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Design
Students Help City Envision New Home for Looff Carousel
Fall classes for WSU Spokane’s Interdisciplinary Design Institute kicked off with the 10th Annual Fall Design Charrette. For this 48-hour intensive competition, the city of Spokane teamed up with the Design Institute to jump-start design ideas for a new home for the historic Looff Carousel in Riverfront Park. The event united students in architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture.
“We were really excited to see what new ideas the students would present,” said Bette Largent, president of National Carousel Association. “It was fascinating to see the excellent work that transpired in such a short amount of time.”
Within the first three hours of the competition, students were divided into 28 teams and charged with the task of envisioning a new carousel building that would enhance the experience of Riverfront Park and the Looff Carousel, while emphasizing the synergy between Riverfront Park and the city of Spokane. They also received a general overview of the historical aspects of the carousel and Riverfront Park, and had a chance to experience the carousel and its surroundings first-hand during a site visit. For complete story click here.
Faculty, Students Explore Living Conditions in Tibet
Led by Nancy Blossom, professor of interior design and director of the
Interdisciplinary Design Institute, and David Wang, professor of architecture,
a team of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates spent three weeks
in May working with their counterparts from Xian University in China and Tibet
to promote research that crosses academic disciplines—and international
boundaries.
The group focused on understanding how the local population used local
materials and customs in its architecture, landscaping, and home interiors to
respond to the natural environment.
Design Students Oust Professional Entries and Win First Place
Four Master of Architecture students from the Interdisciplinary Design Institute didn't have a typical summer break. The four-man team of Colin Anderson, Blake Bural, Nicholas Carpenter and Ben Fields spent their time in the lab designing and wining entry for a new Walla Walla Market Station. They entered the competition on their own outside of school curriculum to gain real-world design experience and in the process beat out 15 other teams including professional designers.
The contest asked designers to explore the possibilities of a new Walla Walla Market Station, calling for integration of a farmer's market venue and transit center. In addition to these two key areas, designers were to address retail opportunities, visitor information kiosks, public space, parking and pedestrian and traffic flow.
According to final jury comments, the design contained a strong urban edge and included possibilities for retail activity and upper level residential growth, which provides the opportunity for public-private partnership developments. As a result of their hard work, the team was awarded $3,000 for first place in addition to the $5,000 they won for making it to the semi-final round.