The Gray Design Building

The Future Home of the College of Design

The Gray Design Building, formerly the Reynolds building, is situated at one of the most prominent entries into the city of Lexington and is set to become the new home for the College of Design — a place where students of architecture, interiors, historic preservation, product design, and urban design — as well as students in landscape architecture and biomedical engineering — will all learn together in a 21st-century, polycultural environment. With Studio Gang as the Design Architect, K. Norman Berry Associates Architects as the Architect of Record, and Carman as the Landscape Architect, the College has laid the groundwork for a pioneering approach to design education, advancing the College of Design from regional to national prominence.

The Case for Adaptive Reuse

Preservation is part of our DNA. From our master’s program to the osmosis into all areas of design, historic preservation serves as a mainstay of our pedagogy. We embrace the idea that the former Reynolds Building is one of the most significant adaptive reuse projects on campus and in the Commonwealth — a working model that translates to a formidable teaching moment for students. The open volume of the former Reynolds tobacco warehouse provides a space for multidimensional, cross-disciplinary education and preparation for real-world issues: global, national and within Kentucky. It will serve as a pinnacle of engagement within the city of Lexington.