Dezeen School Shows: a treehouse with a woven wicker facade that's designed for community activities is among the projects from Kent State University.

Also featured is a fire station with modular panels and a pavilion designed in line with seasonal rhythms.

Kent State University

Institution: Kent State University
School: College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Courses: Second-Year Undergraduate Foundation Studios Fall 2024 and Spring 2025
Tutors: Brendan Ho, Jean Jaminet, Bill Lucak and Laure Nolte

School statement:

"Kent State University presents ten student architecture projects completed from the second-year undergraduate foundation studios. This VDF school show highlights student work from the 2024 to 2025 academic year, presenting a selection of projects that explore both domestic and civic programs.

"These projects reflect the college's commitment to imaginative and instrumental design practices – hybridising analog and digital processes, and understanding systems of form, space and order alongside abstract and concrete modes of thinking.

"Students were challenged to take creative risks, experiment with emerging techniques and reimagine how space can be shaped and experienced. Together, these works demonstrate a culture of design inquiry grounded in curiosity, craft and critical engagement with contemporary practice.

"The projects featured here were developed by students in the second-year undergraduate foundation studios of Kent State University's architecture programme. These core studios serve as a critical platform for design exploration, where students engage with a wide range of topics – from ecological and cultural contexts to performance-based design strategies.

"The programme encourages curiosity, experimentation and rigour, aiming to cultivate designers who are prepared to thoughtfully shape the future of the built environment.

"The architecture programmes at Kent State University are committed to offering a transformational architectural education that pursues experimental and creative design thinking. The programmes prepare innovative architects and leaders in the community by empowering graduates with passion, skills, craft and expertise to envision the future of the built environment.

"We believe in exposing our students to contemporary issues and transformational mindset with social and cultural context to create an integrated platform for scholarship, design excellence and constructive discourse within the architectural discipline."

Cabin in the Woods – Tilt Cabin by Hope Look

"Tilt Cabin investigates the intersection of geometry, landscape and enclosure through a sequence of extruded and sheared frames. Extruded frames transform into volumetric elements that compose the cabin's form.

"Where these volumes intersect, denser, more solid volumes form, creating spatial anchors that house primary circulation and organise movement through the cabin.

"The sheared geometry shapes both roof and wall structures, producing offset frames that articulate thresholds, define spatial boundaries and modulate light and openness.

"In select areas, roof structures transition into vertical planes that rise from the ground, lifting the cabin above the sloped terrain while anchoring it firmly to the site.

"These tectonic transitions allow the cabin to respond directly to its site, emerging as a lightweight yet grounded presence, shaped by movement, repetition and the topography it inhabits."

Student: Hope Look
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Fall 2024
Tutor: Jean Jaminet

Cabin in the Woods – Tectonic Bloom by Sandy Chikh Alchabab

"Tectonic Bloom explores the relationship between structure, light and landscape through a system of projected wall panels.

"Using a tectonic language of sequential projection, walls and roofs unfold to generate voids that act as apertures, modulating daylight and casting shifting patterns across interior surfaces.

"Two interlocking volumes define the cabin's spatial composition, with a stair embedded at their intersection to guide vertical movement and reinforce continuity.

"The building grounds itself through a series of embedded and elevated conditions – some parts nest into the earth, while others lift to form terraces that frame views and connect the living space with nature.

"These transitions blur the line between architecture and environment, allowing the cabin to emerge organically from the site, shaped by movement, geometry and the rhythm of the terrain."

Student: Sandy Chikh Alchabab
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Fall 2024
Tutor: Jean Jaminet

Cabin in the Woods – Beneath the Shell by Isabella Correia and Payton Kittle

"Beneath the Shell reimagines the pavilion as a layered framework where community gathering and solitary retreat interweave.

"Through sculpted shell forms and dynamic joints, it challenges static enclosure by shifting between open, light-filled public spaces and intimate, enclosed sanctuaries.

"Three nested shell layers connect structure to ground, creating stitched thresholds that filter light and modulate exposure.

"In winter, the shells compact for warmth and refuge. In summer, they unfurl to embrace communal life with shaded extensions.

"This adaptive architecture engages seasonal rhythms and human needs, fostering a continuum between collective interaction and private reflection.

"It embodies a hybrid approach where material assembly, spatial progression and environmental responsiveness merge into a unified experience."

Students: Isabella Correia and Payton Kittle
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Fall 2024
Tutor: Brendan Ho

Urban Infill House – Urban Treehouse by Ryan Maloney

"This part-time dwelling emerged from an intensive process of physical model-making, exploring the structural and aesthetic potential of woven wicker. Drawing inspiration from bamboo, its form is defined by interlacing curvilinear elements that produce a parasitic architecture – one that embeds itself within a dense urban infill site in Kent, Ohio.

"Programmatically, the project embraces public engagement through an open plan that supports community events and informal gatherings, extending onto the rooftops of adjacent buildings that it occupies.

"Private functions, such as sleeping quarters, are elevated in suspended pods wrapped in wicker, diffusing light at night like lanterns and providing a soft, ambient glow to the surrounding area.

"This project challenges the increasingly hermetic nature of urban development by reintroducing natural materials and organic geometries into the built environment.

"It positions itself as both a spatial and ecological response – blurring boundaries between structure, skin and site in an effort to regenerate community-oriented urban space."

Student: Ryan Maloney
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Fall 2024
Tutor: Laure Nolte

Urban Infill House – Ecological Living by Jacob Newcomer

"The Ecological Living Pied-à-Terre project examines how domestic space might embed itself within a system that prioritises synthetic ecologies and power generation.

"Using inlaying as a process for this integration, the thickening of architectural elements – such as lush garden spaces or high-tech solar plants – is employed to embed typical living spaces within them.

"Domestic occupants navigate a lifestyle intertwined with public and ecological engagement, wherein daily rituals adapt to the dynamic interplay of synthetic ecologies and communal activity.

"Expansive solar panels generate energy to support the surrounding urban fabric, while the second floor facilitates cultural and social events within a large garden venue.

"This integration blurs boundaries, asking occupants to embrace a flexible, shared existence that moves away from the insularity of traditional domestic life.

"By embedding itself within both ecological and urban systems, the project invites users to connect deeply with alternative modes of living and sustainable cohabitation within a playful, toy-like structure."

Student: Jacob Newcomer
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Fall 2024
Tutors: Brendan Ho

Watch Tower – Vertical Fracture by Anthony Sherry

"This project reimagines the traditional fire tower as a modern landmark for training, observation and civic identity. Historically used to mark space and guide movement, towers remain symbolic anchors in the urban landscape.

"The design begins with a simple rectangular mass, sculpted through Boolean subtractions to form a fractured yet unified vertical structure.

"A spiralling central staircase serves as both circulation and structure, binding the tower's volumes and revealing dynamic views throughout the ascent. This core element emphasises movement, connection and the tower's expressive verticality.

"Programmatically, the tower supports essential firefighter training – including vertical rescue, ladder operations, hose drying and evacuation drills.

"At ground level, a clear entry creates a strong public presence. As the tower rises, its fractured form draws the eye upward, forming a bold and dynamic silhouette.

"Though it no longer rings with bells, the tower stands as a place for learning, preparation and community service."

Student: Anthony Sherry
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Spring 2025
Tutor: Bill Lucak

Fire Station – Confluence by Ryan Shaw

"Confluence presents the fire station as both essential infrastructure and civic landmark. The convergence of sinuous space, structure and circulation reflects its role in shaping public identity and fostering community connection.

"The building massing is defined by three elevated, interlocking volumes that guide movement and frame views. Their curvilinear forms are wrapped with intricate panels that enhance dynamic motion while modulating light and enclosure.

"An intermediate level between the ground and elevated volumes forms a threshold where public and private zones merge.

"This interstitial space accommodates shared programme areas and frames views shaped by the shifting geometry above. At the base, a centrally located apparatus bay anchors the plan, balancing rapid response access with a clear separation between civic and operational functions.

"Extending outward, the building's formal geometry organises walkways, canopies and green space, inviting community presence and reinforcing the station’s identity as both essential service and social connector."

Student: Ryan Shaw
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Spring 2025
Tutor: Jean Jaminet

Fire Station – Operative Folds by Lindsay Nagy

"Operative Folds engages the dialogue between architecture and terrain, negotiating a steeply sloped site bounded by elevated roadways.

"The project is composed of three interrelated volumes: a base embedded in the earth, aligning the structure with the landscape and facilitating horizontal circulation; and two perched masses above, which mediate between public and private programmes while framing calibrated views toward the urban and suburban context.

"Each volume is defined by faceted roof planes that fold to generate enclosure, aperture, and spatial hierarchy. The ground plane is re-contoured to merge with the building's base, allowing the landscape to ascend and envelop the structure.

"This strategy blurs the distinction between building and site, camouflaging the architecture within its terrain.

"By embracing the natural slope and integrating form with the landscape, the fire station emerges not just as a building, but as a seamless extension of its environment."

Student: Lindsay Nagy
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Spring 2025
Tutor: Jean Jaminet

Fire Station – Linear Shift by Michael Conrad

"Linear Shift reimagines the fire station as an open, civic space – one that educates, invites and fosters connection with the community it serves. This is accomplished through raised plinths that emerge from the ground, blending the landscape into the architecture and guiding visitors into the building.

"The design consists of three linear volumes that shift across the site. Two solid masses are elevated on angular plinths and frame a lighter, transparent central spine that houses the primary circulation.

"Spaces branch off from this spine, connected by stairs and ramps, with operational programmes on the ground floor and public and private areas located within the two solid volumes, respectively.

"Wrapped in modulated panels, the outer volumes feature openings aligned with interior functions, blurring the boundary between wall and roof.

"The second level opens to the apparatus bay below, offering visibility without disrupting operations. Together, these elements shape a building rooted in transparency, movement and civic presence."

Student: Michael Conrad
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Spring 2025
Tutor: Jean Jaminet

Fire Station – Kinetic Skin by Garrett Scott

"Kinetic Skin: Fire Station 28 asserts its civic presence through a performative billboard facade – modular panels on a structural scaffold that serve as both skin and signal.

"These panels act as a dynamic interface between building and city, broadcasting public identity, framing views and revealing activity within.

"This scaffold forms the building's horizontal 'spine', organising public, administrative and operational zones.

"Programmatic volumes nest within it, emphasising adaptability and formal clarity. Circulation follows the framework: horizontally along scaffold partitions and vertically via stairs between skin and mass.

"The twin FS28 signs anchor the building's identity within the urban field, while the billboard facade negotiates visibility, engagement and enclosure.

"This Kinetic Skin becomes the building's public face – performing its functions as shelter and interface between the rhythms of emergency response and the everyday life of the city.

"Scaffold, signage and skin transform the station into a legible, adaptable and openly civic structure."

Student: Garrett Scott
Course: Second-Year Design Studio II, Spring 2025
Tutor: Jean Jaminet

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Kent State University. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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