University of Georgia students are vital to the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s partnership with military installations, providing fresh takes on existing infrastructure that will help guide future use.

This past spring, 15 interior design students in the UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art were tasked with reimagining a historic gas station at Fort Benning into a workspace for architects and an archaeology lab. Students also designed an exhibition space for artifacts discovered on the installation.  

The experiential learning opportunity complemented class instruction, said Catherine Trugman, UGA interior design faculty.  In addition to classroom instruction, students took a field trip to Fort Benning and had regular check-ins with installation leaders.

“The core part of professional practice is knowing how to communicate with clients, conduct research, review case studies and present them, and seek feedback. That’s not something students often get in a usual academic setting,” she said.

Carson Willcox, a third-year interior design major, appreciated the real-life training.

“I didn’t know we’d be doing anything like this in my four years here, and once we got to do it, it added so much to the semester. I think it made us more excited about the project because we felt like we were doing the work that we’re studying for,” she said.

The collaboration came about from the institute’s Defense Community Resilience Program, which connects military communities with UGA knowledge and experience in community engagement, governmental policy, infrastructure planning, economic development and natural resource management.

“It’s always great when we can engage students in what we do; they bring inspiration that will help inform leadership,” said Daniel Wyatt, military community liaison with the Institute of Government.  

Fort Benning, founded in 1918, manages more than a thousand historic properties—from living quarters and training grounds to a hospital and fire station. Many, including the former gas station, are part of the Main Post Historic District and protected by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.  

The structures are a physical reminder of the past, connecting new soldiers with those who came before, said Michael Ecks, cultural resources manager and coordinator for Native American Affairs with the installation’s Directorate of Public Works.

“These buildings have seen countless training classes pass through their halls, numerous military innovations developed in their offices, and like the U.S. Army, they’ve stood the test of time,” he said.

The State Historic Preservation Office has recommended that the gas station be preserved, which made for a multifaceted project, according to Trugman.

“We incorporated the LEED standards to make the designs environmentally sustainable and to lower energy costs, knowing that this structure isn’t likely going to be remodeled every 10 years,” she said.

Green building requirements created additional challenges and learning opportunities for students.

“It was interesting to have to take that extra step and think about those protocols and what impact our selections would have,” Willcox explained. “Normally, we just pick what we think looks good, but we had to think about what was going to work for them and also help the building be energy efficient and user-friendly.”

Ecks said the UGA student work provides Fort Benning leadership with creative options they otherwise would not have because of resources and time.

“The detailed planning work from the student teams allows us to pick and choose from their designs. It will help us develop a renovation strategy that keeps the building’s historic details and incorporates ideas that will make the building both better-suited for its use and a more attractive, pleasant building to work in,” he said.

Willcox said the experience stretched her knowledge and skills, not to mention her portfolio.

“Redoing a gas station on a military base is so different from a hotel or something like that. It was really cool,” she said.