In 2004, Dean John Gaunt envisioned a new space for the school community to gather, share ideas, and welcome visitors. More than just additional square footage, Dean Gaunt understood that this new space and the structure that would hold it had the protentional to assert and nurture the optimism, ambition, and inspired design inquiry that he saw animating the school he had led for nearly a decade.  

Guided by the same ambitious optimism and a highly-tuned understanding of design, he got to work. Facing economic headwinds, plenty of skepticism, and too many complexities to list, Dean Gaunt’s enthusiasm for and belief in the necessity of the project realized a work of architecture many believed was impossible – a LEED Platinum building unlike any other on campus that both honors history and calls forth an exciting future. Oh, and the entire project, named The Forum at Marvin Hall, was designed and built by students in the architecture department’s Studio 804 design-build studio led by Professor Dan Rockhill.  

Last spring, Dean Gaunt returned to campus for a rededication and renaming of the project he made possible – the John C. Gaunt Forum. Family, friends, and colleagues joined to hear remarks from Dean Gaunt, Professor Rockhill, current Dean Mahbub Rashid, and project supporter Jonathan Kemper.   

As the School is now working on our next transformative building project with BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and BNIM – which, like the John C. Gaunt Forum, will be a glass and mass timber structure containing inspiring spaces filled with light from the inimitable Kansas sky – we are grateful for Dean Gaunt’s vision and over two decades of leadership.  

Throughout the spring and summer, architects from BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and BNIM have led engagement sessions where students, faculty, and staff have had the opportunity to contribute their perspectives to the further development of the design. After applying the feedback received during these sessions, the architects will be on campus Friday, September 5th to present their final schematic design update. 

With commitments from KU and state leaders and incredible support from the School’s Professional Advisory Board and donors, this generational opportunity is coming into focus. We can’t wait to share the latest vision for our remade campus home. More updates are coming soon. 

StructureCraft, the firm BIG collaborated with to design the new building’s timber structure, discusses the innovative wood joinery system. 

👀 Watch the lecture by Leif Johnson, Structural Engineering Director

Emily Almloff, healthcare architect at HFG Architecture in Kansas City and 2024 KU architecture graduate, at age 22, became the youngest ever registered architect in the United States.  

Almloff graduated with a BA in Architectural Studies, a Master of Architecture and a Master of Construction Management. As a student in the KU Health & Wellness program, she split her internship between EMI doing a healthcare project in Mongolia and HFG Architecture in Kansas City.  

🎧 Hear Emily Almloff speak about her history-making journey from KU to professional practice on the Architectette podcast.  

KU Design Camp, the School of Architecture & Design’s pre-college experience for high school students, expanded this year to include, in addition to our long-running residential camp held on the Lawrence campus, a day camp option hosted at KU’s Edwards Campus in Overland Park.  

Developed and managed by Anna Abernathy, Director of Recruitment & Enrollment, and April Czarnetzki, Student Recruitment Coordinator, the Lawrence camp hosted 48 students and 25 students participated in the Edwards Campus camp. To reduce barriers for as many students as possible, the School partnered with Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools and Kansas City, Missouri’s Ruskin High School to provide transportation for students from their districts to both the Lawrence and Edwards camps. 

Campers learned about School of Architecture & Design academic programs and how their creative talents can be applied in different career paths in sessions led by the recruiting team. Workshops taught by architecture and design faculty introduced students to skills, tools, and ideas that helped to demystify design education at the college level. Camp instructors included Ann Alcasabas, Thom Allen, Betsy Barnhart, Mohammad Dastmalchi, Jay Holley, Jeremy Shellhorn, Titus Smith, Kent Smith, and Sam Yates Meier.  

The newly expanded KU Design Camp proved to be a wonderful experience, and we are excited to explore more opportunities to expose even more prospective Jayhawks to our academic programs and the wide range of design careers available after they graduate.  

APRIL 30-MAY 6, 3021 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 

At Museo in Kansas City, Industrial Design students exhibited lighting projects developed in May Tveit’s hands-on, maker-based laboratory focused on combining the traditional paper craft of papermâché glue-molding with additional materials and processes to explore lighting design. 

Student exhibiting work included Warren Berger, Grace Davis, Hayden Diestelkamp, Samantha Myers, QA Nguyen, Clara Rozmaryn, Max Sokolovsky, and Treymaine Thompson. 

Project pictured: Float, by Clara Rozmaryn

At the conclusion of the spring semester, architecture students in Dirt Works Studio, a third-year design-build studio led by Professor Chad Kraus, unveiled the studio’s latest project, the Sue Mango Memorial Garden at the Lied Center of Kansas. 

Designed and built during the spring semester, the Sue Mango Memorial Garden is a living tribute to Sue Mango, the former Director of Development for the Lied Center, who passed away in 2023. A beloved member of the Lawrence community, Sue was known for her warmth, generosity, passion for the arts, and love of gardening. 

Learn more about this latest designed and built by students in Dirt Works Studio.  

Work by Victoria Neeser

Work by Aleyna Hein

During the spring semester, design students represented KU at the National Student in Dallas and brought home seven awards. 

▪️ Long Vo - Visual Communication Design - Typeface & Hand Lettering 

▪️ Rori Stith - Illustration & Animation – Illustration 

▪️ Aleyna Hein -Interaction Design - Interactive Design, Website Integration or Feature 

▪️ Ella Forgrave - Illustration & Animation- Motion Design, Animated Short 

▪️ August Oppeau - Visual Communication Design - Motion Design, Motion Graphics Series 

▪️ Kristin Weidner - Visual Communication Design - Best Junior Portfolio 

▪️ Victoria Neeser - Visual Communication Design - Best Sophomore Portfolio 

"Studying architecture at KU helped me understand design in a global context. My journey took me from classrooms in Lawrence to cities across Asia."

Read James' story 

Patterhn Ives – is featured in an exhibition at The National Building Museum in Washington D.C. Open to the public through winter 2026, A South Forty: Contemporary Architecture and Design in the American South highlights the work of 44 vibrant and distinguished design firms practicing in proximity to U.S. Interstate 40. University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design graduate, Jonathan Wirth, serves as Studio Director and architect with Patterhn Ives. 

Students and Faculty in Lisbon during their trip to Portugal and Spain. 

📲  Studio Highlight on Instagram

Student interns at Haenglim Architects in Seoul.

📲  Studio Highlight on Instagram

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