Housing/Faculty Partnership Honored

Posted: December 7, 2012

Professor Andy Fox (Photo courtesy the College of Design)

NC State Landscape Architecture (LAR) professor Andy Fox was recently awarded the 2012 NCHO Faculty Partnership and Academic Collaboration Award for his innovative work with University Housing. This prestigious award is given annually to recognize outstanding partnerships created throughout housing offices within institutions in North Carolina..

While Fox may have received the award, he shares the credit with his many landscape architecture students and the College of Design. During the past three years, Fox and his students have taken “eye-sores” around campus and turned them into functional outdoor spaces for all to enjoy. Passersby enjoy the beauty of these landscaping gems, but behind the scenes, Fox and his students have systematically addressed landscaping, civil engineering, and storm water management issues that have long plagued areas around the residence halls.

“Their work can be explained in one word: incredible,” said Pete Fraccaroli, Facilities Manager for University Housing.

Even more incredible is the student, faculty, and staff involvement in making this collaboration a reality. Students participating in the LAR project have a client – University Housing - that presents them with real life problems, aggressive timelines, clear limitations, budgetary responsibilities, and sites that provide real-life challenges. Fox encourages students to “think outside the box” while working to solve everyday issues. The students actually get their hands dirty by providing the labor to implement their designs. The result is a positive learning experience for students and amazing results for University Housing.

Some of the projects completed through this partnership include:

Upgrading an underutilized space behind Syme Residence Hall providing storm water management, sustainable landscape design, and aesthetic beauty.
Transforming a regularly traveled, unimpressive route on Central Campus into a “micro-park” atmosphere for students to enjoy.
Creating a rain garden behind Lee Residence Hall in a space that was previously not usable due to storm water runoff issues.

Overall, the partnership between Fox and University Housing is a revolutionary approach to the management of natural areas around residence halls. This approach involves the students, faculty, and staff in finding solutions to shared landscape problems.