Housing and Dining Services has announced that they have met with and contracted architecture firm Treanor Architects to oversee the design of the new residence hall and dining center that will be built and move-in ready in August 2015.
Treanor Architects has been contracted with two other firms to team up specifically for this project for K-State. Derek Jackson, director of housing and dining services, said that the process by which they made this decision attracted many architect firms.
“The dining piece [of this team] was the strongest,” Jackson said. “We’ve got a very strong design team and I think we have the attention of the stakeholders here at K-State, they’re part of the voices that will be instrumenting our design.”
Treanor Architects is bonded to K-State because two of the firm’s employees that will be working on this project have a prior K-State connection. One worker is a graduate of the university, while the other worker is the granddaughter of a former cook from Kramer Dining Center.
Treanor Architects was selected because of their work with other Big 12 universities such as Texas A&M; University. According to the press release on K-State Today, “Treanor Architects specializes in designs that support students’ personal, social and academic success.”
The firm will begin planning next week by including students in the decision. The architects will be on campus trying to get big ideas from students about what they would like to see in this new residence hall and dining center project. According to Jackson, the team of three firms will then begin to narrow down the big ideas to smaller ideas.
Jackson also said that the stakeholders, or the students, would be excited once the designs start to be seen and heard around campus.
“I think that our students will be excited about the quality of these firms as they bring their worldly experience here,” Jackson said.
Pat Bosco, vice president of student life, agreed with Jackson. Bosco said that the architects being familiar with student life was critical to contracting them.
“We’re extraordinarily pleased that we contracted an architect that’s familiar with student life,” Bosco said. “It’s the K-State way, we put the student in student life.”
Bosco said that he thinks the new residence hall and dining center will be a significant step for the K-State campus to take.
“This 450-bed residence hall and dining center will be a huge step in meeting our campus needs,” Bosco said. “Food service and housing and dining services does an extraordinary job with one hand tied behind their back.”
Rhys Powell, freshman in open option and Marlatt Hall resident, said that he thinks that the residence hall will attract more students to come to the university.
“I think it will help the university because it will increase the student body,” Powell said. “It will give more kids an opportunity to live on campus.”
Jaron Bowersox, food service worker for housing and dining services, said he agreed with Powell.
“I think it will be very beneficial to both K-State and Manhattan as a whole,” Bowersox said. “By adding rooms, you allow more people to attend KSU and live in the dorms, which to me, is a very valuable experience, particularly freshmen.”
Bowersox said that living in residence halls when students are freshmen is critical to meeting new people and getting involved while on campus.
“Having the option to spend even a semester, let alone a year, in the residence hall system is a huge opportunity,” Bowersox said. “It allows you to meet other people, get accustomed to being independent, get used to the campus and get involved on campus.”
