KNOXVILLE — Two professors in the College of Architecture and Design at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have been honored with prestigious awards. The awards were presented by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) in recognition of contributions to the advancement of architectural education.
Professors Ted Shelton and Tricia Stuth were among 22 faculty who were honored nationally with these awards.
Shelton was honored with the ACSA Collaborative Practice Award for his project, SEED: Designing for Tennessee’s State Parks. The award recognizes programs that demonstrate how faculty, students and community/civic clients work together to realize common objectives.
Project SEED is an ongoing relationship between UT Knoxville and the Tennessee State Parks. As part of this collaboration, a variety of projects have been undertaken at Johnsonville State Historic Park, Dunbar Cave State Park and Panther Creek State Park. The projects were investigated by architecture students as studio assignments and provided visions for future park initiatives.
Though different groups were associated with these projects and different challenges and goals were presented, all three shared certain visions and beliefs, which, according to Shelton, are at the core of Project SEED.
“These beliefs are that to design and build in the most environmentally progressive manner possible is both a responsibility and a potential source of poetry,” said Shelton. “Meaning that public buildings, with their stewardship of public funds, natural resources and cultural resources, provide a powerful statement about the culture to which we aspire.”
He further added that in projects such as these, where architectural ideals confront pragmatic concerns, students are presented with intense learning opportunities.
Stuth was honored with the ACSA/AIA Housing Design Education Award. The award is granted jointly by ACSA and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Housing & Custom Residential Knowledge Committee in recognition of exemplary education in housing design.
Stuth taught a fifth-year design studio that investigated the redevelopment of the South Haven neighborhood in the South Knoxville area. The studio, entitled Tools of Engagement, investigated the way housing design communicates cultural beliefs; how the material and technological context inform design and construction processes; and how the social, economic and regulatory context affects land-use practices.
She co-taught the class with Andy Hutsell of Clayton Homes, the nation’s leading producer and retailer of manufactured and modular homes. Clayton Homes, Knoxville City Councilman Joe Hultquist and the South Haven Neighborhood Association provided industry and community assistance to the studio.
“Only 22 awards were given out nationally, and two went to our college,” said Dean John McRae. “That speaks volumes not only to the caliber of our program but to the level of expertise displayed by our faculty. Ted and Tricia are both very talented educators and I am proud that their work has been recognized on the national level.”
For more information on the awards and a complete list of recipients, visit https://www.acsa-arch.org/email-images/2008-09AwardsPressRelease.pdf.
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Contacts:
Kristi Hintz, (865) 974-3993, khintz@utk.edu
Tricia Stuth, (865) 974-5267, tstuth@utk.edu
Ted Shelton, (865) 974-3238, tshelto4@utk.edu