Source: Susanne Siepl-Coates, 785-532-1122, scoates@k-state.edu
Note to editor: Amy Finnerty is a graduate of Olathe East High School, and Kyle Rogler is a graduate of Olathe South High School.
News release prepared by: Emily Vietti, 785-532-1090, evietti@k-state.edu

Monday, May 16, 2011

BEST OF THE BEST: ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS VIE FOR HEINTZELMAN, KREMER HONORS

MANHATTAN -- For fifth-year architecture students in the College of Architecture, Planning and Design at Kansas State University, the Heintzelman and Kremer prizes determine the best of the best.

On May 6 several fifth-year architecture students competed to see who would be chosen for the Heintzelman Prize, an award that recognizes outstanding individual design achievement, and the Kremer Prize, which recognizes outstanding collaborative design achievement.

The winners were selected by a jury with Alan Dunlop, Henri de Hahn and Anne Schopf. Dunlop is one of the United Kingdom's leading architects. He is also a visiting professor at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. Last year he was the Distinguished Regnier Visiting Chair in Architecture at K-State. De Hahn is the professor and head of the department of architecture in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Schopf is a partner with Mahlum Architects in Seattle. She is currently chair of the American Institute of Committee on Design.

The 2011 Heintzelman Award jury was underwritten by Davidson Architecture & Engineering in Lenexa, a premier commercial architectural and engineering firm.

Alyssa DeBrie, Windsor, Colo., won the Heintzelman Prize for her project "International Study Center of Orvieto, Italy." Professor Don Watts served as her major professor.

Juror Alan Dunlop said the jury was struck by the level of analysis and the degree of sensitivity and sensibility in DeBrie's project.

Joshua Hartman, Altamont, received Heintzelman honorable mention for "Center for Autistic Children." Professor Susanne Siepl-Coates was his major professor.

"The level of investigation and thoroughness of process was what struck us about this project," Schopf said of Hartman's entry. "The resolution was sensitive to the needs of the eventual users."

The Kremer Prize was awarded to Alyssa Parsons, Manhattan; Amy Finnerty, Olathe; Kyle Rogler, Olathe; Jesse Husmann, Plainville; and Sarah Pink, Kansas City, Mo.; for their entry "West Bottoms Urban Vision Study." Vladimir Krstic served as their major professor.

"Ultimately the presentation and the overall subtlety and courage proved who the winners were," de Hahn said.

Other award Heintzelman and Kremer Award nominees included:

Christopher Curtis, Great Bend, Kremer nominee for "Sandnes" with Torgier Norheim as major professor; and Jason Ragan, Wichita, Heintzelman nominee for "The (con)Temporary Gallery: All Shadows are Liars" with Robert Condia as major professor.

From out of state: Timothy Meyers, Blue Springs, Mo., Heintzelman nominee for "Seaton Hall Additions/Revisions" with Peter Magyar as major professor; Jonathon Olson, Lee's Summit, Mo., Kremer nominee for "The Kimball Avenue Eco Community" with Gary Coates as major professor; Samantha Smith, Oak Grove, Mo., Kremer nominee for "The Kimball Avenue Eco Community" with Gary Coates as major professor; and Derek Bestor, Kingwood, Texas, Kremer nominee for "The Kimball Avenue Eco Community" with Gary Coates as major professor.

The Heintzelman Prize, named for former architecture professor J. Cranston Heintzelman, is awarded for excellence in individual design during the final year of study in the department of architecture. The prize was first awarded in 1983 after Heintzelman's retirement.

The Kremer Prize, awarded for the first time this year, recognizes excellence in collaborative design by students in the final year of the professional master of architecture degree program. The prize is named in honor of Eugene Kremer, a longtime professor and head of the department of architecture. As an educator and adviser, Kremer fostered in thousands of students a passion for learning and a desire to achieve excellence.