Mississippi State architecture students take second in national masonry competition
Contact: Christie McNeal
STARKVILLE, Miss.āA custom brick project designed by three Mississippi State architecture students is a National Unit Design Competition winner.
Juniors Kayla C. Perez of Metairie, Louisiana, Grace M. Sheridan of Olive Branch and Joseph D. Thompson of Brandon presented their teamās brick design called āThe Slantā at the National Concrete Masonry Association Midyear Meeting recently held in Seattle, Washington, where it placed second in national competition.
āThe Slantā was completed in Ļć½¶Ö±²„Associate Professor of Architecture Jacob A. Ginesā spring materials course. For the assignment, the team produced a set of eight concrete masonry units based on a single design, with each block measuring 3-5/8 inches by 3-5/8 inches by 7-5/8 inches. The students considered use of light and shadow, composition, orientation, usefulness and configuration while following a specific digital fabrication process for the design and development of their custom block.
Fred Dunand, president and owner of Saturn Materials LLC of Columbus, sponsors the local Unit Design Competition, the feeder for the national competition. He said he enjoys sharing his passion with students and hopes he is inspiring innovation in the next generation.
āThis yearās batch was exceptional,ā he said of the local competition, āand it wasnāt an easy task to determine who would be selected.ā
In the end, āThe Slantā team came out on top, and Sheridan said she believes her teamās entry stood out to the national judges for two main reasons.
āWe were confident in our design and provided evidence of the feasibility of it by considering all aspects of the competition,Ā such as shipping, mass production and economic efficiency,ā she said.Ā
Gines said students benefit from this project by gaining an understanding of the realities of concrete throughout the prototyping process. Collaborative interactions with industry professionals help guide and train students on such aspects as feasibility, manufacturability and packaging, he added.
Sheridan said she knew very little about the concrete masonry industry before Ginesā class.
āWe toured facilities and met with plant owners to better understand the capability of the machines,ā she said. āThis research allowed us to come up with ideas that we knew could be mass manufacturedĀ and helped us grow as young professionals by partnering with local plant owners.ā
Jassen Callender, interim director of MSUās School of Architecture, said this work represents twoĀ core values of the School of Architectureācollaboration between students and also collaboration between students and leaders in industry.
āThe students are to be commended for their dedicationĀ and rigor. Professor Gines is to be commended for the opportunities this assignment affordsĀ students,ā Callender said.Ā
Gines said Ļć½¶Ö±²„has been a national competition finalist for two consecutive years.
Part of the College of Architecture, Art and Design, MSUās School of Architecture is the stateās only curriculum leading to a professional degree in architecture. Learn more at .
Ļć½¶Ö±²„is Mississippiās leading university, available online at .