Professor Michael Hughes Garners Award for Design-Build Project

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This outdoor classroom at Washington Elementary School in Fayetteville, a design-build project of the Fay Jones School of Architecture, exposed students to the act of construction as a fundamental component of critical design practice.

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture has recognized Michael Hughes, an associate professor in the Fay Jones School of Architecture, with its 2009-10 Collaborative Practice Award.

This honor for school-based community outreach programs recognizes Hughes’ Tectonic Landscapes project, an outdoor classroom for Washington Elementary School in Fayetteville. With a stage, pavilion, story area and benches, the roughly 2,000-square-foot space is intended to expand learning opportunities and promote physical activity. A gateway opens onto Maple Street, inviting after-hours use by the neighborhood.

Hughes and a group of 32 undergraduate students completed the design-build project over 11 months in 2007-08. The project will be presented at the 98th annual ACSA meeting March 4-7 in New Orleans.