An 'architist's' journey

For Vance Lor, the scars of the 20th-century proxy war in Laos represent a profound landscape of lost history and untold resilience.

But thanks to a travel research prize from K‑State's College of Architecture, Planning & Design, Lor — a spring 2026 master's graduate in architecture — will have an opportunity to recover that history and tell it through a blend of architectural, artistic and personal perspectives.

Embracing the role of 'architist'

Adopting the attitude of an "architist" — or, as he describes, someone who sees architecture and art as a harmonious entity — Lor will travel to key cultural hubs like Luang Prabang and Vientiane to excavate the physical and spiritual traces left by the displacement of the Hmong people.

During the Laotian Civil War, a proxy conflict that eventually led to intense bombing campaigns and massive displacement, the CIA secretly trained indigenous Hmong soldiers in guerrilla warfare. Because details of this war were historically kept to a minimum in the United States, Lor notes that the dominant historical narrative remains incomplete, often disregarding the marginalized Hmong community that was used to fight it.

 

By investigating communities in these areas, Lor aims to look beyond standard historical records to uncover the true spirit of the Hmong people and to understand "the displacement of the displaced."

He plans to examine these "[in]tangibles" of architecture — the atmospheres, oral histories and spiritual qualities that define how a community reclaims a sense of place after devastating trauma.

Hmong community exploration is personal for Vance Lor

Instead of relying solely on traditional architectural representation, Lor will document these complex realities through a dual artistic approach:

• Speculative Composite Drawings to synthesize and depict layered social, historical and personal truths within a single, complex image.
• Filmmaking to capture the emotional, tangible and living essence of these environments as they exist today.

"I wish to impact the profession of architecture by investigating counter-narratives which oppose the dominant perspective — revealing the wholes and not the parts," Lor wrote in his research proposal. "By speculative composite drawings and filmmaking, I can assist in revealing the manifestations of a community."

While Lor’s research draws inspiration from philosophers and theorists like Gilles Deleuze, Manuel DeLanda, Paul Valéry and Robin Evans, the project is also a deeply personal exploration of his own lineage.

With his parents being among the direct witnesses to the tragedy and displacement of the Hmong people, Lor views this journey as a calling to see the canvas from which his own architecture and art emerge.

"The combination of the two mediums will inform investigations on the traces of war and the current displacement of the Hmong community, apparent in the selected locations," Lor wrote. "With my parents being the direct and last of the [in]tangible truths to my lineage and the tragedy of the Hmong, my spirit asks of me to adopt the Architist’s attitude to see the canvas to which my Architecture and Art emerges."

Condia + Ornelas Traveling Prize recognizes top architecture graduates

Lor’s upcoming four-to-six-week immersive field research is supported by APDesign's Condia + Ornelas Traveling Prize, which provides up to $5,000 for an outstanding graduating Master of Architecture student to pursue travel-based research that challenges their perspective as a designer and citizen of the world.

The Condia + Ornelas Traveling Prize selection process includes a highly competitive multi-stage review by an external panel of renowned professionals selected by the Condia + Ornelas Foundation.

Eligible graduating Master of Architecture students submit anonymous proposals outlining their design philosophy, research objectives and academic accomplishments before advancing to interviews and refined proposal presentations.

“Vance’s work demonstrates intellectual curiosity, creative courage, and a profound commitment to understanding architecture not simply as the construction of buildings, but as a way of uncovering meaning, memory, culture and human connection,” said Michael McClure, dean of the College of Architecture, Planning & Design. "We are incredibly proud of his achievement and excited to see how this experience shapes his future contributions to the profession."