April 29, 2024
APDesign graduate students awarded Condia + Ornelas Traveling Prize
The Condia + Ornelas Traveling Fellowship panel has announced Jacob Shreve and Meredith Park as the recipients of the Condia + Ornelas Traveling Prize. Both Shreve and Park, fifth-year graduate students in the architecture department at Kansas State University's College of Architecture, Planning & Design, were selected for their outstanding proposals and commitment to exploring architectural and cultural significance on a global scale.
Shreve's project focuses on documenting and critiquing the architectural and cultural significance of select UNESCO sites throughout France. His itinerary includes visits to 10-16 sites, where he plans to engage with UNESCO officials in Paris to gain insights into universal heritage and the qualities that define a meaningful "place" experience. This study of "universal heritage" will commence following the 2024 Paris Olympics, with travel starting in mid-August.
"The Condia + Ornelas Traveling Prize will expand my educational experience and allow me to develop a curriculum that builds on the knowledge of the past five years," Shreve said. "By directly observing these UNESCO sites, I aim to illuminate our shared ecological qualities and deepen my understanding of peoples heritage in relation to space."
Park's project entails traveling to Japan beginning in late August, utilizing Tokyo and Osaka as anchor points for exploration. During her time there, she plans to observe around 15 sites and districts, diving into the idea of the cityscape as a massive collage, with elements reacting concurrently — all unique notes in a grand symphony, creating a chaotic yet artistic spatial masterpiece. The focus will be on observing these points of connection and this layering process, as well as thinking about the elements intertwining as a whole and as individuals in a connected network. This experience and its findings will then be able to help anticipate and embrace the uncontrollable unpredictable factors within design and digest this conversation between elements and their environment.
"As an architecture major, I firmly believe that exposure to diverse spaces enriches the creative process and overall design-thinking," Park said. "The Condia + Ornelas Traveling Prize provides the opportunity to explore new environments, which then serves as a catalyst for my research, production, and education. I am excited to go on this journey and approach architecture from fresh perspectives, allowing the experiences to shape and refine my craft as well as expand upon the foundation that I have gained through my time at APDesign at K-State."
A panel of industry professionals, including Ann Hossler from the University of Kansas Department of Design, Tim Hossler of Tim Hossler Design, Elias and Emily Kruse Logan of Merge Architects, and Jill Sornson Kurtz, evaluated the proposals. The panel praised the quality and diversity of the submissions, noting their ambitious scope and innovative approaches to documenting architectural and cultural phenomena.
Established in 2020 by K-State Professors Bob Condia and Wendy Ornelas, the Condia + Ornelas Traveling Prize annually supports outstanding graduate students in architecture. The prize exemplifies the belief in the importance of cross-cultural understanding and the exploration of places beyond one's comfort zone, fostering creativity and innovation in architectural education.