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, an honored extended to architects who have achieved the gold standard in their profession. Magyar also released his latest book, "THINKINK," about the process of conceiving and refining designs through freehand drawing. Nov. 2010
* Four recent K-State graduates were among the 50 finalists and prizewinners in the International Woodworking Fair Design Emphasis 2010 student furniture design competition. The projects were designed and built by the graduates while they were students in the College of Architecture, Planning and Design. K-State had the most finalists in the competition, which included more than 180 entries from more than 30 schools. Ross McCoy, May 2008 master of interior architecture and product design graduate, received Best of Show and also was named winner of the contract -- commercial/office/hospitality furniture -- category for his project, (b)One Bench. Matthew Ovel, May 2010 master of interior architecture and product design graduate, received a second place Merit Award in the competition's seating category. Samantha Lang, May 2010 master of interior architecture and product design graduate, and Colin Carlson, May 2010 master of architecture graduate, were named finalists in the competition. Oct. 2010
* A team of seven K-State architecture students won the local chapter stage of the U.S. Green Building Council's Natural Talent Design Competition: Small, Green, Affordable. Students had to design an 800 square-foot house for elderly residents in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans. The house had to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's Platinum certification requirements for homes; stay within a $100,000 construction budget; and use universal design principles throughout. Sept. 2010
* Ray Weisenburger, professor of landscape architecture and regional and community planning, is the recipient of the 2010 lifetime achievement award from the Kansas Preservation Alliance. Named in honor of a dedicated alliance board member, the Muriel Golobay Lifetime Achievement Award was created to recognize individuals who distinguish themselves by furthering the cause of preservation in Kansas. Weisenburger has a long, varied and ongoing record of service to historic preservation in Kansas. He was instrumental in establishing the Kansas Preservation Alliance's Brick Streets and Sidewalks Preservation Program. He has served on the alliance's board of directors, including as vice president from 1987-1989 and president from 1989-1992. He also served as the alliance's liaison to the American Institute of Architects Historic Resources Committee from 1996-2007. In addition, he served on the Kansas State Historic Sites Review Board from 1981-1986; was a member of Manhattan's Urban Area Planning Board from 1981-1999, serving as chair from 1985-1987 and 1995-1996; and has served on Manhattan's Historic Resources Board since 2004. June 2010
* Two female department heads at K-State were tapped to take part in the Oxford University Round Table on women in academia, March 14-19, in Oxford, England. Lorraine Cutler, head of K-State's department of interior architecture and product design, and Geraldine Craig, head of the department of art, attended the invitation-only event "Women in the Academy: Status and Prospects." Topics addressed at the round table included gender equity; discrimination; compensation, tenure and promotion; sexual harassment; and institutional restraints on women's leadership. The Oxford Round Tables are a forum for the study of current issues facing state and national systems of education, and each session is made up of a small select group of leaders from both the public and private sectors of several countries. April 2010
