College of Design Professor Pens New Books
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 30, 2018) — University of Kentucky College of Design faculty member Gregory Luhan has edited, authored or co-authored four new books set for release this fall and upcoming spring.
Luhan is the John Russell Groves Endowed Professor of Architecture in the UK College of Design and an affiliate professor with UK’s Lewis Honors College and the Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments. Luhan holds a University Research Professorship and is a nationally recognized architect, scholar, author, professor and academic leader. His work investigates how design, emerging digital technologies, critical theory, pedagogy, practice and academic-industry partnerships intersect.
The first book, titled "D. Eugene Egger; The Paradox of Place in the Line of Sight," centers on the instructional sketches of Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies (CAUS) Professor Emeritus Dayton Eugene Egger. The publication presents an archive of Egger's drawings from five decades of study abroad with students. Luhan states that Egger challenged each of us to “graphically present the timeless and projective realities of a given site and then translate the ideas derived from these readings into formative design proposals." In his foreword, world-renowned architectural historian Kenneth Frampton wrote “Gene Egger’s sketches capture the simultaneity of experience and representation. The graphic content of these images are spatial episodes that visually depict a given place from multiple vantage points as ‘concatenated Piranesian spaces’ that are invaluable to the American academic architectural vision and essential devices for faculty and students to understand and convey both place and space at moments in time.” Virginia Tech CAUS Dean Richard Blythe, UK College of Design Dean Mitzi Vernon, Steven + Cathi House, Mark Blizard, Michael OBrien, Paul Emmons, Frank Weiner and Luhan each contributed essays to the book. An early book release and signing occurred at the Virginia Tech Washington Alexandria Center on Nov. 12. A full launch of the book will occur in the spring 2019 semester.
Luhan's three other book projects focus on Kentucky's modern architecture.
Luhan contributed an essay and collaborated with Michael Koch on "Close to Home | Buildings and Projects of Michael Koch" slated for publication in spring 2019. Koch is a graduate of UK and has amassed a body of work that transforms Kentucky's regional style into a vibrant and modern form.
Luhan and his co-author Clyde Reynolds Carpenter, former chair of UK's Department of Historic Preservation, has been developing the “Modern House Kentucky” for over a decade. "This book gives voice to the modern architects who practiced in Kentucky and develops around 25 signature projects across the Commonwealth that serve as iconic centerpieces of modern residential architecture in the state,” Luhan said. For the project, he conducted a series of oral history interviews with many of the architects featured in the book. The book includes an essay by architectural theorist, critic and historian Stephen Caffey; transcriptions of the architect interviews; historic and contemporary photographs of the buildings; and original architectural drawings, along with atmospheric renderings that convey the spatial metaphors used by architects to cultivate their works.
For the book "Music that We See," Luhan collaborated with UK alumnus Keith Plymale to explore the work of John Bickel. Bickel, a Louisville native and fellow in the American Institute of Architects, and his firm were one of the most highly recognized practices in Kentucky during the 1950s and 1960s. The book highlights their designs for Louisville’s post-World War II music halls, places of worship, educational facilities and residences. The book's title derives from an in-depth analysis and critical reflection of Bickel's former firm, Design Environment Group Architects (DEGA), with architects Donald L. Williams, H. Stow Chapman and Jim Gibson, and their innovative, cross-disciplinary and collaborative design process.
The UK School of Architecture continues to achieve a national reputation for excellence through the commitment of its faculty and the spirit, talent and dedication of its students. Its undergraduate architecture program is an intensive regimen of architecture studios and courses in the history and theory of architecture, building technology, digital technology, and professional practice. To become a licensed architect in Kentucky and other states, a graduate must complete a National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accredited program. UK offers a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and an accredited two-year Master of Architecture program.