KU Engineering School Hosts Art Competition for New Building

The University of Kansas School of Engineering and A. Zahner Company announce a sculptural art competition for students at the University of Kansas. The winning entry will serve as inspiration for a piece to be installed in the new engineering building at KU.

The competition is open to all KU current students and will offer the winning entrant the opportunity to work collaboratively with professionals at Zahner, an international architectural metal and glass design, consulting and fabrication firm based in Kansas City, Mo. A few of the signature works by Zahner include the Kauffman Performing Arts Center and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, as well as Cowboys Stadium in Dallas and Experience Music Project in Seattle and a number of iconic structures designed by architect Frank Gehry. The contest winner will see their design transformed by Zahner into a large-scale hanging installation in the atrium of the new KU Engineering building set to open in summer 2015.

The deadline to submit a conceptual design is Dec. 5, 2014. All contestants must complete an official entry form available at the School of Engineering website and review official rules (below) that will guide their submission as well as their eligibility. The top five entries will be selected before the end of finals week. Finalists will receive a stipend to develop a small-scale prototype of their work during the semester break, which they will present to the judging committee. The winning entry will be announced January 26, 2015.

Students interested in seeing the installation space first-hand can take part in a tour of the partially finished engineering building at 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 24. Because the installation space is an active construction site, tour participants must wear pants and closed-toe shoes and sign a waiver before being allowed on site. Meet at Eaton Hall, Room 1 promptly at 4 p.m. Contestants are not required to participate in a tour to submit an entry.