University of Tennessee, Knoxville Honored With Awards for Beautification Efforts

KNOXVILLE, TN – The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) has been honored for its efforts to beautify campus by the 2019 Orchid Awards, a Keep Knoxville Beautiful program that celebrates Knoxville and Knox County’s most attractive properties.

Awards were presented in seven categories. The Ken and Blaire Mossman Building won in the new architecture category, while UT Gardens received the Mary Lou Horner Beautification Award.

Named for the late Ken and Blaire Mossman, the 221,000-square-foot, six-floor Mossman Building opened in September 2018. The building houses microbiology, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, psychology, and nutrition. It features interactive classrooms, gathering spaces and study areas throughout the building, and a checkerboard theme on the exterior. The building’s collegiate Gothic style links it thematically with other new campus buildings.

Recognized in 2013 as the official botanical gardens of Tennessee, the UT Gardens function as an outdoor laboratory to evaluate the performance and landscape use of every type of plant, from trees and shrubs to annuals and perennials to ornamental grasses and aquatic plants. The gardens are a part of the UT Institute of Agriculture.

The Orchid Awards have been held annually since 1979.

Featured

  • Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Agricultural Sciences Complex has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Starts Construction on Healthcare Education Hub

    California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., recently announced that work has begun on a renovation project that will turn the Stewart Building into a new Healthcare Education Hub, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction Inc. for construction services.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.