Former students’ designs selected for new online AIA exhibition

Two projects designed by an outstanding alumnus of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture are featured in “Design for Decades,” an American Institute of Architects’ online exhibition showcasing top-flight architectural work.

The two designs, the Sixth Floor Museum Store and Café in Dallas and the Panola College Library, are by David Zatopek, who earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree in 1985 and is now vice president of Corgan Associates.

The featured projects highlight what AIA members felt were the best examples of design excellence from around the world.

Zatopek’s design for the gift shop, included in the exhibit’s civic buildings category, effectively establishes a fresh look for the museum’s branded image, said the website; the museum, located in the former Texas School Book Depository, chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy.

“The design aims to work with the existing building — a turn of the century warehouse building — in a 'ship-in-a-bottle' strategy that touches the shell lightly with a clean lined and modern design that clearly differentiates new from existing,” said the website.

Former student Isabel Mandujano, an architect at Corgan, assisted with the project by serving as a collaborative leader between the museum’s staff, retail and branding consultants and its construction manager. She also assisted in the development of schematic design solutions, construction documentation and administration to bring it to fruition. She earned a Master of Architecture degree from Texas A&M in 2004.

“Isabel also coordinated the application and approval process of the store’s exterior sign through the city of Dallas Landmark Commission in the very sensitive historic context of Dealey Plaza,” said Zatopek.

His design for the renovation and addition to the existing Panola College Library is in the exhibit’s educational facilities section.

“The project successfully stitched the new with the old to become one building that can only belong to this specific campus, creating pedestrian/visual connections as well as contextual empathy that stimulates and improves Panola College’s campus,” wrote the jury. The design also had to be flexible enough, the website said, to allow continuous operation of the library during construction.

Selso Garcia, who photographed both projects for the Design for Decades exhibit, is a staff photographer at Corgan. He earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from Texas A&M in 2001.

To view photos of Zatopek’s designs and other structures the AIA chose for the visit: