Architecture Students Judged Tops in Bayer Stone Competition

Three architecture students received top honors in the recent Bayer Stone Competition, held by the Kansas State University Department of Architecture.

Sponsored by Bayer Stone of St. Mary’s, Kansas, the 2006 project program asked students to design a monument and surrounding plaza for the Bayer Stone quarry. The project, “A Monument to the Forgotten Architect,” was to celebrate, identify and visually articulate the ancient heritage, craft and collaboration of the architect-mason.

Selected to receive first place was Joshua Perez of Franklin Grove, Illinois. Second place went to Aaron Dyck of North Newton, Kansas. Nicholas Whitney, Peabody, Kansas, was selected to receive third place. All are in their second year of architecture studies in K-State’s College of Architecture, Planning and Design.

While they were working on the two-week studio project, all second-year architecture students toured the Bayer Stone signature natural Cottonwood limestone quarry near Cottonwood Falls, spent a day being taught how to work with natural limestone by the masons at Bayer’s St. Mary’s facility and then spent a day building stone walls at Bayer’s Manhattan plant.

Each of four studios selected two projects to be considered for award. Studio faculty included Professors Robert Condia, Michael McNamara, David Sachs and John Selfridge.

At the end of the project period, the competition entries were displayed and prize winners announced at a reception sponsored for the students and faculty by Bayer Stone. Max Bayer, founder of Bayer Stone, served as competition juror. The recipient of the first-place prize will be given the opportunity to develop his design, which may actually be constructed by Bayer Stone at the entry to their quarry in Chase County.

For more information, contact:
Robert Condia, 785.532.1106
Diane Potts, 785.532-1090