SPRINGFIELD, Mo., May 20, 2020 — Drury University’s Hammons School of Architecture designated three student-design prizes as part of its annual Librarium end-of-year exhibition and juried competition.
Out of 27 nominated student projects, three were selected for recognition. Graduating fifth-year student Morgan Harper of Nixa was recognized for the most distinguished Thesis Project; fourth-year student Lisa Griffin of St. Louis was recognized for the most distinguished Comprehensive Studio project, and third-year student Abdyresul Mammedov of Bayramaly, Turkmenistan, was recognized for the most distinguished At-Large Nominated Project.
Abdy Mammedov’s project is for a fire-department boat station on the Chicago River, just south of downtown Chicago. This third-year design studio course is an initial opportunity for students to work on complex building proposals and sites and was researched during a class field trip to Chicago.
Lisa Griffin’s awarded project resulted from a fourth-year studio course in which students designed a hypothetical material recovery facility in downtown Springfield’s West Meadows area. Jurors from architectural firms based in San Francisco and St. Louis praised the project’s “strategic execution of the objectives of sustainability.”
Morgan Harper’s project received the top prize for graduation thesis projects completed by Drury’s architecture students. Harper’s project, “Anchoring Female Adolescents in Unstable Waters,” is set in Kathmandu, Nepal, and was noted by jurors for its thorough research and evocative drawings.
The Drury Architecture program has celebrated excellent student design work through its annual Librarium event for the past 17 years. As students were forced to leave their campus architecture studios by the COVID-19 pandemic this spring, and with faculty and students interacting via video-conferencing software and shared drawing screens, the continuity of the Librarium event represents the resilience of the program and its students.
“The adaptability of our students and faculty, and the intense engagement of students with their work resulted in some amazingly accomplished design projects,” says Dr. Robert Weddle, Dean of the Hammons School of Architecture. “They are testament to the readiness of these students to work in the new realities that are emerging.”
Drury’s Librarium winners are traditionally awarded between $500 and $1,000 in architectural books, to help form the foundation of their professional libraries. This year, for the first time, students also received matching cash awards thanks to the participation of Springfield’s Pella Windows and Doors. Pella’s architectural scholarship program was established in 1985 to recognize excellence in architectural academic achievement. Pella Architectural Representative Jennifer Worley, AIA, was enthusiastic about the support of Drury’s architecture students.
“We appreciate the opportunity to work with Drury’s Hammons School of Architecture and to encourage the growth of the architectural profession,” says Worley. “Pella values the vital contribution architects make to our world. We’re proud to honor these students, who will soon be entering the workforce, adding to the life-improving benefits provided by the architectural community.”
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