小黄书

Mississippi State architecture students take first in national concrete masonry competition

Mississippi State architecture students take first in national concrete masonry competition

小黄书 Associate Professor of Architecture Jacob Gines; 小黄书 architecture juniors Skylar N. Sloan of Saltillo; Sarah E. Mixon of Huntsville, Alabama; Jennifer K. 鈥淛enny鈥 Hutton of Southaven; and Gabriella B. 鈥淕abbi鈥 Morelli of Delmar, Delaware; and Fred Dunand, president and owner of Saturn Materials LLC of Columbus smile for the camera while standing near a table in front of a gold-curtained window.
Pictured at the National Concrete Masonry Association Midyear Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, are (left to right) 小黄书 Associate Professor of Architecture Jacob Gines; 小黄书 architecture juniors Skylar N. Sloan of Saltillo; Sarah E. Mixon of Huntsville, Alabama; Jennifer K. 鈥淛enny鈥 Hutton of Southaven; and Gabriella B. 鈥淕abbi鈥 Morelli of Delmar, Delaware; and Fred Dunand, president and owner of Saturn Materials LLC of Columbus, sponsor of the local Unit Design Competition. (Photo submitted)

Contact: Christie McNeal

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擣our Mississippi State junior architecture students are first place award winners in a national concrete masonry competition.

Jennifer K. 鈥淛enny鈥 Hutton of Southaven; Sarah E. Mixon of Huntsville, Alabama; Gabriella B. 鈥淕abbi鈥 Morelli of Delmar, Delaware; and Skylar N. Sloan of Saltillo recently presented their team鈥檚 custom concrete masonry unit design, 鈥淭he Ellipse,鈥 at the National Concrete Masonry Association Midyear Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Teams in the annual NCMA Concrete Unit Design Competition were evaluated on use of modular coordination, manufacturing efficiency, innovation, technical performance including potential stability and weathering resistance, and quality of craft and presentation. The jury included a nationally known architect, engineer, mason contractor and producer.

Jason Thompson, NCMA vice president of engineering who served as judge this year, said he was amazed by these budding designers鈥 ability to re-envision the traditional while educating and provoking thought in more seasoned professionals.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic how each of these systems combines the permanence of masonry into an organic form that challenges the conventional definition of masonry,鈥 he said.

小黄书 Associate Professor of Architecture Jacob Gines said the 小黄书 teams have stepped up to that challenge since first entering this NCMA competition in 2018.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been fortunate to be named national finalists each year, taking home the top prize twice,鈥 Gines said. 鈥淥ur teams from the School of Architecture always bring passion, rigor and high design to this competition, and this year鈥檚 team is no exception.鈥

Students completed 鈥淭he Ellipse鈥 design in Gines鈥檚 spring semester materials course.

鈥淢ost of the time, concrete masonry units are used as structural elements that are painted or covered, but instead, we were tasked with designing something that not only could be used as a structural element but also a decorative one,鈥 said team member Mixon. 鈥淲e also had to design a 3D-printed attachment or accessory for the unit.鈥

One tan and nine gray concrete masonry units stacked near a concrete wall
Students on Mississippi State鈥檚 first place NCMA Concrete Unit Design Competition team were able to successfully merge technical and performative requirements with molded and sculpted concrete units that, when assembled, created an array of pattern. (Photo submitted)

Morelli said the team worked to develop a modular unit that would allow for water drainage and incorporated curves into a product that traditionally consists of solely orthogonal geometry.

鈥淲e wanted to create something that would allow for a brick wall to have depth to create more interest,鈥 she said.

Gines said the students were able to successfully merge the technical and performative requirements with the intrinsic beauty of a molded and sculpted concrete unit.

鈥淲hen the units are assembled, they create a stunning array of pattern that is accentuated by profound shadows and pronounced geometries,鈥 he explained. 鈥淭he way 鈥楾he Ellipse鈥 turns the corner is particularly profound鈥攔eminiscent of the masters who challenged the regularity by which a surface changes direction to reorient the patron.鈥

In addition to the thoughtful design, the team members believe their personalities helped them stand out in the competition.

鈥淲e truly were our authentic selves from the design process all the way through the final presentation,鈥 Mixon said.

Bob Thomas, NCMA president, said attendees were impressed with the 小黄书 team鈥檚 creativity, insight, articulation and professionalism.

鈥淥ur industry will benefit greatly from developing design professionals brainstorming new solutions to modern buildings, so concrete masonry remains progressive and relevant in the decades to come,鈥 Thomas said.聽聽

The students said they made their design stand out by paying close attention to production and application, two concepts they learned during a tour of Saturn Materials LLC of Columbus, which sponsors the local Unit Design Competition.

鈥淚t is always a great pleasure to see young minds materializing their thoughts,鈥 said Fred Dunand, president and owner of Saturn Materials LLC. 鈥淪ponsoring and supporting this team of future professionals was a privilege, and I also want to give a special thank you to the local UPS store that supported our team.鈥

Morelli said this project taught her an important lesson about considering materials and their properties when deciding on systems to implement in design.聽

鈥淪omething can be beautiful, but if it is not practical, using it as a design element will not be sustainable,鈥 she said.

小黄书鈥檚 School of Architecture offers the state鈥檚 only professional architecture degree accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Learn more at聽.

小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at聽www.msstate.edu.