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Alumni Awards List

In his youth, CHRIS DEGUENTZ often accompanied his father, a construction manager for a large general contractor, to the job sites of some of the biggest construction projects in his hometown of St Louis. Seeing the management and orchestration required in the building of these projects made a big impression on Chris. In fact, for most of his childhood, Chris was exposed in a hands-on way to the process of building. On weekends, his family traveled to the Ozarks where they would spend their time building a vacation home. Because of this influence, Chris enrolled at K-State in architectural engineering, intending to follow in his father's footsteps as a construction manager. He changed majors after one semester because his first-year architecture studio courses sparked an intellectual and creative interest in being an architect.

While at K-State, the architectural studio environment challenged Chris to explore his creative and construction sensibilities. It was in the studio where Chris fostered design independence, drawing and technical skills, and his collaborative abilities. During the second semester of his fourth year, Chris participated in the College's study abroad program in Italy. He gathered a larger appreciation of culture and the influence that historical reasoning has in design during his foreign travels. In his final year of study, he was Co-Editor OZ Volume 16, the award-winning, student produced journal of the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design. During this year, in his spare time, Chris participated in several competitions and college art exhibitions. He was recognized as a finalist in the Van Allen Institute - Paris Prize competition and accordingly traveled to New York City for a final design charette. Admittedly, Chris spent most of his time in New York wandering around the city, in lieu of the charette. Seeing New York made a lasting impression, and he has since made an effort to experience many of the magnificent cities in the U.S. and abroad.

Upon completing the Bachelor of Architecture in 1994, Chris returned to the St. Louis region and began working for Fox Architects. While at Fox, he was an integral member in creating the firm's design philosophy and was highly committed to the management of relationships with key clients. As a project architect and project manager, Chris contributed to a diverse range of award-winning design projects, including the St. Louis Abbey Monastery, St. Louis Science Resource Center, multiple projects located at the Emerson North Campus Expansion, and historic rehabilitation projects located in the St. Charles historic riverfront district.

In 2003, Chris joined the St. Louis based developer and builder, Fischer & Frichtel, where he was named Director of New Project Development and Design. His talents focus on raising the standards in residential development by creating unique and innovative environments that satisfy unfulfilled market needs. Consulting with local real estate professionals, architects, planners, and engineers, Chris is currently overseeing the planning and design of several mixed used developments that include residential and commercial components in master planned communities.

Chris credits the extraordinary quality of his undergraduate studies in K-State's Department of Architecture as the foundation for the professional achievements he has attained. He is mindful of his personal accomplishments as well. As a husband and father of three sons, he energetically pursues a number of family and personal interests with his spouse, Jenni, that include sports, coaching, woodworking, boating, travel, community involvement, and renovating their house.