Treanor Architects

While 80% of American college students make it through freshman year, only 55% on average complete a degree after six years. As college students spend nearly three-quarters of their day in their living environments, designing an environment that sets students up for success now extends far beyond the classroom – to the residence.

“Every piece of national data there is shows that the residential environment is a critical factor in academic success and achievement,” says Julie Weber, Director of Housing and Residential Life at New Mexico State University. Students who live on campus are more likely to graduate within four years ...

Foster Academic Success “Students study in different ways,” notes Treanor Architects’ Nadia Zhiri. “An ideal floor plan balances opportunities for individual and group study.”

By Julie Williams Lawless

Learning, particularly for college students, is not limited to the knowledge acquired from a book or class. It is a social action where acquiring social skills is as important as acquiring study skills. Providing an environment to facilitate active learning and development of social skills creates a depth of understanding that passive observation cannot replicate (Stimpson 1994).

An estimated 80% of college students persist through the first year of study, yet only 55% on average will ultimately complete a degree after six years (Brandon, Hirt and Cameron 2008). The persistence needed to complete a degree may ...

Design survey says community-building features top on-campus housing priorities

In a survey of 70 on-campus housing specialists, Treanor Architects reports that student housing preferences are leaning toward buildings that encourage a sense of community among residents but that also focus on more privacy in personal living spaces.

The firm surveyed residence life representatives from a majority of public institutions, with about 30 percent of respondents answering on behalf of private colleges.

Eighty-four percent say building community among campus residents is the most relevant building design trend. Those surveyed say another critical concern impacting the design and construction of student residences ...

On November 15, The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association presented Topeka developer Pioneer Group the Judges Award for Honorable Mention at the J. Timothy Anderson Awards for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation for the adaptive reuse of Eisenhower Ridge Building 19. The award, given in the category of best commercial/retail/non-residential project, was announced at the NH&RA’s annual ceremony in Boston.

The “Timmy Awards” honor outstanding real estate projects that involve the rehabilitation and preservation of older and historic buildings nation-wide. Building 19 was awarded in the category of Best Commercial/Retail/Non-Residential Project. The project rehabilitated a 125-year-old ...

Building 19 After Construction

Treanor Architects is proud to announce the launch of its new Sustainability Committee. The committee was formed as a grassroots effort within the company to serve as a resource and advocate for environmental sustainability. Through the incorporation of sustainable practices, educating employees and clients, and creating an environmentally responsible outreach program, this committee will address firm-wide needs in the area of environmental consciousness.

The group is led by two sponsoring principals and also of representatives from each of Treanor’s design studios:

• Justice – Sponsoring Principal Andy Pitts, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
• Interior Design – Sponsoring Principal Audrie Wenger, IIDA
• Student ...

Click the link for results of Treanor Architects’ Survey on Student Life Facility Trends.

Kansas State University's fast track Large Animal Research Center porject has won a prestigious Design Build Award. The project and the Design Build team which included McCownGordon Construction LLC, Kansas City, Mo.; Treanor Architects, Lawrence; and K-State officials, will be recognized at an awards ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 20, in St. Charles, Mo.

The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association announced Eisenhower Ridge Building 19, located in Leavenworth, Kan., as on of the finalists for this year’s J. Timothy Anderson Awards For Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation.

The annual “Timmy Awards” honor outstanding real estate projects that involve the rehabilitation and preservation of older and historic buildings nation-wide. Building 19 was named as one of two finalists in the category of Best Commercial/Retail/Non-Residential Project. The project rehabilitated a 125-year-old mess hall that historically served Civil War veterans as part of the Western Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. Now, the building serves ...

Five things you thought you knew about historic preservation

The very idea of preserving an older, historically significant building for a new, modern use can start some heated conversations. The problem is, a number of the “facts” that many believe to be true about historic preservation projects are actually false.

Here are five of the most common beliefs about historic preservation and rehabilitation— and the reality:

It’s just for 80-year-old buildings.Actually, age is just a starting point. The National Park Service says any building that is 50 years old and historically significant based on its usage, its role ...

On August 31, The Central Plains Consolidated Patient Account Center hosted a ribbon cutting at its new location in the renovated historic mess hall building on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus in Leavenworth Kansas.

Many people from the community as well as the local and state governments attended the ceremony. Honored guests Governor Sam Brownback, Senator Pat Roberts, Gary Million, VA deputy network director, and Gary Baker, VA Health Administration chief business officer, cut the ribbon on the front steps of the historic building.

Left to Right: Gary Million, Gov. Sam Brownback, Gary Baker, and Sen. Pat Roberts cut the ribbon.

Left to Right: Vance Kelley, Treanor Architects principal, Gov. Sam Brownback, and Bobbie Bower, Kansas Preservation Alliance board member, and Ken Bower discuss the Eisenhower Ridge Building 19 rehabilitation project.

Left to Right: Krissy Buck, Treanor preservation/LEED specialist, Julie Cawby, Treanor project manager, and Commissioner Davis Moulden, Leavenworth City Commission talking after the ribbon cutting.