March 28, 2025
Brick Industry Celebrates Upcoming College of Architecture Course
Building deconstruction and material reclamation and reuse are at the heart of College of Architecture Assistant Professor Dillon Pranger’s award-winning course that will be coming to S. R. Crown Hall in 2026.
The inaugural Brick in Architectural Education Prize was awarded to Pranger’s course titled “When the Walls Come Tumblin’ Down: Masonry Material Recovery Strategies for the Circular Economy.” The prize is awarded to innovative courses that create a stimulating environment for learning about brick and provides students with the knowledge and design skills to achieve sustainable design goals in a range of project types. The award is presented by the Brick Industry Association and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
“This course thoughtfully explores brick reclamation and its application in sustainable design,” the jurors stated. “As the industry increasingly embraces reclaimed materials, this work stands out as a strong contender, demonstrating both innovation and environmental responsibility.”
Pranger’s course proves that companies in the field are interested in brick reclamation and reuse. “There’s an interest from both industry professionals and students regarding issues of sustainable building practices that include material reuse and building deconstruction,” he says.
The course is just one way that Pranger is injecting sustainability into the education that students receive. The College of Architecture is building a curriculum that is focused on the future of the built environment. A studio on sustainable housing created by Assistant Professor Ryan Roark and Associate Teaching Professor Michael Glynn also recently received the Housing Design Education Award by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
“This is the great part,” says Pranger. “We are at the forefront of the evolution in architectural education.”
Adds College of Architecture Dean Reed Kroloff, “The back-to-back awards for Professor Pranger and Professors Roark and Glynn are just more proof that we have the best teachers and the best curricula in the nation. And you don’t have to take our word for it.”