Four K-State architecture programs rank top-10 nationally

The College of Architecture, Planning and Design at K-State has been successful, with four of the college's programs ranked in the top 10 in the nation.

According to a 2009 DesignIntelligence and Design Futures Council survey, the bachelor of interior architecture/design programs ranked first.

Other ranked programs include the master of interior architecture/design, which was ranked second. The bachelor of landscape architecture program was ranked second. The master of landscape architecture program was ranked eighth, and the master of architecture program was ranked 11th.

"We have incredible faculty and staff that are dedicated to teaching design," said Tim de Noble, dean of the college. "We have certain requirements for our students that are unique. International study, internships, a practice-centered paradigm — all are included within the requirements of an architecture student that make for a greater learning experience."

Established in 1963, the college combined the Departments of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Architectural Engineering Construction, Science, Interior Architecture and Regional and Community Planning under one roof, according to the college's Web site.

De Noble said combining these disciplines makes K-State's program one of the visionary design schools in the nation.

"Since we have all the allotted design professions at the college, it really opens up many opportunities in terms of significance," de Noble said. "Our students are then poised for design leadership skills."

This semester, 739 students are enrolled in architecture programs, according to the college's Web site.

De Noble took over as dean of the college in July 2009.

"I came here because of all the strengths that the school had to offer and because of all the aspects the school had to offer," he said. "We are living in a time where people are becoming aware of our relationships with our environment and realizing the ramifications of our actions and how the decisions we make about our environment affect us."

De Noble said he has been visiting graduates in Dallas, Kansas City, Lawrence and Manhattan during his time here.

"Our recent graduates, despite the tough economic times, seem to have more job security than anyone else because of the education they have received," he said. "The alumni that we have really branched out and have done some incredible and inventive things."

De Noble said the department is headed in a new direction with the construction of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan. Graduate students in landscape architecture spent the summer developing visions for Manhattan's future. The research and planning strategies proposed by students will be available to Manhattan's planning department as it evaluates the coming changes.

"This is an opportune time for our students to bring the planning and design skills they have shared with so many communities in our region home to Manhattan," said Stephanie Rolley, professor and head of the department of landscape architecture/regional and community planning. "We know the question yet to be answered is what that change will look like and how our community will function in the future. The students have provided rich material for discussion."

Students formed their own proposals to investigate the dilemmas facing Manhattan and the region.

"Manhattan can go in many different directions from this point, so we encouraged students to imagine a vast range of possibilities," said Jason Brody, assistant professor of landscape architecture/regional and community planning. "We really pushed them, and they did a phenomenal job developing visionary strategies. This studio work has the potential to influence the future of Manhattan."

However, the construction of NBAF is not the only thing that the college is focused on.

"As for the future of the College of Architecture, Planning and Design, we will continue to focus on sustained learning opportunities," de Noble said. "Design is a necessary principle for our society, we want to prepare our students for practice and design leadership."

Some future plans for the college include becoming much more engaged with other colleges, including the Colleges of Agriculture and Business Administration, to be more effective in design leadership.