​

 

July 1st, 2015 marked the official start of the School of Design at South Dakota State University. The school is composed by the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, and Visual Arts. 

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, SDSU's School of Design, a long standing example of multidisciplinary collaboration and a leader in shaping the state's design culture has decided to build a centenary tower. 

The centenary tower is intended to house all the design disciplines inside the tallest, most flexible building in South Dakota. No letters or signs will adorn any of its faces, it will be an unmistakably blank volume. The easiest building to find on campus. 

The centenary tower will have no architect. The nuances of day long color markers and trace paper filled design charrettes will be used to develop all aspects of the ideation and execution of the tower. This will be the most significant act of collaboration South Dakota has seen since the land distribution acts west of the Missouri River at the turn of the 20th century. 

The centenary tower will not require the construction of any physical models. The building will be  the only model. 

The centenary tower will occupy the former footprint of grove hall and remain unoccupied until the second centenary celebration in 2215. These plans are all contingent upon the accreditation procedures of each department and program in the school of design. 

The centenary tower will be an explicit act of long range academic planning.