September 01, 2026

NC State Design Students Bring Global Perspective Home from Kenya Studio

Over Spring Break 2026, a group of NC State University College of Design students traded studio desks for muddy shoes and boat rides, spending March 12–22 immersed in community life on Maya Island in Kilifi County, Kenya. The trip was a part of Studio Kenya: Visioning Spatial Future of Maya Community, a new interdisciplinary Spring 2026 studio in partnership with Pwani University.

Meg Calkins, details and materials for resilient sites

August 28, 2026

COTE Book Talk and Review with Meg Calkins

Shawn Swisher reviews Professor Meg Calkin’s latest book, Details and Materials for Resilient Sites, which explores the connections between the carbon cycle and the built environment.

group photo of design and build students in final structure

August 14, 2026

More Than a Studio: 15 Years of Teaching Students the Design, Make, Design Loop

After more than 15 years of teaching the design, make, design loop where students experience the direct (and sometimes brutal) consequences of their design decisions, instructors Randy Lanou and Erik Mehlman are stepping back from the program they helped found. Now, a new generation of instructors will lead students in this experiential summer program.

August 14, 2026

The 2026 Designlife Magazine

The 2026 issue of the annual Designlife Magazine is here! Read about what our students, faculty and alumni have been up to over the past year.

August 05, 2026

Playing is Learning: Making the Case for Going Outside

The Natural Learning Initiative celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. See how it uses landscape architecture to promote child development and health outcomes.

Ted Givens talks with students about his process.

July 30, 2026

Ted Givens and Discovering Tomorrow’s Hidden Season

Architecture alum Ted Givens’s career has been defined by movement, not a fixed path — a curiosity first sparked as a second grader wandering NC State’s design studios, now carrying him between Asheville and projects across the Caribbean, Asia, and the Middle East. Guided by instinct over convention, he’s turned down stable opportunities and relocated his family overseas to learn firsthand in unfamiliar environments.

For spring 2026, Design Council revived the Beaux Arts Ball, an evening celebrating the art and atmosphere of Monet. Students were able to enjoy music, dancing and outdoor activities, including a painting station.

July 28, 2026

Rebuilding a Student Legacy: Design Council’s Momentous Push

Design Council is rebuilding from the ground up, after a slowdown in the 2010s and near-extinction during the pandemic. Now, Pearson Foster and his team are writing the next chapter for the student organization.

Two people standing side by side next to a multipanel outdoor trellis made of bright white plastic.

July 24, 2026

Installation Bridges Playful, Eye-Catching Art With Agricultural Sciences

You’ve heard of the butterfly effect, the idea that a seemingly small event like a butterfly flapping its wings can have large consequences thousands of miles away. NC State designers hope the installation they call The Butterfly Effect have its own rippling influence.

Lindsay Dotson cuts wood from a felled tree at the College of Design for her studio project.

July 21, 2026

Designing with Sustainability: Old Tree Gets New Life in Urban Wood Course

When a dying oak tree in the Brooks Hall courtyard had to be taken down, Audrey Barnes ’03 decided to give it new life. In spring 2026, the tree was ready to begin its next chapter.

opening screen with text that reads "re:"

July 21, 2026

Re:purposed Explores the Future of Industrial Design

A new documentary, re:purposed — the evolution of industrial design, explores how the field is moving beyond mass production toward collaboration, empathy, systems thinking and sustainability. Co-produced by NC State College of Design department head Audrey Barnes and filmmaker John Trice, the film brings together designers, educators and industry leaders to examine the profession’s past, present and future.

Mac Dameron used her funding to purchase an iPad, an essential tool for bringing her animations to life.

July 14, 2026

Investing in Future Designers

Through essential funding and a community of mentors and peers, the Design Pathways Program supports design students in need of financial aid, empowering them to achieve their academic goals.

Chancellor Howell and Dean Hoversten in front of LED wall in virtual production lab

July 09, 2026

A Decade of Vision: Ten Years of Transformative Leadership

Over the past decade, Dean Hoversten has led the NC State College of Design through a period of growth, expanded impact and deepened community.

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More Stories from the College of Design

NC State Design Students Bring Global Perspective Home from Kenya Studio

COTE Book Talk and Review with Meg Calkins