Mississippi State architecture students selected as finalists in national masonry competition
Contact: Christie McNeal
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 team of three Mississippi State architecture students is a top three finalist for a national masonry competition.
Designers of 鈥淭he Pulse鈥 custom-brick entry in the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) 2018 Unit Design Competition include juniors Madison C. Holbrook of Steens; McKenzie R. Johnson of Fayetteville, Georgia; and Baron O. Necaise of Gulfport.
鈥淭his year marks the 100th anniversary of NCMA and the first year that the 汤头条 School of Architecture has been involved in the Unit Design Competition, so it鈥檚 exciting to be a part of that legacy,鈥 said the team鈥檚 faculty adviser and Assistant Professor of Architecture Jacob A. Gines.
As a finalist, the team is invited鈥攅xpenses paid鈥攖o NCMA鈥檚 mid-year conference in Chicago, Illinois, to present its design on August 1, along with the other two finalist teams from Ball State University and Iowa State University.
鈥淲e are beyond grateful for this opportunity and for all of the support and help from the faculty here at State,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淧rofessor Gines, Professor Justin Taylor and (Building Services Coordinator) Scott Hudspeth have encouraged and helped us through this process, and just making it to nationals is enough in itself.鈥
鈥淚t has been such an amazing experience working with our professors to learn how to design, make and use bricks,鈥 Necaise said. 鈥淭o apply this knowledge in real life as a part of a competition is even better.鈥
鈥淚 believe that this is a testament to the opportunities that CAAD presents us,鈥 added Holbrook.
鈥淭he Pulse鈥 was completed in Gines鈥檚 spring 2018 materials course and took first place in the local Unit Design Competition sponsored by Saturn Materials LLC of Columbus. Holbrook, Johnson and Necaise won $250 as a team, making their project eligible for the national competition.
For the project, Holbrook, Johnson and Necaise produced a set of eight concrete masonry units based on a single design, with each brick measuring 3-5/8 inches by 3-5/8 inches by 8 inches. The student team considered use of light and shadow, composition, orientation, usefulness and configuration while following a very specific digital fabrication process for the design and development of their custom brick.
鈥淭he design team of 鈥楾he Pulse鈥 has worked tirelessly to design a concrete masonry unit that is beautiful, economic, durable and poetic,鈥 Gines said.
The local competition consisted of submissions from 14 teams of three students each. The jury included Gines; Fred Dunand, president of Saturn Materials; Belinda Stewart, founding principal at Belinda Stewart Architects; and Neil Couvillion, landscape architect at Couvillion Design + Build.
The team of juniors Davis S. Beasley of Houston, Texas; Rory C. Fitzpatrick of Bossier City, Louisiana; and senior Felipe M. Olvera of Memphis, Tennessee, won second place and $150. Seniors Alexander 鈥淎lex鈥 D. Boyd of Madison and Kaitlyn R. Breland of Wiggins and junior Mariah J. Green of Southaven placed third, receiving $100.
鈥淧rofessor Gines鈥檚 students have demonstrated skills and knowledge way beyond the typical skill set of a second-year architecture student鈥檚 ability,鈥 said School of Architecture Director and F.L. Crane Professor Michael Berk. 鈥淥ur collaboration with Saturn Materials in Columbus has been invaluable. I am confident that Saturn was most integral to both the students鈥 understanding of the process and their ultimate success in this national competition.鈥
Learn more about 汤头条鈥檚 College of Architecture, Art and Design and its School of Architecture at and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CAADat汤头条.
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