$5.2 Million Reward from Grey, Inc., Will Create New House for UK Faculty of Design

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 29, 2022) — A transformative present of greater than $5.2 million will create a brand new dwelling for the College of Kentucky’s Faculty of Design and an thrilling entry level into Lexington.

The present from Gray, Inc., which incorporates firms associated to engineering, design, building, automation, manufacturing and actual property, and members of the Grey household, was accredited by the College of Kentucky Board of Trustees in as we speak’s assembly.

This donation will enable UK to comprehend a renovation and revitalization of the Reynolds Constructing – a former tobacco warehouse that has been empty for a number of years – right into a vibrant new area for Design’s 5 applications. It could be the primary time that the faculty’s college students, college, workers and applications could be housed in a single location – a transfer that can even enable for even higher collaboration between the faculty and different applications throughout the campus, together with Panorama Structure, which can co-habitate with Design within the new construction and Biomedical Engineering, which can share studio area and curriculum with the brand new Product Design program.

In collaboration with UK’s Faculty of Engineering and the Gatton College of Enterprise and Economics, the Faculty of Design additionally will work with college management to determine a design-build curriculum.

The property – to be named the Grey Design Constructing – sits going through Broadway on one facet and the UK campus on the opposite, making it a landmark entry into Lexington.

Slated to interrupt floor later this yr, the venture has been designed by internationally famend structure observe Studio Gang during the last a number of years, and when full, will characterize one of the crucial important examples on the UK campus of “adaptive reuse” – the thought of utilizing preservation and sustainability methods and efforts to re-purpose older, historic amenities in new methods.

Grey, Inc. is the proprietor of Grey Development, a family-owned enterprise that’s thought-about one of many pre-eminent design-build firms within the nation. The household has deep roots in Lexington and the Commonwealth and is acknowledged as an trade chief in design-build.

“This present will give us the chance to rework a historic however terribly pressured constructing into the Grey Design Constructing – dwelling of UK’s Faculty of Design,” mentioned UK President Eli Capilouto. “It sits at a crucial nexus between campus and group. Acceptable for a Faculty of Design, the power might be a shocking entry level to UK. It’s precisely the form of venture Secretary (and former Mayor Jim) Grey and I’ve mentioned typically through the years – a wedding of type and performance that may improve what we do academically, in service to our state and as an emblem of the inextricable hyperlinks between Lexington and the college.”

Grey is presently secretary of the state’s Transportation Cupboard. That adopted two four-year phrases as Lexington’s mayor, throughout which funding in cutting-edge design and reuse tasks – such because the lately unveiled Central Financial institution Civic Middle – have been a precedence.

“As a household and on behalf of our staff members, it’s the privilege of a lifetime to make this funding in UK’s Faculty of Design, which incorporates the College of Structure the place we’ve had a particular kinship for nearly 50 years,” mentioned Jim Grey. Franklin Grey, a graduate of the Faculty, added, “We’re honored to play a job in increasing UK’s instructional affect throughout the state and in serving to to draw one of the best college students, college and workers.”

“At a time when reinventing current buildings is crucial to preserve assets and decarbonize, this beneficiant present permits us to comprehend the transformation of the disused Reynolds constructing right into a vibrant hub for cross-disciplinary design training,” mentioned Studio Gang Founding Accomplice Jeanne Gang. “It’s significantly significant that this present comes from the Grey household, as they’ve been passionate champions of the worth that nice design can carry for each the folks and the town of Lexington.”

Dean Mitzi Vernon is impressed to see this years-long imaginative and prescient lastly come to life, because of main efforts by Assistant Vice President for Philanthropy Don Witt. “The Grey present is one that may proceed to offer over generations of scholars, coming at simply the proper second because the Faculty of Design expands,” she mentioned. “Extra importantly the present permits us to enlist the open warehouse area and embrace our position as preservationists and cross-disciplinarians, taking up the urgency of latest problems with local weather change and inequality.”

Ok Norman Berry Affiliate Architects, which has a vested curiosity within the Faculty of Design, served because the Architect of Report. “KNBA has been a champion of the Faculty of Design for over 50 years, starting with associate emeritus Norman Berry as a member of the inaugural graduating class of 1965. Since that point, over 40 UK graduates have been helpful staff members of KNBA, together with all present agency management,” mentioned Bob Haffermann, AIA, Managing Principal of Ok Norman Berry Affiliate Architects.

Capilouto mentioned the Faculty of Design venture would be the first one on the UK campus to benefit from the asset preservation fund established by the state legislature in its lately accomplished session.

The lately adopted two-year finances for the state of Kentucky created an asset preservation pool with greater than $154 million of state bonds — that might be matched partially by UK — to resume historic tutorial amenities in our campus core.

About Grey

Grey, Inc. is the guiding firm for 12 separate Grey working firms. These 12 Grey firms have a strategic presence in choose places in North America and Europe individually or collectively offering engineering, design, and building, together with digital, tools manufacturing, and actual property providers. Persistently ranked as a frontrunner within the trade, Grey focuses on the next markets for home and worldwide prospects: Food & Beverage, Manufacturing, Automotive, Distribution, Mission Critical and Commercial. Based in 1960, Grey’s strong providing allows us to create one-of-a-kind options on the highest ranges of customization, delivering unmatched precision and partnership to a number of the world’s most subtle organizations. For extra data on Grey, go to gray.com and observe us @Gray.