WMU interior designers bring home national honors

Contact: Deanne Puca
Photo of the .

Zhang Legacy Collections Center

KALAMAZOO—Western Michigan University took home four awards, including first place for the University's new Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center, from a national interior design competition for higher education facilities.

WMU interior designers Sheri Harper and Julie Lenczycki were honored for their work out of a total of 13 awards given at the Association of University Interior Designers conference held this year at the University of Texas-Austin.

About 40 people from universities from across the country competed in this year's conference with winners selected by a panel of judges from the Austin-area architects and design firms.

Photo of Sheri .

Harper

Sheri Harper

Harper, AUID board publicist, won three third place awards for remodel under $50,000 of the Seibert Administration Building women's third floor restroom, remodel between $50,000 and $150,000 of the Bill Brown Team Meeting Room in the lower level of the Bill Brown Football Alumni Center and remodel over $150,000 of the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Advising Office. 

Photo of Julie .

Lenczycki

Julie Lenczycki

Lenczycki, a past president of the Association of University Interior Designers and a current member of the organization's board, won first place for new construction for the Zhang Legacy Collections Center. Besides the design honor, she also claimed the "Seriously" award, a fun award that shows something on campus that was done without design input that is funny.