Led by associate architecture professor Kay Bea Jones, students from the Knowlton School of Architecture studied in Italy for 10 weeks in spring quarter. Shown here with their Italian counterparts, the aspiring Buckeye architects were hosted by the Facolta’ di Architecttura di Camerino in Ascoli Piceno. All images courtesy of Jones.

Knowlton School of Architecture engages international architecture community

By Dan Carney

The past academic year at the Knowlton School of Architecture (KSA) saw an increase in the interaction between the school and the international architecture community. Whether through visiting professorships, guest lecturers, or student travel, the KSA has enthusiastically engaged designers, planners, and students from other countries.

During autumn quarter, Swiss architect Jacques Herzog arrived on campus as the Herbert Baumer Distinguished Visiting Professor. Herzog’s recent projects include the Tate Modern Art Museum in London, the railway Signal Box building in Basel, Switzerland, and the Dominus Winery in Napa Valley, California. Herzog visited campus to work with students in three separate sessions between November and February. In April, Herzog was named the 2001 Pritzker Prize winner. The Pritzker is awarded annually and is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize” of architecture.

George Acock, a 1963 OSU architecture graduate, joined the students in Rome for two weeks to help them develop their watercolor skills, which they put to use in studio and independent projects. At the right is third-year student Winna Japardi’s watercolor of the Pantheon. Above is fourth-year student Jeff Linenkugel’s watercolor. The students, who also visited several towns in Umbria and Tuscany, attended lectures and had to solve a design problem during their visit.

The KSA’s Spring Lecture Series also featured several international architects. It was arguably the most outstanding lecture series yet, with several of the brightest stars in the field visiting campus during the quarter.

Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas conducted a conversation with Wexner Center for the Arts curators Jeffrey Kipnis and Carlos Basualdo in April. Koolhaas was the 2000 Pritzker Prize recipient. He recently collaborated with Bruce Mau on S, M, L, XL, an ambitious study of modern urban architecture.

Italian architect Renzo Piano lectured in April in conjunction with his acceptance of the 2001 Wexner Prize. Piano is known for such masterworks of architecture as the Pompidou Center in Paris (with Richard Rogers), the Lingotto Factory, and the Kansai Airport Terminal.

The KSA also sent students on several study abroad programs. City and regional planning students traveled to Dresden, Germany, to study that city’s urban design and planning. Architecture students have just completed a trip to Italy, where they visited several historic cities. Landscape architecture students traveled to Argentina to study that country’s landscapes, and later returned the favor by hosting students from Argentina when they traveled to Columbus.

All in all, the KSA made strides in its ongoing effort to establish itself as an international presence in architecture, landscape architecture, and planning.

Carney is alumni and communications coordinator in the Knowlton School of Architecture.