More than a stack of bricks

Junior+T.J+Daugherty+in+his+catching+gear+after+practice+at+Cliff+Hagan+Stadium+on+Thursday%2C+April+8%2C+2010.+Photo+by+Brandonn+Goodwin

Junior T.J Daugherty in his catching gear after practice at Cliff Hagan Stadium on Thursday, April 8, 2010. Photo by Brandonn Goodwin

Students walking past Pence Hall Thursday may have noticed some unusual construction happening outside the building.

Friday through Sunday was the Kentuckiana Masonry Institute Student Design Competition, and about 10 sculptures became residents of Pence Hall’s lawn.

Joshua Wilkinson, an architecture freshman, served five years in the Navy and spent time working in construction before heading down the path to study architecture at UK.

“(My sculpture is) kind of a figure eight,” he said. “One of the reasons [for the design choice] is the theme is balance. You have infinite options if you can balance it out.”

Wilkinson said because his father worked in construction, he spent time working with him but did not like the physical labor side of things. Some of his experiences with building led him to an interest in architecture.

The theme of the competition was “balance between high design and social relevance,” according to the UK College of Design Web site. It was held in conjunction with the American Institute of Architecture Students’ Midwest Spring Quad Conference that occurred over the weekend.

Students could start their construction Thursday at 4 p.m. and had to finish by 4 p.m. Friday. Students used no more than 100 modular bricks and could cover no more than 12 square feet, according to the Web site. Individuals or teams of two in the School of Architecture could compete and had to provide an 11 by 17 drawing of their proposal.

Taylor Steele, an architecture sophomore, began working on his proposal, called “Balance in Harmony,” last Monday and said he competed to build his portfolio and to hopefully pay for a semester’s books. The first place winner gets $1,000 in scholarship money, second gets $600 and third gets $400.

Steele said he is taking 18 credit hours this semester, and the competition provided steam for him.

“It’s definitely motivating me,” he said.

Members of the Kentucky Masonry Institute and faculty of the School of Architecture made up the competition’s jury, and the projects must be taken down by 8 p.m. Monday, according to the Web site. Wilkinson said no date had been set for when winners would be announced.