College of Design Research Labs and Initiatives

As a culmination to the School of Architecture's graduate studio sequence, the Commonwealth Studio explores the notion that “local” issues have global relevance and impact. During their final year, each Master of Architecture student proposes an independent, research-intensive project that addresses a particular challenge found here in Kentucky, as well as beyond. Every year, our students put their creativity, optimism, and professional expertise to work as they propose ambitious architectural projects that endeavor to solve great challenges. 

They envision ways to make our cities more livable, introduce typologies for unprecedented community needs, advocate for increasing the resilience of our built environment, and propose future architecture that leverage emerging material and technological innovations. Through their proposals for a better, brighter future, the Commonwealth Studio demonstrates that architects have a capacity as agents for positive change. As future architects, each student can confidently proclaim that they are ready to lead this change in Kentucky and beyond.

The Critical Software Lab (CSL) in the College of Design is a site for critical research on design software tools and applications. Its primary goal is to investigate the wide landscape of design software and shed light on the various opportunities and limitations afforded by commercial, experimental, and open-source tools for architecture and its related design fields. The Lab is unique in its approach, prioritizing both practical and theoretical knowledge aimed to supplement existing software use. It engages students and faculty in various ways: by providing customized software instruction support (tutorials/documentation), developing bespoke workflows for architecture-related applications, publishing scholarship on significant software-related research, providing code and programming-related instruction (workshops, camps), and developing custom tools, plug-ins, and add-ons that augment existing software usage.

Objectives for the CSL include:

• To serve as a guide for the complex and constantly-changing world of design software.
• To serve as a centralized knowledge-base for design-related software applications
• To provide up-to-date instructional support and insight related to design software such as tutorials and documentation.
• To evaluate the opportunities and limitations of novel technologies and methods.
• To provide instruction on coding, programming, and software development.
• To develop bespoke tools and workflows that augment design-related applications.
• To act as a mediator between the worlds of academic software applications and the software development industry.
• To publish significant critical research on digital media, software, and design.

Documenting Change, a project funded by two UK Sustainability Challenge Grants, focuses on the educational opportunities presented by the construction of the Gray Design Building. By examining the life of the former Reynolds Building, its multiple uses, and its physical evolution into the new home of the College of Design and Department of Landscape Architecture, Documenting Change leverages an ongoing construction project to create educational experiences that illustrate the importance of adaptive reuse as a tool for sustainability.

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Global Appalachia is committed to Appalachian research that is connected, creative, and critically-engaged in the world. Through our collaborative efforts, we strive to:

• Actively connect researchers and community members
• Equitably share work broadly to diverse audiences
• Inspire others through a full expression of creative outputs

SoftLab is a softgoods-focused research lab that capitalizes on faculty expertise and forward-thinking implementation of textiles and materials to support material exploration, rapid prototyping, customization, and innovation within the College of Design. The lab houses a Stoll ADF830 wide-bed flat digital knitting machine, industrial sewing machines, tufting, and textile experimentation equipment.

Studio Appalachia is a partnership between university faculty and community leadership, aligning design capacity with local expertise to address the region’s pressing challenges and emerging opportunities. We seek to advance the region towards a more sustainable future through partnerships within communities, academic institutions, organizations, and agencies. Through these partnerships, we share our outcomes to inform and influence design, policy, and impacts across Appalachia, nationally, and internationally.

Studio Appalachia