KU School of Architecture & Design

✈️ How do University of Kansas Industrial Design students gain real-world experience before graduation?

KU Industrial Design students work directly with industry partners on professional design challenges. In a recent collaboration, junior students partnered with Textron Aviation, the Wichita-based global aircraft manufacturer of Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft, to develop concepts for future aircraft interiors.

Students created aircraft cabin mockups, presented their work to Textron Aviation designers, and received professional feedback on their concepts. The partnership continues this fall, when students will travel to Wichita to present their work to Textron Aviation leadership.

This collaboration demonstrates the power of connecting Kansas' flagship Association of American Universities institution with one of our state's most important industries to strengthen talent pipelines, fuel innovation, and help shape the future of aviation.

Industry-sponsored projects like this help design students at The University of Kansas build professional portfolios, strengthen presentation and problem-solving skills, expand their professional networks, and gain valuable experience working on real-world design challenges before graduation.

💡 Learn more about Design degrees at the University of Kansas: https://bit.ly/3xNeNnY

Fourth-year architecture students tackled one of the world's most pressing challenges:

🌱 How can design protect endangered ecosystems while strengthening the communities that depend on them?

Through the Eco Cultural Futures Lab, student teams developed innovative research laboratories and community centers for ecologically vulnerable sites around the world. 🌍 Their proposals combined climate adaptation, conservation science, cultural preservation, and community empowerment through architecture rooted in place.

The semester culminated in a lively final review featuring architects and designers from BNIM, BRR Architecture, CannonDesign, Clark & Enersen, Helix Architecture + Design, HOK, Multistudio, Populous, Slaggie Architects, Slattery Design + Architecture,Stantec, and Wellner Architects + Engineers. ✨ Their professional feedback challenged students to elevate their work while offering valuable insight into contemporary practice.

🤝 Experiences like these connect architecture students at The University of Kansas with industry leaders, strengthen professional networks, and build career readiness through real-world feedback, professional mentorship, and exposure to leading architecture firms.

🎓 Explore programs that build career readiness at the KU School of Architecture & Design. 🔗 https://arcd.ku.edu/academics

Another incredible summer of creativity at KU Design Camp! 🎨✨

🌞 Earlier this month, 77 students from across 6 states joined us for two camps—one at The University of Kansas Lawrence campus and one at the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park. Throughout each session, students explored the world of design, developed new skills, and connected with peers who share their passion.

We are grateful to these talented students for bringing their curiosity, creativity, and enthusiasm to the experience. ✍️ 🖥️ 🎒

Thank you for being part of KU Design Camp! We hope to see you again soon. 🙌

ℹ️ Get to know our undergraduate and graduate programs: https://bit.ly/42EmfQv

Architecture | Animation | Illustration | Industrial Design | Interaction Design |
Interior Architecture | Visual Communication Design

We’re excited to share a new public humanities initiative celebrating the early life and lasting legacy of Langston Hughes right here in Lawrence.

The University of Kansas, in collaboration with community partners, is supporting a project developed by KU design professor Tim Hossler that highlights how everyday locations can carry powerful historical meaning.

Through a series of 10 postcards, contemporary photos are paired with archival images to spotlight places tied to Hughes’ formative years—like the Carnegie Building and Liberty Hall. These sites offer a deeper look at the environments that helped shape one of the most influential voices of the Harlem Renaissance.

This project is a great example of how place-based storytelling can connect past and present while making history more accessible to our community.

💫 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4esMDoB

This collaborative effort was made possible through the partnership of several campus and community organizations:
Hall Center for the Humanities
Commons at KU
Lawrence Public Library
Spencer Museum of Art
Watkins Museum of History

New set of postcards celebrates the life of Langston Hughes in Lawrence A collaborative project of KU and community organizations has published 10 postcards about the experiences of Langston Hughes while he lived in Lawrence. Community members can pick up postcards for free at locations on campus and around town.

🔆 The Campanile is shining brighter thanks to KU architecture alum Lisa Reed and her team at St. Louis-based Reed Burkett Lighting Design.

💡 Our KU grads make an impact around the world and bring brilliance back to campus with meaningful projects, inspiration, and mentorship.

Rock Chalk!

👀 Check out the KU School of Architecture & Design student work currently featured in London-based magazine Dezeen:

Projects include design proposals for a pediatric micro-hospital for Children's Mercy and interior renovations for University of Kansas Libraries, and completed design-build projects from Dirt Works Studio and Studio 804.

https://bit.ly/3SjJ1fQ

Proposal for women's football stadium among projects from The University of Kansas A proposal for a football stadium exclusively for the women's game is among projects from the University of Kansas.

👏👏👏

KU students earn top honors at 2026 National Student Show and Conference University of Kansas students earned multiple top honors at the 2026 National Student Show and Conference in Dallas, with the program also named Best School by the national jury. KU students were recognized across portfolio, motion design, branding and conceptual categories, highlighting the strengt...

Kansas City is helping shape the future of soccer worldwide. ⚽

As the Kansas City World Cup 2026 approaches, a new exhibition—“Shaping the Future of Football”—highlights how data-driven design and applied research are transforming the game on a global scale.

Created by the KU School of Architecture & Design in partnership with the Keystone Innovation District, the exhibition showcases Kansas City’s outsized influence in sports design.

Did you know?
👉 12 of the 16 World Cup host stadiums have direct ties to Kansas City–based firms and alumni of The University of Kansas.

Join us for the public opening event:
📍 Keystone CoLAB
800 E. 18th St, Kansas City, Missouri
🗓 June 10
🕕 6–8 p.m.

🔗 Learn more:
https://bit.ly/4dK0GWq

KU exhibition explores global impact of sports design ahead of 2026 World Cup KU exhibition explores global impact of sports design ahead of 2026 World Cup A student assembles a digitally fabricated stadium model for the “Shaping the Future of Football” exhibition, where the future of soccer and fan experiences will be explored through data, architecture, and design. Tue,...

A KU student design-build project in Lawrence, Kansas has earned international recognition while expanding access to environmental education and creating a beautiful community asset.

The Prairie Park Pavilion, designed and constructed by third-year students in Keith Van de Riet’s studio, received the AZ Award for Student Work from Azure Magazine.

🏆 https://lnkd.in/eVUc77hu

Developed in collaboration with the City of Lawrence, Kansas - Municipal Government, regional municipalities, and industry partners, the project addresses a critical local need: flexible, affordable outdoor infrastructure to support camps, school programs, public events and revenue-generating activities that sustain the Prairie Park Nature Center.

The project reflects the KU School of Architecture & Design’s approach to applied research and experiential learning. Students led all phases of the work, from concept and parametric modeling to materials sourcing, fabrication and assembly.

Projects like these demonstrate how connecting education, research, and service can create tangible outcomes for communities. This integrated approach strengthens community impact while preparing KU students for careers. At The University of Kansas, students gain real-world professional skills before graduation.

💡 Learn about KU's center for design education and research: https://arcd.ku.edu/

Congratulations to architecture professor Chad Kraus on being named a 2026 Kemper Fellow for Teaching Excellence, one of highest honors recognizing innovative, student-centered teaching at The University of Kansas.

Kraus’s work exemplifies the impact of design-build education, where students engage directly with materials, construction, and the built environment.

As founding director of KU’s Dirt Works Studio, Kraus has led award-winning projects that connect theory, craft, and community. His recognition highlights the role of KU’s unique hands-on, community-engaged pedagogy in shaping the next generation of architects.

👏 Congratulations, Professor Kraus! https://bit.ly/4fbY7xs

University announces 2026 Kemper Fellows for Teaching Excellence This spring, five faculty members from the University of Kansas Lawrence campus who exemplify innovation, expertise and leadership in the classroom were named recipients of the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence.