{"id":24745,"date":"2020-09-09T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/?p=24745"},"modified":"2026-05-04T20:53:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T00:53:34","slug":"johnston-design-build","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/2020\/09\/09\/johnston-design-build\/","title":{"rendered":"The Henry W. and Lorene R. Johnston Design + Build Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This story originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Designlife Magazine<\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n

A Foundation on Wheels<\/h2>\n\n\n

Some may imagine architecture students as a roomful of students drafting high-concept designs on oversized sketchbooks. Maybe a few diligent hands in a basement, gluing together toothpicks in the shape of a building.<\/p>\n\n\n

Now, thanks to the Henry W. and Lorene R. Johnston Design + Build program, we picture architecture students as a team armed with welding torches, rotary saws and hard hats. In this new vision, architecture students are building a museum for America\u2019s first town chartered by freed slaves \u2013 and they\u2019re building it on wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n

The Princeville, N.C. Heritage Museum has long been a bastion of insight, history and culture. However, due to catastrophic damage sustained during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, it was forced to close its doors. Due to the region\u2019s history of frequent flooding, mixed with stunted economic growth, bringing the Princeville museum back to life required a unique solution. The museum needed a solution which showcased the town\u2019s heritage in a visually dynamic way, maintained affordability and provided immunity from future extreme weather events.<\/p>\n\n\n

A mobile museum was born.<\/p>\n\n\n

Unconventionally Consistent<\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"
The Design + Build Team (From Left to Right): Randy Lanou, Ellen Cassilly and Erik Mehlman, with Henry W. Johnston. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

While there are other Design + Build programs across the country, there\u2019s one thing that makes the Henry W. and Lorene R. Johnston Design + Build stand alone: each project, from conceptualization to completion, takes place over the span of 11 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n

According to Design + Build founder and instructor, Randy Lanou, each project within the program has to accomplish two goals: first, the project must fulfill a public need. Second, the students must experience the complete design loop \u2013 where students experience the direct consequences of their design decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n

Throughout the program, students are required to wear many hats \u2013 they work with clients to design, engineer, construct and review. It\u2019s not uncommon to see students cover construction detail, call manufacturers, organize other students and take ownership of the process. Furthermore, they have an opportunity to learn new technical skills and build emotional connections with their work simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the main reasons I still do this,\u201d says Lanou. \u201cThe students are proud to have a project in their portfolio that has actually been built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

The Gift of Empowerment<\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"
Lorene R. Johnston, Henry\u2019s wife of 50 years, passed away in 2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Not only are Design + Build students more knowledgeable once their project is complete, but they are empowered to become leaders, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n

When Henry Johnston first heard of the NC State College of Design\u2019s Design + Build program, he was immediately drawn back to his own time as a student at the college.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cIt took me six years to work my way through five years of college,\u201d reflects Johnston. \u201cConstruction systems today have gotten increasingly complex. It\u2019s so important for architects to understand completely the systems that we are working with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Recognizing the impact of hands-on, comprehensive learning, Henry established a one million-dollar endowment for Design + Build. In memory of his late wife and fellow designer, Lorene, the program is now officially known by both of their names: The Henry W. and Lorene R. Johnston Design + Build program.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cAll that can be done in school is giving a young person an appreciation for the problem,\u201d continues Henry. \u201cThis program exposes [students] to what they need to focus on when they practice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n

This story originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Designlife Magazine<\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n

A Foundation on Wheels<\/h2>\n\n\n

Some may imagine architecture students as a roomful of students drafting high-concept designs on oversized sketchbooks. Maybe a few diligent hands in a basement, gluing together toothpicks in the shape of a building.<\/p>\n\n\n

Now, thanks to the Henry W. and Lorene R. Johnston Design + Build program, we picture architecture students as a team armed with welding torches, rotary saws and hard hats. In this new vision, architecture students are building a museum for America\u2019s first town chartered by freed slaves \u2013 and they\u2019re building it on wheels.<\/p>\n\n\n

The Princeville, N.C. Heritage Museum has long been a bastion of insight, history and culture. However, due to catastrophic damage sustained during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, it was forced to close its doors. Due to the region\u2019s history of frequent flooding, mixed with stunted economic growth, bringing the Princeville museum back to life required a unique solution. The museum needed a solution which showcased the town\u2019s heritage in a visually dynamic way, maintained affordability and provided immunity from future extreme weather events.<\/p>\n\n\n

A mobile museum was born.<\/p>\n\n\n

Unconventionally Consistent<\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"
The Design + Build Team (From Left to Right): Randy Lanou, Ellen Cassilly and Erik Mehlman, with Henry W. Johnston. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

While there are other Design + Build programs across the country, there\u2019s one thing that makes the Henry W. and Lorene R. Johnston Design + Build stand alone: each project, from conceptualization to completion, takes place over the span of 11 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n

According to Design + Build founder and instructor, Randy Lanou, each project within the program has to accomplish two goals: first, the project must fulfill a public need. Second, the students must experience the complete design loop \u2013 where students experience the direct consequences of their design decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n

Throughout the program, students are required to wear many hats \u2013 they work with clients to design, engineer, construct and review. It\u2019s not uncommon to see students cover construction detail, call manufacturers, organize other students and take ownership of the process. Furthermore, they have an opportunity to learn new technical skills and build emotional connections with their work simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the main reasons I still do this,\u201d says Lanou. \u201cThe students are proud to have a project in their portfolio that has actually been built.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

The Gift of Empowerment<\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"
Lorene R. Johnston, Henry\u2019s wife of 50 years, passed away in 2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Not only are Design + Build students more knowledgeable once their project is complete, but they are empowered to become leaders, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n

When Henry Johnston first heard of the NC State College of Design\u2019s Design + Build program, he was immediately drawn back to his own time as a student at the college.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cIt took me six years to work my way through five years of college,\u201d reflects Johnston. \u201cConstruction systems today have gotten increasingly complex. It\u2019s so important for architects to understand completely the systems that we are working with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Recognizing the impact of hands-on, comprehensive learning, Henry established a one million-dollar endowment for Design + Build. In memory of his late wife and fellow designer, Lorene, the program is now officially known by both of their names: The Henry W. and Lorene R. Johnston Design + Build program.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cAll that can be done in school is giving a young person an appreciation for the problem,\u201d continues Henry. \u201cThis program exposes [students] to what they need to focus on when they practice.\u201d<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story originally appeared in the Spring 2020 issue of Designlife Magazine.  A Foundation on Wheels Some may imagine architecture students as a roomful of students drafting high-concept designs on oversized sketchbooks. Maybe a few diligent hands in a basement, gluing together toothpicks in the shape of a building. Now, thanks to the Henry W. and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":24749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"caption\":\"\",\"displayCategoryID\":67,\"subtitle\":\"A Crash Course in Impact, Resilience and Hope\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,7,10],"tags":[34,18],"class_list":["post-24745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving","category-newswire","category-student-experience","tag-_from-newswire-collection-277","tag-design-build"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24745"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28275,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24745\/revisions\/28275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}