Fay Jones School Students Named to 'Metropolis' Design Magazine's Future100 List

A rendering of a small group therapy room at a behavioral health clinic for children and teens, by Emily Creek.

A rendering of the staff lounge at a behavioral health clinic for children and teens, by Emily Creek.

A rendering of the employee kitchen at the office of a regional arts services organization, by Audrey Pace.

The Firefly Pendant light fixture, made with wood and a 3D printed diffuser, by Emily Creek.

A rendering of the waiting area for a behavioral health and wellness clinic for children and teens, by Audrey Pace.

A rendering of a local market in a retirement village in Germany, by Emily Creek.

A rendering of a restroom in the office of a regional arts services organization, by Emily Creek.

A rendering of the outdoor bar at a senior housing center in Germany, by Audrey Pace.

A rendering of the dining area of a senior housing center in Germany, by Audrey Pace.

Axonometric and plan drawings for a senior housing center in Germany, by Audrey Pace.

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Audrey Pace, left, and Emily Creek, both graduating fourth year students in interior architecture and design, are among 100 design students across the United States and Canada selected by Metropolis magazine for this year's Future100 list.

For as long as they both can remember, students Audrey Pace and Emily Creek have found joy and satisfaction in being creative.

That's how they each landed in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, studying interior architecture and design. Now Pace and Creek are among 100 design students selected by Metropolis magazine for this year's Future100 list.

With the Future100 program, Metropolis has set out to designate the top graduating architecture and interior design students in the United States and Canada each year. Nominated by their instructors and mentors, 50 interior design and 50 architecture students from undergraduate and graduate programs were chosen by the Metropolis team for the 2023 list. These students are featured in Metropolis' March/April 2023 issue and on the Metropolis website.

Jinoh Park, assistant professor of interior architecture and design, nominated Creek and Pace for this recognition and encouraged them to submit their portfolios. Their portfolios each contain a range of work they've completed within the last three years. View Creek's portfolio here. View Pace's portfolio here.

"While each student develops their creative projects, the Interior Architecture and Design program requires students to incorporate design research into design artifacts, allowing students to go beyond conceptual beautification and demonstrate their practice in reality through the evidence-based design approach," Park said. "I believe Creek and Pace have demonstrated a high level of continuity, integration and completion in their evidence-based projects, so I was very confident in nominating them for this award."

Finding Design

When Pace was growing up in Flower Mound, Texas, her babysitter cared for her and her 10 cousins during the summers. Their babysitter was a college student at the University of North Texas, pursuing a degree in interior design.

"She always had a new craft, a new activity or a new event planned to keep all of us entertained. I looked up to her my entire childhood and heavily admired her creativity," Pace said.

Fast forward a few years, and the two got back in touch last year after Pace posted one of her studio projects on Instagram. That led to Pace getting an interview and internship at ENTOS Design in Dallas, working alongside her former babysitter.

For Creek, she has long been observant of her environment and the ways spaces can evoke emotions. Her mom suggested interior architecture and design programs because Creek wanted to use her creativity to also make a difference in the world. Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, she knew she wanted to attend college out of state. She visited some other schools in Texas, Indiana and Kentucky before coming to the U of A campus in Fayetteville.

Both Pace and Creek took a tour of the Fay Jones School with Carl Matthews, professor and department head. As they saw the studio spaces, learned about the program, talked with other students and heard about study abroad, they were convinced they'd found a place where they belonged. Pace actually was a marketing major at first but didn't feel she was able to be as creative as she wanted, so she switched majors in her sophomore year.

School Culture

The support and friendship of her design school peers have made all the difference for Creek. The faculty also are constant supporters and resources through classes and studios, as well as by sharing job opportunities, providing references and fostering connections and networking.

"The past four years have been some of the most challenging but also rewarding years of my educational experience, and I truly wouldn't be the designer I am today without them," Creek said.

For Pace, she's enjoyed being able to work, learn, and grow alongside her friends during the past four years — and especially during studio.

"I love the studio culture of being able to collaborate and work with my classmates, and I hope to find a similar environment at my job after graduation," Pace said. "I am incredibly lucky to be in a major where I can create and make new things every single day. Studio has pushed me to create and work past my own expectations and has also been a creative outlet and escape from everyday life."

Creek has found that design school has allowed her to express herself creatively throughout her education. Although design studio is challenging, it pushes students to succeed.

"It's allowed me to grow the most as a student and all-around individual, as it's taught me the importance of time management and work/life balance," Creek said.

Design Approach

Getting the project brief for a studio at the start of a semester has been a favorite thing for Pace. As she started thinking of the possibilities, and a flood of ideas would come to her, she became invigorated for the project she'd work on in the weeks to come.

"I like to approach design with heavy research and find innovative ways to create new and exciting spaces that match what could be perceived as very boring codes and research," Pace said. "Pushing the boundaries of what has been done and creating a completely new experience for the user."

Creek enjoys the full spectrum of the design process — taking the conceptual ideas and eventually transforming those into what will be the three-dimensional spaces experienced by the people who use them.

"My design solutions consider ways to implement custom solutions that communicate attention to detail. Every decision made roots back to the concept established in the beginning phases of the design process," Creek said.

Rewarding Projects

Pace and Creek both selected a behavioral health clinic and the design and construction of a chair as the top projects they've done during the past four years.

The clinic designed to treat children and teens struggling with mental illnesses and substance abuse was deeply meaningful for Pace, who said she struggled with mental health herself growing up.

"Having the opportunity to design spaces that children would feel comfortable and safe in meant a lot to me," Pace said. "Adolescent mental health is important, and with the right facilities and environments, lives can be changed for the better."

Creek said the clinic project was one where she felt pushed to create something that reflected her own individual design style and to produce work that she could be proud of. It also was the first project for which they created a full set of construction documents, "so there was a lot of work that went into the project that felt really rewarding to complete."

In their Interior Sculpture studio with Jake Tucci, they each designed and built a chair. It was the first time for Pace to work with wood and power tools.

"The 27 Chair is something I hope to have in my home for the rest of my life as a reminder that new things can be scary but also so rewarding," she said.

That experience gave Creek the opportunity to learn how to use tools in the woodshop that she wouldn't have if she hadn't taken that studio. And, while many design studios result in a design that isn't built, this one provided the full spectrum of the design and build process.

"That project was exciting and rewarding as I had the opportunity to make my design come to life," Creek said.

Perspective Shift

Creek said that her perspective of design has markedly changed from four years ago. Back then, she didn't realize how much of an impact design has on the built environment.

"Now I see all aspects of design as an opportunity to make the world a more thoughtful and
inclusive place for all individuals," she said.  

 After switching from marketing to interior architecture and design, Pace remembers entering first-year studio and professor Torrey Tracy telling the students that they would never look at the built environment in the same way again.

"And he was right. I notice so much more in the environment around me. I have started noticing the smallest of details, whether it is just a material I recognize or even just a construction tactic," Pace said. "I am grateful for the eye I have developed over the last few years, and being able to pay more attention to the small details around me has made me a better designer."

After graduation in May, Pace will spend the summer studying abroad in Florence, Italy. Then, she'll head to Dallas, Texas, to work for a hospitality/commercial design firm.

Creek also plans to study abroad this summer in Florence after she graduates. Ultimately, she wants to work at a commercial architecture firm as an interior/architectural designer.

Portfolios

Emily Creek's portfolio.

Audrey Pace's portfolio.