College of Design
Post by Tony Hankerson
The College of Design was opened in 1948, and its first dean was the American architect Henry L. Kamphoefner. Kamphoefner was very influential and nationally recognized, and a huge proponent of the Modernist movement. He also has the hardest name that you’ll ever have to pronounce on campus. (For the record, it’s pronounced Camp-heff-ner.)
Kamphoefner Hall is named after the original dean, and houses Burns Auditorium (a space used for lecture and presentation), a C-Store (an on-campus convenience store), studio-space, and much more. The building reflects the traditions of Modern architecture, focusing more on the function of the building than adding extraneous detail. Though the building looks massive at ground level, it surprisingly has the smallest square footage of the three Design School facilities. Somehow, I always managed to get lost around this building, especially during sophomore year. There are a lot of stairs involved, too.
Leazar Hall has the largest square-footage in the Design School. It houses an amazing amount of workspace, which includes hi-tech computers outfitted with the latest in Adobe Creative Suite products and industry-grade modeling software, studio space for student usage, and printers of various sizes. Leazar is also home to a woodshop, complete with all the tools you need to carve, sand, and create a magnificent work of art. I have many fond memories of Leazar… Countless nights have been spent in Leazar, burning the midnight oil to perfect incomplete works of art into pearls of artistic expression worthy of submission (which were usually due the following day).
Brooks Hall was created as North Carolina State University’s first library, and is now the home of the School of Design. It is also the home of the impressive Harrye B. Lyons Design Library. This library has many resources available, such as space to relax, numerous books, DVDs and CD-ROMs to assist in the production of digital artwork, and even videogames available for check-out. The facility really is an invaluable asset for all students looking to create animations, games, graphic designs, and more, because the amount of media resources this library holds is astounding.
I recently interviewed design student Prianka Choudhury about the school, asking things such as her favorite building and any memories connected to it. She replied
I’ve had some amazing memories from the design school. Mainly with the other design students I get to meet. It’s nice to be around people who have the same interest as I. It’s easier for me to make friends and share ideas with each other. I’ve had some amazing memories from the design school. Mainly with the other design students I get to meet. It’s nice to be around people who have the same interest as I. It’s easier for me to make friends and share ideas with each other. My favorite design school building is definitely Leazer! I feel like there it is easier to meet people there and there are so many cool things about it such as like a sewing room, a wood shop etc. It’s such an open building you get to know people. Plus, some of those sofas are really comfortable for us design students that have pulled all nighters to get a project done! I’ve spent most of my time in Leazer. Using the studio comes in handy for projects and the big tables and open space really help out.
Overall, the Design School is full of great people, great resources, a few charming buildings with difficult-to-pronounce names (Kamphoefner and Leazar), and great experiences to be had by all of its students.
