A design-build project led by faculty in the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture has been recognized with a 2026 Design-Build Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), a national organization representing accredited architecture programs across the United States and Canada.
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce the inaugural recipients of the 2025 Graduate Student Research Enhancement (GSRE) Award, a new program designed to support graduate-led research with strong potential to advance scholarship across the design and construction disciplines.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce that the University of Oklahoma Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships has awarded $30,052 through the Strategic Equipment Investment Program (SEIP) to support the launch of the Mobile Urban Design Unit (MUDU). This new resource will allow OU teams to bring high-quality tools for research and community engagement directly into towns and neighborhoods across Oklahoma.
On November 19, 2025, Gibbs College of Architecture hosted a panel focused on how artificial intelligence can be integrated into the University of Oklahoma’s (OU) and College’s policies and practices, as well as its teaching and research efforts.
Associate professor of Architecture Tamar Zinguer recently contributed to a dynamic, multidisciplinary conversation as part of the University of Oklahoma Arts & Humanities Forum’s 2025–26 theme year, “Dirt.” The event—“What Dirt Is Not: Thinking with Loess, Sand, Shell, and Dust”—brought together scholars from across the OU and beyond to examine how different kinds of earth and sediment shape environments, histories, and cultural narratives.
Gibbs College Architecture professor and director of the Center for Middle Eastern Architecture and Culture, Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi, is publishing a new book, Medieval Courtyard Design Converging Urban Morphologies from Europe to the Middle East. It will be released by Routledge on December 30, 2025.
The Community Catalyst team partnered with Sisu Youth Services Inc. to provide architectural services to support them in their goal of ending homelessness in the Oklahoma City area. The GDAA team undertook a winding process of learning how to support the design needs of this non-profit.
The Lemon Family Distinguished Speaker Series in Community and Real Estate Development launched this fall with its inaugural lecture delivered by Jared Della Valle, CEO and Co-Founder of Alloy Development.
Gibbs College of Architecture proudly congratulates Dr. Shakil Ahmad Shimul, assistant professor of Architecture, whose collaborative research with Dr. Wei Li, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Texas Tech University, has led to a newly issued U.S. Patent (No. 12,435,903 B2) titled “Electroactive Polymer Valve,” and issued October 7, 2025.
Fifth year architecture student, Benjamin Jawad, won an AIA Dallas Student Design award for his project 8209 Park Lane. The project was developed in the Design 7 course under the direction of Amy Leveno. The competition allowed entries from current architecture students from Texas and Oklahoma, both from the undergraduate and graduate level.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Bob and Sherry Faust are part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Donald MacDonald is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support.
Telesis is the student-led journal at the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture. The Telesis team is considering the theme of “DESIGN_LESS” in its forthcoming issue (Vol. VIII). We invite you to contribute your work–design proposals, essays, stories, poetry, art, or other media–to this exciting publication until November 14, 2025. Contributors may be students, faculty, professionals, or community members from inside and outside the University of Oklahoma.
20 students in the Gibbs College of Architecture’s American School Design+Build (ASDB) program, including 13 architecture students, 6 construction science students and 1 environmental design student, are partnering this semester with WildCare Oklahoma, and together they have been named one of five North American finalists for the Land Rover Defender Service Awards. The honor carries the opportunity for a $30,000 grant, with funding supported by Chase and other high-profile sponsors, including Disney. Public voting is now open through October 19, 2025, to determine the winner of the Animal, Wildlife & Marine Welfare Award.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture has earned national recognition with its student-produced journal Telesis, which has been awarded the 2025 Douglas Haskell Award for Student Journals by the Center for Architecture in New York City.
Please join us in congratulating the 2025 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. Recipients were honored by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting and will be recognized during the college awards banquet in October. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Giannina Mehdi, a recent graduate of the program, shares in this Q&A how the program further shaped her understanding of sustainability, what it was like to learn online, and how she is applying what she learned in her career today.
The LA Times highlights the exhibit “Do Not Try to Remember: The American School of Architecture in the Bay Area” at the American Institute of Architects San Francisco’s Center for Architecture + Design. The exhibit was co-curated by OU Architecture Professor Angela Person.
University of Oklahoma alumnus William “Bill” Earl Murphy was an accomplished architect and designer who helped introduce the visionary spirit of Oklahoma’s American School to New York and whose inventive work was frequently featured in The New York Times.
Telesis, a journal produced by students and faculty in the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, has earned first-place with the 2025 Douglas Haskell Award for Student Journals for its sixth volume, “The Essence.”
The City of Shawnee, in collaboration with Pottawatomie Go, and the University of Oklahoma (OU), has been awarded a $172,264 planning grant for the 2024-25 period. This grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, will be used to develop a comprehensive Safe Streets Action Plan aimed at enhancing the safety and infrastructure of Shawnee’s streets.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the Division of Architecture student winners of the 2025 Shaw Prize, TAP Prize, and MA+ scholarship.
Mickey Muennig (1935–2021) was an American architect celebrated for his organic, site-sensitive buildings that have helped define the built character of Big Sur, California. On June 1, 2025, a group representing the University of Oklahoma’s Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture joined designers, builders, photographers, and curators on an in-depth tour of Mickey Muennig’s work in Big Sur.
Dr. Francesco Cianfarani, assistant professor of architecture at the OU Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, is part of the 2025 cohort for the Academy for Public Scholarship on the Built Environment.
Three students from the OU Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture celebrated the opening of a pavilion they designed in collaboration with Sisu Youth Services.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture dean Hans E. Butzer addresses graduates during the Spring 2025 commencement ceremony.
Architecture alumnus Gary Armbruster, AIA, has recently been honored with three prestigious awards recognizing his outstanding contributions to the field of architecture and educational planning.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the release of Telesis “Unfold,” the dynamic seventh volume of its award-winning student journal. Fully led, curated, and created by students, this seventh volume embraces the theme of unfolding, encouraging deep reflection, process-driven exploration, and storytelling from the margins.
Under the guidance of Tamar Zinguer, an associate professor in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, and in collaboration with the nonprofit NewView Oklahoma, 17 students in the Architecture in Play course designed and fabricated construction toys that focused on tactile and haptic elements instead of the traditional visual elements.
Sherry Faust has committed $100,000 in matching funds to The American School of Architecture Strategic Priorities Fund, meaning every gift of $1,000 or more will be matched dollar for dollar—doubling the value of each contribution. The fund has supported guest lectures, exhibitions, publications, and archival acquisitions that enrich the American School Archive at OU.
Dr. Stephanie Z. Pilat will become the next dean of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati (UC) beginning July 1.
For principal architects and partners Gary Armbruster and Heath Tate, giving back to the University of Oklahoma’s Gibbs College of Architecture isn’t just a professional obligation; it’s personal. Both proud OU alumni, Gary and Heath credit much of their success to the connections, mentorships, and lessons learned during their time at the University. Today, that Sooner spirit lives on through MA+’s active partnership with Gibbs College — from advisory board membership, to supporting scholarships and student internships to hands-on mentorship that helps bridge the critical gap between education and professional practice.
Two students from the Gibbs College of Architecture, Cole Burris and Leandra LeForce, were recently named Mr. and Miss Indigenous OU. The titles were awarded as part of the annual Mr. and Miss Indigenous OU competition, a campus-wide event that celebrates Native culture, identity, and leadership.
A team of graduate students from the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture claimed a significant victory April 27, earning top honors in the Multi-Family Housing Division of the international BuildingNEXT competition, held at the U.S. Department of Energy’s laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
A group of 21 undergraduate Architecture students from the Gibbs College of Architecture recently embarked on a weeklong field trip to New York City. Accompanied by Professors Amber Brown, Paolo Sanza, and Francesco Cianfarani, the students immersed themselves in the vibrant architectural culture of Manhattan and Brooklyn, visiting landmark sites and award-winning design firms.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate architecture student Sean Kueny, who has been named the 2025 Outstanding Senior in the Humanities for the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma.
On April 18, 2025, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture hosted its annual Graduate Student Showcase, a celebration of research, design innovation, and creative exploration across all graduate programs within the College. The event transformed Gould Hall into a vibrant exhibition of ideas where students shared their work with faculty, peers, and the broader community.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to share that Dr. Angela Person, Associate Professor of Architecture and Associate Dean for Research and External Engagement, has been named President’s Associates Second Century Presidential Professor.
OFFICIAL, the design practice founded by Assistant Professor of Architecture Amy Leveno and her partner Mark Leveno, has been recognized with an AIA Oklahoma Design Award for their Riverhills Residence project.
An unprecedented coalition of Oklahoma’s academic institutions, Tribal Nations, industry leaders, nonprofits, and government agencies has officially submitted a full proposal to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines Program. Titled WxFORGE — Forging New Frontiers in Extreme Weather Resilience and Innovation, the effort aims to position Oklahoma as a national leader in resilient infrastructure technologies, workforce development, and weather-adaptive innovations.
In an interview with Dezeen, associate professor of architecture Angela Person discusses her new exhibit "Capital Brutalism" at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
In an interview with the Urban Land Institute, Gibbs College dean Hans E. Butzer reflects on his experience designing Oklahoma City National Memorial and its impact 30 years later.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture hosted a special panel discussion with Dean Hans Butzer and Torrey Butzer, the principal designers of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. Butzer, FAIA, reflects on his experience as co-designer of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, recounting what it meant to him and his wife and design partner, Torrey Butzer, to be chosen to design the Memorial, the personal and cultural influences that shaped his approach, and the importance of visitor experiences in the design process.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. Butzer, FAIA, reflects on his experience as co-designer of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, recounting what it meant to him and his wife and design partner, Torrey Butzer, to be chosen to design the Memorial, the personal and cultural influences that shaped his approach, and the importance of visitor experiences in the design process.
OU Architecture lecturer René Peralta is featured in the University of Houston’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture exhibition "Is Housing Still Housing?" through his firm Generica Architecture, along with firm co-director Monica Fragoso, OU Architecture instructor Andrew Stone, and 3rd-year architecture student Ty Brown-Field.
The exhibition "Weaving the Storm" showcases first-year architecture students’ exploration of extreme weather systems through drawing and basket-weaving, translating atmospheric forces into spatial forms.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Kiara Gilmore, Associate Architect and Director of Emerging Professionals at Modus Studio, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for 2025. As Goff Chair, Gilmore is invited to give a public lecture this semester, open to all Gibbs students, faculty, and staff.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Jack DeBartolo III, FAIA, principal and design leader of DeBartolo Architects, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for 2025. As Goff Chair, DeBartolo is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming semester, open to all Gibbs students, faculty, and staff.
This spring, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to present Creating Waves: The Architecture of James H. Fox, an exhibition that brings to light the rich legacy of an architect who believed deeply in the expressive power of structure, place, and personal connection.
Please join the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture in celebrating our four Outstanding Seniors in the Class of 2025, one from each of Gibbs College’s undergraduate programs.
Dr. Lee Fithian, Associate Professor of Architecture and Director of OU Online MS in Sustainable Architecture at the University of Oklahoma’s College of Architecture, recently contributed to the new book Teaching Carbon Neutral Design in North America: Twenty Award-Winning Architectural Design Studio Methodologies, edited by Robin Puttock and published by Routledge.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture associate professor, Dr. Andrés Cavieres received a 2-year $497,750 grant from the Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) for the development of innovative solutions to streamline the deployment of ground mount photovoltaic systems, with a special focus in the area of Agrivoltaics.
This semester, a graduate architecture design studio led by Prof. Amy Leveno, AIA, took an educational trip to Houston, focusing on architectural spaces designed for art and art creation. The trip provided the graduate students with an invaluable opportunity to see firsthand some of the most innovative architectural projects and firms in action.
A message from Dr. Amber N. Wiley, director of the OU Institute for Quality Communities.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Nathalie Miebach, an acclaimed sculptor known for her interdisciplinary approach to art and science, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for 2025. As Goff Chair, Miebach is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming semester, open to all Gibbs students, faculty, and staff.
Ali Ames, an alumna of the University of Oklahoma’s Architecture program, recently had a project featured in House Beautiful, including on the magazine’s cover. The project is a breathtaking residence in Westlake, Texas. Ames, class of 2012, designed the exterior of the 17,200-square-foot home and collaborated on the interiors with designer Janelle Patton.
The 2025 Charles W. Graham Travel Study Gala was a record-breaking success, with over $75,000 raised. The proceeds from this event directly benefit students who are eager to travel and gain hands-on learning experiences.
The Goff Lecture Committee invites you to a lecture by Simon Allford of Allford Hall Monagham Morris. Simon Allford is a founding director of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM). He leads a studio of two hundred architects working around the world on the design and construction of projects. These projects reflect his belief that outstanding architecture accommodates different uses to those that called it into being by offering an extraordinary and delightful backdrop to the theatre of everyday life.
Christopher Loofs, OU’s Robert L. Wesley Teaching Fellow, recently won the 2025 Warming Huts: Art + Architecture Competition in Winnipeg, Canada with his practice Unearthed Practice.
David Boeck recently exhibited his sketches in an exhibition titled “UKRAINIAN CHURCHES: Standing Tall in the Struggle.” The exhibition was held at the Shevchenko Museum in Toronto from February 9, 2025, to February 28, 2025. Boeck, who retired from Gibbs College in 2024, is known for his vibrant and dynamic sketches, particularly of international sites.
The Center for Architecture + Design in San Francisco hosted an opening reception for the “Do Not Try to Remember” exhibition. Organized by the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture, the exhibition explores the groundbreaking work of renegade architects who helped shape Bay Area design in the mid-20th century.
Future Projects, a firm founded by OU architecture alumni Julie Tran and Khoi Nguyen, has been named to The Architect’s Newspaper "Twenty to Watch," a list assembled by the newspaper’s editors to recognize rising residential architecture design talent.
In the mid-20th century, a group of renegade architects broke all the rules, shaping a uniquely American vision of design. Now, their work comes to life in Do Not Try to Remember: The American School of Architecture in the Bay Area, an archival exhibition opening February 20, 2025, at San Francisco’s Center for Architecture + Design.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce this spring’s Goff Lecture Series. This lecture series was made possible with support from the Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture.
Lee Fithian, Ph.D., AIA, an associate professor of architecture at Gibbs College, has been appointed to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Building Performance Committee.
Gibbs College invites its all students to showcase their creative flair in the 2025 Cocktail Napkin Sketch Contest. Presented by the Gibbs College Board of Visitors, this fun and inspiring competition challenges participants to transform the humble 5”x5” white cocktail napkin into a canvas for innovative design.
Michael Mann, a distinguished architect and Consulting Principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in Los Angeles, is an alumnus of the University of Oklahoma’s Gibbs College of Architecture. Over his career, he has led the design and execution of more than 55 million square feet of world-class projects, earning numerous industry awards and international recognition.
Dr. Suchi Bhattacharjee, Dr. Chie Noyori-Corbett, and Ph.D. candidate Salma Akter have collaborated on a chapter titled “Sheltering Hope: Navigating the Nexus of Refugee Housing Conditions and Well-Being”, featured in the book “Migration and Forced Displacement.”
Salma Akter Surma, a Ph.D. candidate at Gibbs College has co-authored a study published in the Journal of Urban Management. The research investigates the experiences of women in urban informal settlements of Khulna, Bangladesh, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on how housing infrastructure influenced caregiving responsibilities.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture faculty in partnership with OU Gallogly College of Engineering and the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) have developed the Oklahoma Housing Needs Assessment. The project was supported by a $925,487 grant from the OHFA to create a comprehensive tool and accompanying report to plan for and address housing needs across Oklahoma.
Bennie ‘Ben’ Leon Graves, an OU architecture alumn, peacefully passed away at his home in Norman, OK on November 11th, 2024, at the age of 79. As an architect, he designed cherished spaces across Norman and Oklahoma City, with a focus on the design and development of private residences, public education projects, and commercial developments.
Last month, Gibbs architecture students represented OU’s chapter of NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architect Students) at the 2024 National Organization of Minority Architects Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. While attending the conference, OU’s NOMAS group was invited to the White House, an opportunity provided by their parent organization, the National NOMA Organization. OU was one of the few universities nationwide whose students had the chance to visit the White House.
Telesis, the student-led journal at the University of Oklahoma’s Gibbs College of Architecture, proudly announces the release of its sixth volume, “The Essence”. This edition embarks on a profound journey to rediscover what lies at the core of our work as designers and creators, a return to fundamentals in an era often characterized by superficiality and digital distractions.
A design produced by Ocra-Projects, founded by architecture professor Andrew Stone, has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce ahead of the Route 66 Centennial. Located in Hydro, Oklahoma, the project celebrates the Mother Road’s milestone by transforming a repurposed bridge into an interactive, land-based monument that offers a unique experiential journey along the historic highway.
The 2024 Gibbs College of Architecture Celebration Banquet brought together students, faculty, alumni, and donors to celebrate scholarship awards and induct three distinguished alumni into the Gibbs College Hall of Fame. Held at the Sam Noble Museum, the event recognized the achievements and commitment of the Gibbs College community.
Unearthed Practice, a design studio founded by Robert L. Wesley Teaching Fellow Christopher Loofs and designer Jordan Loofs, has won 2nd place in the prestigious Tree House 2024 Design Competition organized by Volume Zero. Their project, “Forest Spirit,” was selected for its innovative approach to designing a tree house that meets the competition’s requirements of a compact 300-square-foot structure with multifunctional spaces for living, working, and relaxation.
“Capital Brutalism,” an exhibition co-curated by Dr. Angela Person, associate professor and associate dean for research and external engagement at the Gibbs College, was recently reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Currently on display at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., the exhibition represents the most extensive survey of Brutalist architecture in the nation’s capital to date.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture recently hosted the Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California exhibition symposium. Held on October 18, 2024, at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, the event drew more than 100 attendees.
University of Oklahoma senior Mohamed Elgouhari has been named a finalist in the SEC Start Up competition for student-athletes in the Southeastern Conference for his personal fitness app Gametime Rehab.
Luis Felipe Flores Garzón learned more than he expected from his initial fieldwork with three Indigenous Achuar communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon last summer. Flores Garzón, a doctoral candidate in the planning, design, and construction program of the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, is studying the Jea, a traditional house for 91 Achuar communities in this rainforest setting.
Vanessa Morrison, interim director of the Institute for Quality Communities and faculty member at Gibbs College, and Deborah Richards, assistant professor of architecture, were recently featured in the design magazine “Metropolis“. In addition to their roles at Gibbs College, Morrison and Richards are co-founders of Open Design Collective, a nonprofit design firm based in Oklahoma City that works to empower Black communities through architecture, urban planning, and cultural preservation.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support.
Join Gibbs College for the “Outré West Symposium” on October 17 and architectural tours on October 18, 2024. Featuring gallery tours of the Outré West exhibition, presentations on mid-century architecture, a reception and architectural tours, these events offer an opportunity to learn more about the American School of Architecture, which was born in Oklahoma and thrived in California!
Gibbs College is excited to announce that Carey Lyon, founding Director of Lyons, and Ian McDougall, founding Director of ARM Architecture, will be featured in the Goff Lecture Series for 2024. Both distinguished architects will give a public lecture open to all Gibbs students, faculty, and staff.
On Aug. 28, students from the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture joined school and community leaders to celebrate the opening of an educational greenhouse and outdoor garden space they designed and built for the John Rex Charter School in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt joined in the ribbon-cutting celebration.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Lawrence Scarpa, principal of Brook + Scarpa, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for 2024. As Goff Chair, Scarpa is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming semester, open to all Gibbs students, faculty and staff.
University of Oklahoma senior Mohamed Elgouhari has been named a finalist in the SEC Start Up competition for student-athletes in the Southeastern Conference for his personal fitness app Gametime Rehab.
John Hurtig, alumnus of the University of Oklahoma architecture program, passed away on Sunday, August 25, 2024. Hurtig partnered with Jim Gardner and Norm Froelich to form HGF Architects. HGF created distinctive and beautiful brick buildings in the Pueblo area for decades, including the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center.
Oklahoma-city based architect John Robison, and OU alumnus, recently passed away. John was a recognized architect, who helped develop the Paseo into a thriving environment for the arts.
Gibbs College is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards. These outstanding individuals were honored by dean Hans E. Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting on August 14, 2024. Recipients were selected by the Gibbs College Awards Committee following an open nomination process.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture proudly announces the highly successful opening of the Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California exhibition. Held on August 22, 2024, at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, the event drew hundreds of attendees
OU Architecture Associate Professor Wanda Liebermann recently announced the release of her new book, Architecture’s Disability Problem. The book explores the intersection of architecture and disability in the United States from the perspective of professional practice. Liebermann investigates why, despite the huge impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the architectural profession, there has been so little interest in design for disability in mainstream architecture.
OU Architecture and Interior Design Professor Tiziana Proietti recently announced the release of her new book, “Hans van der Laan’s Instruments of Thought: Proportion, Architecture, Analogy,” co-authored with Kees den Biesen. Proietti and Den Biesen explore the work of Dutch Benedictine monk and architect Hans van der Laan (1904-1991), offering important insights into how artifacts address the complexity of human physical, cognitive, and social needs.
American School team members Angela Person and Stephanie Pilat recently had the opportunity to tour Bruce Goff’s Sam and Ruth Van Sickle Ford House in Aurora, Illinois. Completed in 1950, the Ford House is owned by Sidney K. Robinson, who graciously hosted Person and Pilat. It was first introduced to the American public in a 1951 Life magazine article entitled “The Round House,” which included six pages of color photographs.
The American School team is proud to partner with the University of Oklahoma Libraries to begin an oral history project. The project will collect and preserve stories from alumni, family, friends, and clients of the American School. Dr. Shooka Motamedi, lecturer of architecture at the University of Oklahoma, is conducting these interviews, which will be transcribed and uploaded onto the OU Libraries searchable platform in the coming months.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma is pleased to announce the exhibition “Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California,” meticulously curated by Gibbs faculty members Dr. Angela Person, Dr. Stephanie Pilat, and Marco Piscitelli. The exhibition also features significant contributions from faculty and students across the college and beyond.
Opening Aug. 22, 2024 in Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center’s Eleanor Kirkpatrick Main Gallery, Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California considers the works of a group of architects who were educated and mentored in Oklahoma in the 1950s and 1960s, and later developed groundbreaking design practices in California.
Dr. Angela Person, associate professor of Architecture at the Christopher G. Gibbs College of Architecture, and Ty Cole, an award-winning architectural photographer, have co-curated a new exhibition at the National Building Museum (NBM) in Washington, D.C., titled “Capital Brutalism.” The exhibition, which runs through February 17, 2025, is the largest-ever survey of Brutalist architecture in the U.S. capital.
The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. is full of Sooner Nation talent. Two of the museum’s main gallery spaces currently feature exhibits displaying University of Oklahoma architectural expertise.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Butko, AIA, to a four-year term as Director of the Division of Architecture, effective July 1, 2024.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma has appointed Dr. Angela Person, as the inaugural Associate Dean for Research and External Engagement, effective July 1, 2024.
On April 22, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture celebrated the annual Gibbs Design Activism Awards. The GDAA is a grant initiative that supports student-led design and research projects that engage topics of community, social and economic concerns across Oklahoma.
Deborah Richards, an assistant professor at Gibbs College and founder and co-director at Script Architecture, is featured in “Spatializing Reproductive Justice,” a traveling exhibition and programming series currently on display at the Center for Architecture in New York City. Running through September 2024, the exhibition aims to “spread awareness of the inequities of reproductive care in the United States and the agency of design fields to expand access.”
An interdisciplinary group of OU scholars led a tour of Route 66 in Oklahoma, one of eight competitively selected sites for the National Humanities Center’s first “Being Human” festival. The festival consists of events designed to "highlight the incredible breadth of the humanities and demonstrate how they add depth and meaning to our lives, help us understand ourselves and one another, and provide context for the complex world around us.”
Gibbs College faculty Vanessa Morrison and Lisa Chronister were recently featured in the Women in Preservation video series by the Oklahoma State Historic Preservation Office. The series was launched during Women’s History Month in March to recognize women’s contributions to historic preservation in the state.
During the spring 2024 semester, first-year Architecture students began working on a two-part project concerned with extreme weather events and their impact on human lives and architectural spaces. Typically, when studying a site, architects focus on factors such as topography, the slope of the terrain, different views and access routes, considering nearby bodies of water, vegetation, and orientation to the sun. However, this project encouraged students to explore other important forces: changing atmospheric conditions that surround our living spaces and impact them.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans Butzer and his partner, Torrey A. Butzer, recently received the Mayor’s Award for Distinguished Service from OKC Beautiful, recognizing the Butzers’ visionary architectural designs that have influenced many of Oklahoma City’s buildings and landmarks.
Stephanie Pilat, professor of Architecture, was recently awarded an OU Arts and Humanities Faculty Fellowship (AHFF). The AHFF provides a semester of support for faculty in the arts, humanities and interpretive social sciences. It is the most competitive and prestigious internal award offered in the arts and humanities at OU.
Professors of Architecture Stephanie Pilat and Angela Person recently presented their research on the American School of Architecture at the book launch for Histories of Architecture Education in the United States. Hosted by Joan Ockman and Fernando Lara at the University of Pennsylvania, a select group of authors featured in this book were invited to share their research.
Nominations are now open for the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame. The goal of the Gibbs Hall of Fame is to recognize a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact over time to Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe.
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Open Design Collective, a non-profit organization founded by Gibbs College Professors Vanessa Morrison and Deborah Richards, was recently awarded an Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Open Design will receive $500,000 to engage, support and strengthen community-led efforts in the historically Black John F. Kennedy Neighborhood in Northeast Oklahoma City.
Although he was born and died in North Texas (Wichita Falls and Tyler), Norm was a proud Sooner. Raised and educated in Wewoka and Norman, he became Midwest City’s first planning director, later assuming the role of planning director for Oklahoma City during the mid-1970s.
An interdisciplinary team of OU students from the Gibbs College of Architecture, Gallogly College of Engineering and Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication was recently selected as a finalist for the 2024 Solar Decathlon Competition. The team is competing in this year’s Design Challenge in the Single-Family Housing Category.
Architecture student Trey London recently participated in the 2024 Winter Shadowship program with the award-winning global design firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM). This program offers an immersive professional experience to students planning a career in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry.
Seven faculty members from the divisions of Regional and City Planning, Architecture and Interior Design were recently awarded funding through Gibbs College’s Program for Research Enhancement. These grants of up to $6,500 are available to full-time faculty members of Gibbs College to support their research and creative activities.
OFFICIAL, the Architecture firm founded by assistant professor of Architecture Amy Leveno and adjunct faculty Mark Leveno, was named to the 2023 D Home “Best Architects in Dallas” list. Each Year, D Home recognizes the top architects in the Dallas area to highlight their incredible work in the industry.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce the Spring 2024 Career and Internship Fair! The event will take place on Thursday, February 22, 2024, from 3:30 – 6 p.m. at the Thurman J. White Forum.
OU Architecture alumni Wister Wu was recently honored with the Global Human Settlements Award on Planning and Design at the annual Global Forum on Human Settlements conference in Dubai. The GFHS is a global non-profit organization that promotes sustainable cities and human settlements for all through their annual forum and other academic conferences.
OU Architecture alumni Khoi Nguyen and Julie Tran were recently awarded the Young Architects award and two Best of Design Awards from The Architect’s Newspaper. Their New York City-based design firm, Future Projects, received recognition for the projects Another Seedbed and Studio Loutsis.
Gibbs College’s annual Charles W. Graham Travel Study Gala will be held on February 23, 2024, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at VAST (333 W. Sheridan Ave, 50th Floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 – click here for parking information). It will feature a three-course meal with fine wine pairings. Individual tickets are $200. All proceeds support student travel study scholarships and opportunities.
Christopher Loofs and Jordan Loofs, faculty in the divisions of Architecture and Interior Design, were recently selected as winners of Warming Huts v.2024: An Arts + Architecture Competition on Ice, hosted by The Forks. Supported by the Manitoba Association of Architects, this annual competition combines world-class design and art with the famous winters of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In October, a group of Architecture students represented OU at the 2023 National Organization of Minority Architects Conference in Portland, Oregon. The annual NOMA conference brings together NOMA members, allies and students to engage in thought-provoking seminar sessions, connect with industry experts and celebrate member achievements.
During summer 2023, the fourth annual Grassroots Women’s Peace Conference was convened at St. Monica’s Vocational School in Gulu, Uganda. The conference was organized by OU’s Center for Peace and Development and St. Monica’s as well as 10 other grassroots women’s organizations. The conference also received support from a gift by the Gibbs College of Architecture.
Architecture faculty Stephanie Pilat and Angela Person recently published a chapter in the book, Histories of Architecture Education in the United States, edited By Peter L. Laurence (Routledge, 2023). This book is an edited collection that focuses on the professional evolution, experimental and enduring pedagogical approaches and leading institutions of American architecture education.
Professors of Architecture Tamar Zinguer and Tiziana Proietti were recently awarded with the 2023 Gibbs Research Fellowship. This fellowship provides three years of support for research and creative activity in Architecture. Applications are reviewed and ranked by three external peer reviews based on the candidate’s track record and the promise of their 5-year research plan.
An interdisciplinary team from the University of Oklahoma recently received funding from Oklahoma Humanities, a non-profit organization in Oklahoma City. The funding will support a humanities-informed design experience in preparation for the Route 66 centennial in 2026. The project, Route 66 Placemaking Communities Retreat, will explore placemaking efforts for communities along the historic Mother Road.
The International Conference of Heritage and Affect, co-organized by Angela Person (associate professor of Architecture, University of Oklahoma) and Jacque Micieli-Voutsinas (assistant professor of Museum Studies, University of Florida), will take place online in late November and early December 2023. The conference brings together dozens of leading scholars from around the world to explore the affective, visceral, and more-than-representational atmospheres of heritage landscapes.
Cory Henry, affiliate faculty member in the Division of Architecture and principal of Atelier Cory Henry in Los Angeles, was recently featured in Architect Magazine. The magazine’s October issue, “Architectures of Joy, Abundance, and Collectivity,” was designed and coedited by Dark Matter U, a democratic collective that advocates for anti-racist design education and practice.
A group of 30 undergraduate and graduate Architecture students recently traveled to Arkansas for a two-day field trip. Accompanied by Professors Amy Leveno, Amber Sarmiento and Alan Moring, the students toured an award-winning Architecture studio and visited various architectural sites in Bentonville and Fayetteville.
Brutal DC, a design exhibition curated by Angela Person, an associate professor of Architecture, and professional photographer Ty Cole, opened on Oct. 14 at the Southern Utah Museum of Art. The exhibition is comprised of archival documents, recent re-imaginings and fine art photography that consider the historical underpinnings, current state and future possibilities of key Brutalist buildings in Washington, DC.
Insert a short summary of the article here, usually a few sentences long. It can be the first few lines from the article, or you can write a short blurb that covers the main points of the news article.
Telesis is the student-led journal at the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture. Following its last volume, “Adaptive Practice” (Vol. V), the Telesis team is considering the theme of “The Essence” in its forthcoming volume (Vol. VI). We invite you to contribute your work–design proposals, essays, stories, poetry, art or other media–to this exciting publication until Monday, November 27, 2023. Contributors may be students, faculty, professionals, or community members from inside and outside the University of Oklahoma.
CJC Architects, a firm owned by OU Architecture alumni Michael Hagan and John Hall, recently celebrated its 70th anniversary. CJC is a full-service Architecture firm based out of Tulsa, OK, and is one of the oldest locally owned, continually operating firms in the region.
The University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture, in partnership with the OU School of Visual Arts, is pleased to announce that Alison Fisher and Craig Lee will give a public lecture as a part of the 2023 Goff Lecture Series. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 4:30 p.m. in Nielsen Hall, room 170.
OFFICIAL, an award-winning Architecture, interiors and furniture design studio owned by OU Architecture faculty Amy Leveno and Mark Leveno, was recently named as a Dallas Architecture Forum Design Recognition Awards Finalist. The firm received an award for their in-progress project “Granger Annex Adaptive Reuse” in the category of “Adaptive Re-Use, Preservation and Non-Residential Restoration” as a “Looking Forward” project.
A group of students from Peru recently spent the week at the Gibbs College of Architecture as part of a collaborative project between the University of Oklahoma and the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano. The project, “Inti Wasi Sustainable and Affordable Cold Climate Housing,” received funding from the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund during the spring 2023 semester.
Bruce Wilkinson, OU alumnus and major supporter of Gibbs College, recently received a Regents’ Alumni Award from the OU Board of Regents and OU Alumni Association. This award celebrates the profound way OU alumni and supporters shape the university’s vibrant future.
Marjorie Callahan, professor of Architecture, was recently invited to speak at the 2023 Annual OU Law Conference. The conference took place from Sept. 22-23 at the OU College of Law and featured a variety of keynote speakers, presentations and activities. Callahan gave the keynote address at the conference’s reception dinner and spoke about the value of Architecture in jail design.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support.
This summer, third-year Ph.D. student Felipe Flores served as an architectural associate at DLZ Corporation. DLZ is one of the leading consulting firms within the realms of architecture, engineering and surveying. It currently occupies the 139th spot on Engineering-News Record’s esteemed list of the Top 500 Design Firms in the United States. Additionally, it stands as the 11th largest firm in the Midwest, boasting a workforce of over 800 individuals spread across 29 offices.
Five full-time OU Architecture faculty were recognized at the 2023 AIA Honor Awards Celebration, held Sept. 15 at the First National Center in Oklahoma City. The AIA Oklahoma Honor Awards Program recognizes exceptional members for their distinguished leadership and commitment to the quality of life in Oklahoma.
Ronald Frantz Jr, associate professor of Architecture, was recently recognized at the 2023 AIA Honor Awards Celebration. Frantz received the AIA Oklahoma Award for Lifetime Achievement, which recognizes a lifetime of distinguished leadership and dedication in Architecture and the community. This award is AIA Oklahoma’s highest honor.
OFFICIAL, an Architecture, interiors and furniture design studio founded by Architecture Assistant Professor Amy Leveno and Adjunct Faculty Mark Leveno, was recently recognized at the 2023 AIA Honor Awards Celebration. The AIA Oklahoma Honor Awards Program recognizes exceptional members for their distinguished leadership and commitment to the quality of life in Oklahoma.
Deborah Richards, assistant professor of architecture, was recognized at the 2023 American Institute of Architecture Honor Awards Celebration, held Sept. 14 at the First National Center in Oklahoma City. The AIA Oklahoma Honor Awards Program recognizes exceptional members for their distinguished leadership and commitment to the quality of life in Oklahoma.
Daniel Butko, associate director and professor in the Division of Architecture, was recognized at the 2023 American Institute of Architects Honor Awards Celebration. The AIA Oklahoma Honor Awards Program recognizes exceptional members for their distinguished leadership and commitment to the quality of life in Oklahoma.
Butzer Architects and Urbanism, an award-winning firm led by Hans E. Butzer, dean of Gibbs College, and his partner Torrey Butzer, was recently recognized at the 2023 AIA Honor Awards Celebration. The AIA Oklahoma Honor Awards Program recognizes exceptional members for their distinguished leadership and commitment to the quality of life in Oklahoma.
René Peralta, a lecturer in the Division of Architecture, was invited to present at the 2023 AIA Oklahoma Conference. The conference will take place in Enid, Oklahoma, from Oct. 5-6 and will feature a variety of guest speakers, activities and presentations.
An interdisciplinary team of OU researchers recently won a Major Research Instrumentation award from the National Science Foundation and received a $589,262 grant. The research team includes Professors of Architecture Andres Cavieres as co-principal investigator and Dan Butko as senior personnel.
In their first ten days of school, first-year Architecture students collaborated on designing, making and flying air vessels, or kites. The students were led by Architecture faculty Tamar Zinguer, Shooka Motamedi, Dayton Clark, Jordan Loofs, Hunter Read, Ted Reeds and Chris Morrey.
An interdisciplinary team from the University of Oklahoma was recently awarded funding for their project, “Using Colormaps to Communicate Risk: An Inventory and Review of NWS Products and Visualizations with Options for the Future.” The project received a $229,836 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Angela Person, associate professor of Architecture, is co-principal investigator.
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s award-winning student journal, is releasing its fifth edition in Fall 2023. This edition, “Adaptive Practice,” called for contributions from interdisciplinary problem solvers who reject the status quo and redefine “business as usual” through their work.
Salma Akter Surma, a Ph.D. student in Planning, Design and Construction, was recently awarded the Security in Context Research Fellowship from the OU Center for Peace and Development. During her fellowship, Akter will research how trauma-informed care approaches can be applied in the planning and design process of child-friendly built environments in the refugee context.
Gibbs College is excited to announce that Gould Hall underwent several renovations during summer 2023. These building improvements were made in an effort to meet the growing needs of students, faculty and staff, as student enrollment has increased by over 300 students in the past five years.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce the Fall 2023 Career and Internship Fair! The event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, from 3-6 p.m. at the Thurman J. White Forum.
In collaboration with OU Online, the Division of Architecture is excited to announce a new Sustainable Architecture graduate program. This master’s program is 100% online and consists of 15 courses that can be completed in just 15 months.
Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. Recipients were honored by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting on Thursday, Aug. 17. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Born in Chicago, Howard graduated from Hyde Park High School before studying architecture at University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He completed his architecture degree at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, where he studied under his mentor, Bruce Alonzo Goff. Howard specialized in alternative energy architecture and was part of a school of organic architects known as the “Friends of Kebyar”.
A book edited by Stephanie Pilat, an OU Professor of Architecture, and Kay Bea Jones received praise in a recent review for the European Architectural History Network. The book, “Routledge Companion to Italian Fascist Architecture,” considers the reception and legacy of fascist architecture and urbanism in Italy. It investigates how these historic sites have been transformed and what constitutes the meaning of these buildings and cities today.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Thomas Kang is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester. Thomas Kang is a professor in the Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU) in Korea. Before that, he was a professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at OU and has held various affiliated positions at universities around the world.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that David Logan is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming school year. Logan is currently the Director of Tax & Trade Policy Analysis for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Chadwick Allen is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester, co-sponsored by OU Departments of English, Film & Media Studies, Geography and Native American Studies. Chadwick Allen serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement at the University of Washington Seattle (UW), where he is also a Professor of English and Adjunct Professor of American Indian Studies. He has published numerous books and has conducted interdisciplinary work on Indigenous earthworks – a study of cultural and political revitalization through the built environment.
Following an internal search, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture has appointed Suchismita (Suchi) Bhattacharjee as associate dean for academics and college administration, effective July 1, 2023.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Jonathan Tate is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester. Jonathan Tate is the founder and principal of OJT, an award-winning architecture firm based in New Orleans. OJT was established in 2011 as a creative, expansive, and exploratory practice with a desire to contribute to contemporary discourse.
The Gibbs College of Architecture and OU Libraries invite you to celebrate exhibitions on the American School in California. These exhibitions showcase the works of John Marsh Davis and Mickey Muennig, two architects who studied at OU under Bruce Goff and went on to have distinguished careers in California.
Twelve Gibbs students recently traveled to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona for a travel study course led by Interior Design Professor Mia Kile. Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and studio in the desert and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark.
30 high school students from across the state took part in OU Gibbs College’s recent annual design camp, led this year by interior design faculty Elizabeth Pober and Chelsea Holcomb. The camp introduces students to OU’s Interior Design and Architecture degree programs and associated professions.
OU Architecture faculty member René Peralta was a panelist for this year’s California Lawyers for the Arts symposium, INTERSECTIONS: Art and Law at the Border. With a focus on the geopolitical context of the Tijuana-San Diego region, the intention of this gathering was to highlight artists, activists, lawyers, scholars and researchers whose work navigates the intersection of art, praxis and legal issues.
The OU Carceral Studies Consortium recently announced the recipients of the Spring 2023 Community-Engaged Micro-Grants and Undergraduate Student Work Prizes. The Carceral Consortium offers two micro-grants of up to $500 to OU students, faculty and staff members to support research, mentorships and community engagement projects. Among this year’s grant recipients are Marjorie Callahan, a professor of architecture, and Kristi Saliba, an architecture student.
Gibbs College alumna Breah Page graduated from OU in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture. She now is senior project architect at LBBA in Chicago and was recently awarded the Dubin Family Young Architect Award from the American Institute of Architects. We sat down with her to learn more about her experience at Gibbs College and in the professional architecture industry.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that David J. Lewis, a principal of LTL Architects and dean of Parsons School of Constructed Environments, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for fall 2023. For his lecture, Lewis will discuss his work related to the Manual of Biogenic House Sections, which articulates how plant-based and low-carbon materials can produce a profound rethinking of section in houses.
The OU Center for Peace and Development (CPD) is now accepting applications for the fall 2023 Security in Context (SiC) Research Fellows grant. All OU graduate students are eligible to apply, and selected students will receive a scholarship of $2,500 for the upcoming fall semester.
Mark your calendars for the OU Alumni + Friends Reception at the 2023 AIA National Conference! Scheduled for Friday, June 9, 2023, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m, Dean Hans E. Butzer will host the event at the Living Room Bar located within the W San Francisco Hotel.
Jerry Merriman earned a degree in architecture from the University of Oklahoma in 1971 and founded Merriman Associates/Architects in 1987. In 33 years of running the firm, Jerry was instrumental in the shaping of downtown Dallas with more than 40 projects covering nearly every downtown neighborhood. Jerry’s success was built on his love of people, a deep sense of community and a genuine connection with his employees and their families.
Butzer Architects and Urbanism, a firm led by Hans E. Butzer, professor of architecture and dean of Gibbs College, and his partner Torrey Butzer, has been selected for the shortlist of prominent designers to be considered for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Gibbs College Dean Hans Butzer and Karen Renfroe of the OU Foundation recently sat down with architecture alumnus Raymond Harris to learn more about his successful career along with his business and mentorship activities in retirement.
Architecture Professor René Peralta was invited to be a judge for the new Archinect competition, Generative Futures: An AI + Architecture Storytelling Challenge. This competition aims to address the potential opportunities, challenges, and implications of AI on creativity, cities, and humanity.
OU Architecture Professors Khosrow Bozorgi and Keith Gåddie recently announced the release of their new book, The Philadelphia House: Organic Architecture and Placemaking in Chestnut Hill, published by Rowman & Littlefield. The official release date is July 15, 2023, from Philadelphia House, but Amazon and Barnes & Noble have already announced the pre-ordering of the book.
On April 21, Gibbs College celebrated the inaugural Gibbs Design Activism Awards (GDAA). The GDAA is a grant-initiative that supports student-led design and research projects that engage topics of community, social and economic concerns across Oklahoma.
Last fall, Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi taught the Architecture studio ARCH 4956, which focused on exploration, analysis and experimentation in the development of schematic proposals. In this studio, students designed cultural centers for the Ganjali Khan Baazar Complex in Kerman, a remote city in Iran. They were challenged with introducing a new design concept that could be easily integrated into the rich architectural traditions of the city.
OU’s Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce the appointment of three new faculty members in its Divisions of Architecture and Interior Design in the Fall 2023 term. Gibbs College is grateful to the many search committee members and others around campus who made this process a success.
Insert a short summary of the article here, usually a few sentences long. It can be the first few lines from the article, or you can write a short blurb that covers the main points of the news article.Professor of Architecture and Interim Associate Dean of Gibbs College Dr. Keith Gåddie and his collaborator Jocelyn Evans recently exhibited a collection of photographs at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama. The exhibit showcased photos from their project, “A Lens on Historic Georgia Courthouses,” in the Cason McDermott Art Gallery.
Associate Professor of Architecture Dr. Lee Fithian was selected to serve as a national Technical Jury Reviewer for the American Institute of Architects COTE Top Ten Awards, the industry’s best-known awards program for sustainable design excellence. This year marked the 27th annual announcement of these awards by the AIA.
On April 6, third-year Construction Science, Architecture and Interior Design students travelled to Dallas for an interdisciplinary field trip. The students got to learn from industry professionals and gain hands on experience at a construction job site and architecture office.
OU architecture alumna Breah Page was recently awarded the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Dubin Family Young Architect Award. The AIA is a professional organization for architects that works to improve the architecture industry through education, government advocacy and community outreach.
Gibbs College PhD student Felipe Flores recently won the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Award. MAGS is an organization of colleges and universities that works to advance graduate studies by improving program standards, sharing information, and encouraging research.
“Passing,” an exhibit by OU architecture student Ryan Godfrey, is now on display in the main hall of the Bizzell Memorial Library. This display focuses on three homes built between 1938-1951 that encapsulate different ways that buildings can be qualified as queer spaces. The exhibit also provides reading recommendations for those interested in the intersection of architecture, gender, and sexual identity.
Dr. Tiziana Proietti, assistant professor of Architecture and Interior Design and director of the Sense|Base Laboratory at OU, is the recipient of a 2023 Junior Faculty Fellowship. Awarded by the Research Council of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships office at the University of Oklahoma, the program is designed to support tenure-track faculty establish their research and creative activities.
Jason O’Rear, a Bay-Area, California-native, traveled to OU to pursue a degree in architecture. After a successful career as an architect for over a decade, Jason now uses his understanding of architecture and space to serve him in his flourishing role as an architectural photographer at his own studio. His work has been featured in notable publications including Architectural Record, Architectural Digest, Interior Design Magazine, Dezeen, and more.
Dr. Lee Fithian, an Associate Professor of Architecture, was recently issued a patent for her building façade system that she has spent years developing. The double skin façade system evacuates polluted air from the streetscape, providing better air quality for people in urban environments and improving human health. The system can be included in new buildings but can also be retrofitted to existing ones.
OU’s Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that two of our faculty will be offering the inaugural Bob & Sherry Faust Distinguished Lecture at Auburn University on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at the Gogue Performing Arts Center and streaming on YouTube Live.
Tamar Zinguer, assistant professor of Architecture, is the recipient of the Forum Public Fellowship for the 2022-2023 academic year. Awarded by the Arts and Humanities Forum at the University of Oklahoma, the fellowship’s purpose is to foster an interdisciplinary intellectual exchange among a diverse group of scholars around a shared theme.
A team of Gibbs students was recently selected as a finalist for the 2023 Solar Decathlon Design Challenge. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that has inspired thousands of students worldwide to enter the clean energy workforce since its inception in 2002. This competition challenges student teams to create innovative building designs that address real-world issues, including climate change, environmental justice, and affordability.
The Fall 2022 OU Architecture Design Awards were recently announced, with seven students receiving recognition for their outstanding work. There are two categories of awards: the Fall 2022 Design V GH2 Design Studio Prize, and the Fall 2022 Design VII Award.
Angela Person, an assistant professor of Architecture, gave an invited lecture at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas on February 22, 2023. The lecture, entitled BRUTAL DC, provided an overview of Dr. Person’s upcoming exhibition of the same title at the award-winning Southern Utah Museum of Art.
Students at the University of Oklahoma are leading the way with the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in the design process. A group of Architecture students were the first at Gibbs to use an AI image-generating program to aid in the design process for their final studio project.
Jeffrey Mansfield, principal at the Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS) Design Group and director of MASS’s Deaf Space and Disability Justice Design Lab, assisted OU Architecture faculty in leading a five-day design charrette. Mansfield encouraged students to explore DeafSpace design principles in their projects.
An integrated Design-Build team of OU students from Construction Science, Architecture, and Interior Design won 1st place at the TEXO Foundation | Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 5 student competition.
Each year, all students in the Gibbs College of Architecture are invited to participate in a cocktail napkin sketch contest. Presented by the Division of Architecture’s Professional Advisory Board, the cocktail napkin sketch contest gives students the opportunity to submit sketches on a 5”x5” white cocktail napkin to compete to win cash prizes. Three cash prizes — $750, $500, and $250 — were awarded to the top three entries, which were decided by a professional panel of jurors.
A gift to the University of Oklahoma will honor alumnus and esteemed architect Bob Faust by creating multiple new faculty and staff positions dedicated to the American School, an innovative design practice developed at OU in the 1950s and ’60s. Sherry Faust, Bob Faust’s spouse, has made a multi-million-dollar planned gift in his honor to University Libraries and OU’s Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture.
The 2023 Charles W. Graham Travel Study Benefit Dinner was a huge success, with about 200 attendees and over $34,000 raised. The 11th annual event was held Friday, February 11, at Vast restaurant in Oklahoma City. The proceeds from this event directly benefit students who are eager to travel and gain hands on learning experiences.
University of Oklahoma Architecture alumnus Asa Highsmith was recently recognized as an honoree in the Architectural League of New York’s 2023 Emerging Voices competition. The Emerging Voices program is an annual event that recognizes outstanding Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design firms across North America.
A collaborative project between the University of Oklahoma and the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano in Peru (UNAP) was recently awarded a grant to investigate affordable and sustainable housing in the Andes. The project, “Inti Wasi Sustainable and Affordable Cold Climate Housing,” received funding from the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund.
Angela Person and Stephanie Pilat, faculty in the OU Division of Architecture, were recently announced as recipients of the 2023 Course Development Prize in Architecture, Climate Change, and Society. The prize is awarded by Columbia University’s Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
Deborah Richards and Angela Person, assistant professors of Architecture, were recently announced as recipients of the 2023 Journal of Architectural Education (JAE) Award for Design. The JAE Award was instituted in 1985 and is now given annually for outstanding peer-reviewed articles published in the Essay, Design, Narrative, and Image categories during the preceding academic year.
Through a new seed funding opportunity supported by the OU Norman Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships, the OU Health Sciences Center Vice President for Research and the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, two teams will each receive up to $30,000 to support interdisciplinary research at the intersection of health, well-being, and the built environment.
Marco Piscitelli, an Herb Greene Teaching Fellow of Interior Design and Architecture, was recently awarded funding as a part of the Gibb’s College of Architecture’s Program for Research Enhancement. Each year, this merit-based program grants funds to Gibb’s faculty members in order to increase their research and creative activities.
Dr. Wanda Liebermann, an assistant professor of Architecture, was recently awarded funding as a part of the Gibb’s College of Architecture’s Program for Research Enhancement. Each year, this merit-based program grants funds to Gibb’s faculty members in order to increase their research and creative activities.
The United States Postal Service recently announced that the Skydance Bridge in Oklahoma City will be featured on first-class mail stamps in 2023! The stamps will be available for purchase on August 24, 2023. The Skydance Bridge, which was completed in 2012, has become an iconic landmark for Oklahoma City.
Associate Professor of Architecture Daniel Butko’s acoustic consulting work on the CO-OP Ramen House project in Bentonville, Arkansas, was recently recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Professor Butko worked alongside professionals from the award-winning firm Maron Blackwell Architects to complete the project.
GCA Communications intern Kathlyn Dannewald spoke with Dr. Wanda Katja Lieberman, a practicing architect and architectural and urban historian. She is also an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. We sat down with Dr. Liebermann to discuss her upcoming book on architecture, disability, and accessibility.
Dr. Tamar Zinguer, Assistant Professor of Architecture, recently presented at the “Are You a Model?: On an Architectural Medium of Spatial Exploration” conference hosted by the Technical University of Darmstadt, which took place from November 2-4.
Gibbs College’s annual Charles W. Graham Travel Study Benefit Dinner will be held on February 10, 2023, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at VAST (333 W. Sheridan Ave, 50th Floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102). It will feature a three-course meal with fine wine pairings.
Boyd Street Ventures recently announced that it is investing in VesprSolar, a solar tech company that continuously works to streamline the entire photovoltaics (PV) installation process. The company is most well-known for the V-ClampTM, which is an innovative technology that was developed by Dr. Andrés Cavieres, an Associate Professor in the Division of Architecture.
Rene Peralta, a faculty member in the Division of Architecture, recently presented at the 2022 Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) Conference. This was SESAH’s 40th annual conference in Memphis, Tennessee, and it took place from November 2-5.
Recently, a group of Gibbs College students from OU’s chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) attended the 2022 NOMA Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The group was led by Felipe Flores, a Gibbs College PhD student and supervisor of OU’s NOMA chapter.
Dr. Xiaobo Quan, the Violeta Autumn Teaching Fellow in the Gibbs Architecture program, recently attended at the 2022 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo hosted by the Center for Health Design and the Academy of Architecture for Health of the American Institute of Architects (AIA/AAH).
Thirty-eight architecture undergraduate and graduate students recently took a two-day field trip to Bentonville, Arkansas and Wichita, Kansas. The students visited multiple architecture offices and firms as well as toured the Crystal Bridges Museum and Exploration Place.
Chris Morrey, a lecturer in the Division of Architecture, recently installed a sculpture suite in the Columbia Regional Airport. The sculptures, two large scale rings titled “Returning,” were inspired by the “the cyclical nature of days, seasons and years, and resonates with concepts of leaving, returning and repetition.”
Architect Tiziana Proietti and her research partner Sergei Gepshtein joined as faculty members for the 2022 Academy of Neuroscience For Architecture (ANFA) Bootcamp. Proietti is an assistant professor at the Gibbs College of Architecture and director of the Sense|Base Laboratory at OU. Sergei Gepshtein is a scientist and affiliate of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and director of the Center for Spatial Perception & Concrete Experience at the University of Southern California.
A project team of University of Oklahoma researchers and Oklahoma City civic partners are collaborating to create the Legacy Building Toolset, a digital platform that will allow community members to collectively explore identity, the meaning of place, and create and engage with community assets and more easily allow community members to participate in community collaboration projects.
The Open Design Collective, a nonprofit design and planning firm founded by Vanessa Morrison and Deborah Richards, was recently featured in Architect magazine. Vanessa Morrison, the Associate Director of the University of Oklahoma’s Institute of Quality Communities, is a social-impact planner who lives and works in northeastern Oklahoma City. Deborah Richards, AIA, is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Gibbs College and a licensed architect in New York, Oklahoma and Massachusetts.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is pleased to announce that Jerald (Jerry) Merriman, a University of Oklahoma Architecture alumnus (Class of 1971), has been honored with the 2022 OU Regents’ Alumni Award.
Architecture Professor Dave Boeck will be traveling to Arezzo, Italy, to teach a study abroad program at the University of Oklahoma’s Italian study center. He will teach at OU’s Arezzo campus for the last eight weeks of the Fall 2022 semester, and throughout the entire Fall 2023 semester.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to the University of Oklahoma Inclusion Council. Dr. Shooka Motamedi, lecturer in the Division of Architecture, and Nova Savage, Academic Advisor, will be Gibbs College’s representatives on the OU Inclusion Council.
Angela Lee, an alumna of the Gibbs College of Architecture and member of the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, was recently featured in an article on the HKS, Inc. website.
Aaron Jones, an affiliate faculty member of the Gibbs College of Architecture, recently received funding for the collaborative architecture project “Deep Space Maine.” They were awarded the SPACE: American Rescue Plan – Maine Project Grant.
Gibbs College of Architecture faculty members,Professor Dave Boeck and Dr. Bryce Lowery, recently presented at the 2022 Oklahoma Housing Conference hosted by the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), an organization that works to provide housing resources to the Oklahoman community.
The 2022 Fall Semester marks the 35th Anniversary of Associate Professor Ron Frantz’s being involved with the Historic Preservation course at the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture.
On September 10, 2022, William Malcolm Shaw (Bill) graduated from this life and went to be with family and friends who have gone before him. Bill was born on September 15, 1932, in Oklahoma City to Richard Frank Shaw and Dorothy Hawk Shaw.
Youngjin Hwang, Assistant Professor of Architecture, recently presented research at the 2022 Building Performance Analysis Conference and SimBuild hosted by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the International Building Performance Simulation Association USA Regional Division (IBPSA-USA).
Architecture students Hiroki Mishima and Quentin Puiseux recently produced a project, “Ranger Cabins” that designed modular housing for park rangers in national parks around the world. Their project was shortlisted in the 2nd Annual International Architecture Competition for Modular Homes. The competition, hosted by Buildner Architecture Competitions, asked participants to submit innovative design proposals for a modular home that can be constructed in any form in any location.
Gibbs College invites applications for several faculty and staff positions. Please help us share these opportunities broadly. We are excited to be adding to our amazing team!
OU Architecture faculty Dr. Stephanie Pilat and Dr. Angela Person, along with Dr. Carmina Sanchez-del-Valle of Hampton University, recently published a special edition of the architectural research journal Enquiry.
The National Brownfields Training Conference was held in Oklahoma City from August 16th through the 19th. The local and national planning committees for the annual conference began work on the meeting in March of 2020. Ron Frantz, Director of the Environmental Design Program, served on the Local Planning Committee’s Mobile Workshops, Socials, and Evening Receptions Committee.
Felipe Flores, a PhD Student in Planning, Design, and Construction under the advisement of Dr. Angela Person, was recently awarded the Architectural Research Centers Consortium’s (ARCC) 2022 King Medal for the University of Oklahoma. The King Medal, named in honor of the late Jonathan King, is awarded to one student per ARCC member institution. Recipients are selected at the discretion of member institutions based on criteria that acknowledges innovation, integrity, and scholarship in architectural and/or environmental design research.
Professor Keith Gåddie, Ph.D., Executive Faculty Fellow and interim Associate Dean of the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, has announced his retirement from the university, effective July 2023.
Amy Leveno, Assistant Professor of Architecture, and Mark Leveno, Adjunct Faculty Member, were recently awarded an AIA Dallas Unbuilt Design Award for their firm OFFICIAL’s Granger Annex Adaptive Reuse Project. The AIA Dallas Unbuilt Design Awards are organized by the American Institute of Architects Dallas Design Awards Committee, whose purpose is to recognize outstanding work by local architects and honor the collaborative efforts of architects, clients, and consultants who achieve design excellence. The Unbuilt Design Awards showcase progressive ideas and dynamic design solutions.
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s award-winning student journal, is releasing its fourth edition in Fall 2022. This edition, “Habitation,” questions how we may ensure all things, living and non-living, may continue to inhabit our planet. “Habitation” continues the overarching theme explored in “Isolation”: “How can design aid people’s sense of belonging?”
The Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) recently completed a year-long project sponsored by the Association for Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG). ACOG's Community Economic Resiliency Initiative allowed the IQC to launch a new Community Engagement Fellowship, in which four Gibbs faculty members and a dozen Gibbs students provided planning services in the cities of El Reno, Guthrie, and Harrah.
The Acoustical Society of America recently invited Daniel Butko, an Associate Professor of Architecture, to author an article in their publication Acoustics Today. The article, titled “Teaching Architectural Acoustics to Students of Various Disciplines,” summarizes Butko’s approach to teaching architectural acoustics by showcasing field trips, student projects, and funded resources. The article appears both in print and online in the summer edition of Acoustics Today.
In its third year of publication, the University of Oklahoma's student design journal, Telesis, has again earned national recognition. Telesis is organized by students and faculty in OU's Gibbs College of Architecture.
Please join us in congratulating the 2022 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. Recipients were honored by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting on Thursday, August 18. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Dave Boeck, an associate professor in the Division of Architecture, was recently recognized by the Cleveland County City Lifestyle Magazine as one of the magazine's 2022 Men of Influence.
Dave Boeck, an associate professor in the Division of Architecture, recently developed an art workshop in the Barefeet Theater in Lusaka, Zambia. Working with Chipika Simanwe, a Lusakan artist, and Betty Wilkinson, former CEO of Financial Sector Deepening Zambia, Boeck created a two-week workshop titled “ARTitude.”
Architecture Professor Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi recently visited Tunisia. While in Tunisia, he traveled approximately 1380 miles by land and captured thousands of images of the stunning architecture of North Africa. He visited many major archaeological sites including Carthage, Kairouan, El Jem, Dougga, and Bulla Regia.
René Peralta, a lecturer with the Division of Architecture, recently presented a roundtable on the San Diego-Tijuana area for the Architects Association of Peru’s Lima Region. The event, titled “The Fragile Movement: Understanding the Modern Monument and the Ephemeral Persistence of Walter Weberhofer,” featured several architects with expertise in different cities across the Americas.
The University of Oklahoma Carceral Studies Consortium is pleased to announce that David McLeod (Social Work), Dean Hougen (Computer Science), and Constance Chapple (Sociology) have received $30,000 in funding to develop their project. According to ICAST director Shane Connelly, projects that receive this funding are “poised to inform, guide and enact research and programs that will foster community resilience in Oklahoma.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture will be hosting an OU Alumni + Friends Reception during the upcoming 2022 AIA National Conference in Chicago, Illinois.
Felipe Flores, a PhD Student in Planning, Design, and Construction under the advisement of Dr. Angela Person, recently served as a mentor as part of a program funded by the Equity in Architectural Education Consortium’s. Felipe mentored Kyle Bowie, a Master of Architecture student at Morgan State University, a historically Black university.
Five graduates from the Gibbs College of Architecture received Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards this April. This award recognizes the top grade point average for each undergraduate major.
The Happy Healthy Home Show recently invited Gibbs College alumnus Don Ruggles as an inaugural guest. Don joined the show’s host Odile Smith in their shared passion for making wellness in the home (and all built surroundings) a priority. A practicing architect and founder of Ruggles Mabe Studio, Don has spent his 50-plus year career trying to answer the question, “What is beauty?”
René Peralta, a lecturer with the Division of Architecture, recently spoke at the American Planning Association 2022 National Planning Conference. Presenting during a session titled “San Diego/Tijuana’s Regional Vision, ‘Temporary Paradise?’”, Peralta discussed Donald Appleyard and Kevin Lynch’s report Temporary Paradise, which discusses Tijuana within a larger urban and sustainable vision.
The Gibbs Design Activism Awards is a new grant initiative that was created to support student-led design and research projects that critically engage topics of community, social, and economic concern within the built environment – at Gibbs College, on the OU Campus, and across Oklahoma.
Dr. Laura Harjo, an associate professor of Native American Studies and Regional + City Planning faculty affiliate, recently organized and presented the exhibition Muscogee (Creek) Tribal Town Futurity: Spatial Storytelling with Emergent Technologies in the Gould Hall Buskuhl Gallery. She was assisted by Gibbs College’s Dr. Angela Person (Architecture) and Prof. Shawn Schaefer (Urban Design), as well as several Architecture and Urban Design students, Gibbs College staff, and others.
The University of Oklahoma Carceral Studies Consortium is pleased to announce the 2022 Student Work Prize recipients. The prize recognizes excellence in scholarly or creative work from any discipline which engages carceral studies, broadly construed, during the 2021-2022 academic year. Congratulations, all!
Architecture Graduate Teaching Assistant Donovan Linsey recently received the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the University of Oklahoma Graduate College.
Dr. Tiziana Proietti, an assistant professor of Interior Design and Architecture, recently spoke at a Kansas State University event titled “Generators of Architectural Atmosphere.” Dr. Proietti presented the keynote talk, The Experience of Architectural Proportion Through a Scientific Perspective, in which she explored human perceptions of architectural proportion.
Second year Architecture student, Whit Hull, recently designed, printed, and installed attachments to the faucets in the bathrooms here in Gould Hall, the home of the Gibbs College of Architecture, to make them more usable.
David Boeck, Associate Professor of Architecture, received the University of Oklahoma’s General Education Teaching Award. He was honored at the Faculty Awards Luncheon on April 14th for the award.
Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi, Architecture professor, and Dr. Keith Gaddie, Associate Dean of Gibbs College, have authored a book manuscript titled “Philadelphia House: Genius Loci - Concept of Placemaking.” Based on over ten positive reviews, the Editorial Board of Rowman & Littlefield has approved the manuscript and the contract has been signed for publication.
Several Gibbs College Architecture and Interior Design students have been spending the semester living and learning in Rome. The students’ coursework is tailored to both take advantage of Rome’s great sites as well as meet the curricular needs of students. Some have recently shared some of the moments of discovery they have experienced during their time in Rome and Europe.
Camille Germany, Assistant to the Director of the Division of Architecture, has recently been awarded a University of Oklahoma Staff Senate Outstanding Performance Award as recognition for her outstanding job performance as well as her service and dedication to both Gibbs College and the University of Oklahoma.
Insert a short summary of the article here, usually a few sentences long. It can be the first few lines from the article, or you can write a short blurb that covers the main points of the news article.
Karen Kubey of Pratt Institute and Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation is presenting a lecture titled “Collaborative Approaches, New Forms of Housing, and a New Kind of Architect” as part of the Gibbs Spring 2022 Goff Lecture Series.
David Boeck, associate professor of Architecture, recently presented at the CRE – Fair Housing for Commercial Real Estate workshop hosted by Tulsa Commercial Realtors. He discussed the design and implementation issues regarding accessibility in housing.
From April 11 through April 15, 2022, the University of Oklahoma will present Muscogee (Creek) Tribal Town Futurity: Spatial Storytelling with Emergent Technologies.
TAP Architecture has announced the promotions of University of Oklahoma alumni Clay Dobbins, Zach Maggia and Chris Teehee as Managing Partners at the Oklahoma City design firm.
Insert a short summary of the article here, usually a few sentences long. It can be the first few lines from the article, or you can write a short blurb that covers the main points of the news article.
René Peralta, a lecturer with the Division of Architecture, recently participated in a session titled “Informality and the City” at the American Association of Geographers (AAG) 2022 Annual Meeting. René was among four presenters in the session, which focused on how informal urbanization became the dominant mode of city making in the 20th century and what effects this informal urbanization has had on cities and the people living within them.
A Cleveland County City Lifestyle Magazine article was written about Gibbs College Design+Build program. The article was written by Jerri Culpepper under the title "Design + Build: OU Architecture Students Get Real-World Experience Building Houses and More."
Spring 2021 Carceral Studies Consortium micro-grant recipients, aurelius francisco and Erin Simpson, have begun the process of meeting with and educating local communities on the social issues of carceral feminism.
The Gibbs Design Activism Awards (GDAA) is a new grant initiative that supports student-led design and research projects that critically engage topics of community, social, and economic concern within the built environment—at Gibbs College, on the University of Oklahoma (OU) Campus, and across Oklahoma.
GCA Communications intern Kali Curtis (K) sat down with Rebekah Curry (C), an architecture alumna here at Gibbs! We spoke with Curry to learn about her experiences as a Senior VDC Specialist at JE Dunn. She received her Bachelor of Architecture (2009) from the Gibbs College of Architecture.
Spring 2021 Carceral Studies Consortium micro-grant recipients, Sharee Asberry and Bailey Hoffner, have begun the process of developing food sovereignty through gardening for the women of Mabel Bassett Correctional Center. MBCC, located in McLoud, Oklahoma, is a medium security facility where over 1200 people are incarcerated.
Angela Lee, a University of Oklahoma Architecture alumna, has recently been elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) College of Fellows. Only 3 percent of AIA members have been awarded this distinction.
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s award-winning student journal, is releasing its third edition in Spring 2022. This edition, “Isolation,” serves as a platform to discuss the systemic change required – at both the infrastructural and social level – to dismantle the equally systemic injustice and inequality.
Catherine Dwen Montgomery, AIA was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado on July 2, 1960, to Sarah and Robert King. She passed away on February 17, 2022 in Oklahoma City at the age of 61. Catherine was an active member of the American Institute of Architects and served on multiple boards for architectural organizations in Oklahoma, including the Gibbs College Architecture Professional Advisory Board at the University of Oklahoma.
John Postic, who earned his Bachelors in Architecture from Gibbs College in 2011, has recently been promoted to Principal of Studio Architecture, an award-winning firm based in Oklahoma City!
University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture dean Hans E. Butzer, Mabrey Presidential Professor and A. Blaine Imel, Jr. Professor, has been elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) College of Fellows. Only 3 percent of AIA members have been awarded this distinction.
Michael D’Amico graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1961, where he studied in the American School under Bruce Goff and Herb Greene. He went on to establish D’Amico & Associates in San Francisco. His firm has taken part in the design of several impressive projects around the world. Eventually he would be joined by other OU alumni at his firm, including Jerry Anderson, George Newman and Dave Armstrong.
Marjorie P. Callahan, an Architecture professor, has been selected to receive the University of Oklahoma Ed Cline Faculty Development Award which will allow her to attend a two-week intensive workshop at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine.
The OU Carceral Studies Consortium will host a gathering on Wednesday, February 23rd, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. via Zoom. The event is a time for OU faculty and staff who are doing work in the realm of Carceral Studies to learn more about the work their fellow colleagues are doing, provide feedback on which programming, events, and resources would be most helpful for the CSC to provide, share collaboration opportunities, and gauge faculty interest in affiliating with the Consortium in the coming year.
L. Quincy Jackson was the first African American architect to open an office in the state of Oklahoma. Born in Wewoka, Oklahoma in 1926, Jackson would earn his Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Kansas. He then opened an architecture office in Oklahoma in 1950. In 1952, he enrolled in the University of Oklahoma where he studied Urban Planning under Bruce Goff in order to earn his Master’s Degree in Planning in 1954.
Felipe Flores, a PhD Student in Planning, Design, and Construction under the advisement of Dr. Angela Person, has recently been awarded the Security in Context Research Fellowship from the Center for Peace and Development! This fellowship will allow Felipe to pursue his research focused on creating an Indigenous planning theory for the Shuar and Achuar communities in the Amazon in Ecuador.
The University of Oklahoma (OU) Carceral Studies Consortium is pleased to announce that Dr. Constance Chapple has accepted the role of faculty director of the Carceral Studies Consortium following an internal search. Dr. Chapple will serve as incoming director during the spring semester, and officially assume the position on July 1, 2022.
Congratulations to Viridiana Hernandez Sevilla, who, for the second year in a row, has received the Robert L. Wesley Award! The Robert L. Wesley Award was created in 2020 by the S.O.M Foundation to support BIPOC undergraduate students enrolled in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, or structural engineering programs across the US. The award, named in honor of OU alumnus and former S.O.M. principal Robert L. Wesley, aims to support the academic development of the student recipients.
GCA Communications intern Kali Curtis sat down with Esin Pektas, the Robert Wesley Teaching Fellow here at Gibbs! We sat down with Esin Pektas to learn about her experiences with technology throughout her career in architecture. She is a registered architect and engineer whose specialty is skyscrapers.
Former Gibbs College of Architecture instructor, William Reue, RA AIA NCARB has recently completed the Devland SOWETO Education Campus in Johannesburg, South Africa. he project is located within a densely populated Reconstruction and Development Program Zone of SOWETO, about 25 kilometers outside of Johannesburg.
GCA Communications intern Kristi Saliba recently checked in with Erica Williams, a Gibbs College alumna! She received her bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Gibbs and her master’s degree in Architecture from Rice. Today, she works for award-winning, Seattle-based firm Olson Kundig.
Dr. Tamar Zinguer, a professor in the Division of Architecture, recently presented a paper at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the International Society for Landscape, Place and Material Culture that took place this fall in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The different meeting sessions explored various cultural landscapes in the United States, as well as the dialectics of memory of place and space in the build environment.
5th Year Architecture Students recently installed an exhibition titled “Reconstructing Incarceration” at MAINSITE Contemporary Art Gallery. The exhibition presented the students’ work from the special topics studio taught by Prof. Marjorie Callahan and Dr. Keith Gaddie. The exhibition and the students’ work “aims to create design solutions to the defects we found in the current jail system we have today in America.”
David Boeck, an associate professor with the Division of Architecture, has been collaborating with the City of Norman and the Norman Police Department in order to implement “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design” into the design standards of Norman.
As the New Year is approaching, new trends will not be far behind. This year brought forth many new trends in architecture and interior design. People have come up with several ways to adapt their spaces with creative ideas. These 8 ideas range from bold to minimalist designs.
Dr. Lee Fithian, an associate professor with the Division of Architecture, was recently appointed to International Code Council’s International Energy Conservation Code Envelope Embodied Carbon Subcommittee.
Fifth year Architecture students recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to present their project redesigning the Oklahoma City jail to the State Department Diplomacy Lab.
First-year Architecture students enrolled in Design 1 recently took a walking tour of Norman as part of their research into human experiences in urban spaces.
Sooner Magazine, a publication of the University of Oklahoma Foundation, recently featured an article highlighting the mobile medical unit project led by Bryan Bloom, an assistant professor in OU’s Haskell and Irene Lemon Construction Science Division, and assistant professor Ken Marold from the Division of Architecture.
It is with great sadness that we share news of the passing of Christopher C. Gibbs, OU Class of 1967. Mr. Gibbs was known for his success in the home construction and development industry, as well as his exceptional generosity to his beloved alma mater.
Dr. Andrés Cavieres, an Assistant Professor with the Division of Architecture, recently attended the InterSolar Conference in Munich, Germany, from October 6th to the 8th. Dr. Cavieres attended as part of the official launch by VesprSolar Inc. of the V-ClampTM , a ground-breaking, patent-pending fastener for photovoltaic (PV) modules developed by Dr. Cavieres at OU.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture alum David Hornbeek was recently awarded a Governor’s Arts Award for Community Service.
2nd Year Architecture students have recently completed an accessibility review of OU’s campus. Under the direction of Francesco Cianfarani, Ken Marold, and Dr. Shooka Motamedi, students completed a two-part project to explore the accessibility of campus as well as better understand the concepts of universal design.
Four studios, two undergraduate level and two graduate level, of architecture students have been working on a project designing housing and community space for all abilities in the Norman area. The undergraduate studios are led by Amy Leveno and Esin Pektas. The graduate studios are led by Dr. Lee Fithian and Sam Callahan.
Dr. Stephanie Pilat, Director of the Division of Architecture, recently presented a talk at Brown University, titled “The Afterlife of Fascist Architecture and Urbanism.” The talk was sponsored by Brown University’s Department of the History of Art and Architecture.
A student team from the Gibbs College of Architecture recently competed in the Design-Build Institute of America’s National Competition. The National Design-Build Student Competition provides emerging design-builders the opportunity to create a project as a team, present it to some of the industry’s leading professionals and earn national recognition for their good work.
GCA Communications intern Hannah Reed sat down with Amanda Young, an architecture alumna from Gibbs College. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in architecture in 2021. She is currently a drafter at a firm in New York, where she is following her dream to work a career in residential architecture. Amanda talked about how networking opened opportunities for her in her job search and her favorite projects throughout her time at Gibbs College.
The Carceral Studies Consortium invites applications from OU faculty for the role of Faculty Director of the OU Carceral Studies Consortium. Applicants must be full or associate professors at OU at time of application in any discipline with a connection to Carceral Studies.
Associate Professor of Architecture Daniel Butko, AIA and Zach Maggia, AIA were invited to present their ADALAC acoustic concrete research at the recent American Concrete Institute (ACI) international conference, where their work was also recognized with an ACI Excellence in Concrete Construction Award!
Dr. Keith Gaddie, Associate Dean of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, has recently released a book titled The U.S. Supreme Court’s Democratic Spaces.
The V-ClampTM, a ground-breaking, patent-pending fastener for photovoltaic (PV) modules developed by Dr. Andrés Cavieres, Assistant Professor in the Division of Architecture, was recently certified as recognized component under the UL 2703 standard, while also meeting the requirements for the international IEC 61215 standard.
Two Gibbs College of Architecture students, Hannah Reed and Ryan Godfrey, were recently awarded the 2021 AIA Oklahoma Architecture Scholarship. Hannah and Ryan were presented with these scholarships during the recent AIA Oklahoma Conference in Edmond.
David L. Boeck, an Associate Professor with the Division of Architecture, has been working on creating a book of sketches related to service-learning trips he has taken with students to Lusaka, Zambia. The sketches reflect life on the streets of Lusaka.
Daniel Butko, AIA, Associate Professor in the Division of Architecture, and Zach Maggia, AIA, OU Alumnus and Architect with TAP Architecture were recently invited to present their ADALAC acoustic concrete research to the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Concrete Institute.
On Tuesday November 2nd at 3:00pm, join Jesús Vassallo on Zoom for his next lecture titled, “Rice Affordable Housing Lab.” At Rice University, Vassallo is the director of the Affordable Housing Laboratory, a unit providing research and development for community development corporations and other nonprofits in the affordable housing sector.
The AIA Oklahoma Conference on Architecture was held in Edmond from September 30th – October 1st with the title “Back to the Future.” Several University of Oklahoma faculty members attended the conference, with several presenting on their recent work, including Assoc. Prof. Daniel Butko, Prof. Keith Gaddie, and Prof. Hans E. Butzer.
Gibbs College of Architecture will host a two-part neuroscience and design lecture on October 7 featuring Dr. Sergei Gepshtein of the Salk Institute and Dr. Tiziana Proietti of the University of Oklahoma. The event explores how humans perceive space and architectural proportion through an interdisciplinary lens combining architecture, perceptual psychology, and neuroscience.
Miller, an Oklahoma City–based architecture firm founded by OU alumnus Darin Miller, has designed more than 500 healthcare projects nationwide and is known for its full-service, vertically integrated model. The firm is now expanding beyond healthcare, partnering with Ashton Gray on a growing portfolio of non-healthcare projects.
Soon after graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Design and Architecture, Donald K. Beck, Jr. formed Beck Associates Architects in 1981. The company would later be rebranded as Beck Design. Beck Design is a 40-year-old comprehensive architectural firm comprised of Architects, Interior Designers, Furniture Specialists, Graphic Designers, Marketing Experts and Administrative Staff.
Jeff Slajer, who graduated from the Gibbs College of Architecture in 2013, was recently promoted to Principal at Omniplan, a Dallas based architecture firm!
Gibbs College of Architecture professor Marjorie Callahan was named a 2021 NCARB Scholar in Professional Practice and participated in a national training focused on licensure and best practices.
In 2020, the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) reached out to the University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) to ask for assistance with their Community Economic Resiliency Initiative (CERI). The Initiative was developed to help local governments respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three Oklahoma communities were selected to receive urban planning services from the IQC. These services would emphasize community identity and placemaking.
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s student journal, was recently awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in Fine Art! The Graham Foundation was established in 1956 with the goal of fostering the development and exchange of ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society.
In the spring of 2020, the town of Okemah, Oklahoma requested design assistance from the Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) through the Oklahoma Municipal League. In fall of 2020, twenty-five undergraduate students and nine graduate students enrolled in three sections of the OU College of Architecture’s Historic Preservation Planning course completed a downtown historic building survey for Okemah.
GCA Communications intern Kali Curtis (K) spoke with Dave Boeck (B), an associate professor of architecture here at Gibbs! We sat down with Boeck to learn about how the use of technology and design methods have changed throughout his career in architecture. Boeck received his Master of Architecture (1979) degree from the University of Oklahoma. Read on for highlights or click the link below to access the full podcast.
In the Fall of 2020, the Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) hosted their first Quality Communities Retreat, sponsored by Mayors’ Institute on City Design and Oklahoma Municipal League.
Assistant Professor of Architecture Francesco Cianfarani recently presented his research on the current transformation of the Evans Fintube plant in Tulsa, titled “The Evans-Fintube Building: Architecture of the Oklahoma Oil Industry.”
Gibbs College Architecture alumna Jessica Hester (Class of 2011) was recently named to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 2021 “Forty Under 40.” This program annually honors 40 individuals under the age of 40 who have been nominated as best in class by their peers in all industries.
Homes that make life easier for people with mobility limitations are now under construction at Ideal Homes & Neighborhoods communities in Norman, Moore and Stillwater. These homes were originally the brainchild of David Boeck, associate professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture, and a certified aging in place specialist.
OU Architecture Associate Professor Daniel Butko and his collaborators, which include Gibbs College alumnus Zachary Maggia, AIA, as well as Coreslab Structures (Oklahoma City), and Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories, were recently announced as winners in ARCHITECT Magazine’s 15th annual R+D Awards program.
The new and soon-to-open First American Museum was recently featured in a piece by the Oklahoman, with the headline, “‘This project has persevered’: Get a first look at Oklahoma City’s First Americans Museum.” After years of construction and planning, the museum plans to open in Oklahoma City this September.
George Kaye “Mickey” Muennig was born in Joplin, Missouri. Muennig transferred from Georgia Tech to the University of Oklahoma after seeing a travelling exhibition of Oklahoma student work.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce the appointment of eight new faculty in its Division of Architecture for the Fall 2021 term.
Faculty and students in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma partnered with the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes to develop a mobile medical unit to meet the needs of rural tribe members. The project is led by Bryan Bloom, an assistant professor in the Haskell and Irene Lemon Construction Science Division, and supported by assistant professor Ken Marold from the Division of Architecture.
Two teams of five students from the Gibbs College of Architecture competed in the ULI Hines Student Urban Design and Development Competition this past January. The competition brings together groups of upper-level students from at least three different disciplines to challenge themselves in an exercise in responsible land use. Each team has two weeks to come up with a development plan for a real, large-scale North American city.
The exhibition design for “Renegades: Bruce Goff and the American School of Architecture,” a collaboration between Gibbs College and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, was selected as one of the 2021 CODAawards “Top 100” projects for integrating commissioned art into design. The project is now eligible for the People’s Choice Award, and supporters are encouraged to vote for “Renegades” by June 30, 2021.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is hiring an Assistant to the Directors to support administrative, scheduling, records, and reporting needs across five divisions. The role requires strong organizational skills, Microsoft Office proficiency, and prior office management experience.
Since February, höffnerdesignstudio has been host to OU Gibbs College of Architecture students Reilly Tuer and Kyler Smith. Tuer and Smith are fulfilling their internship semester by doing a project with the City of Edmond that carries forward an Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) initial report. Thanks to funding from IQC, the students are able to have paid internships while working in a professional setting, on a project with real stakes, and for a real client.
OU architecture students Alexander Downum and Ricardo Silva completed a 10-week conceptual streetscape project for the Institute for Quality Communities in Oklahoma City’s Asian District. Guided by alumni mentors Lisa Chronister and Victor Trautmann, the team developed proposals to revitalize underused spaces along Classen Boulevard and inspire future community-led improvements.
Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) interns, Kyler Smith and Reilly Tuer spent their semester rethinking pedestrian spaces in downtown Edmond, Oklahoma. Kyler and Reilly both recently completed their third year in the Gibbs College Architecture program. Throughout the project, they were mentored by Michael Hoffner (OU B.ARCH ‘90) of höffnerdesignstudio in Oklahoma City.
OU Institute for Quality Communities interns Brandon White and Jackson Ware developed a redesign proposal for a busy Midwest City intersection focused on improving placemaking and pedestrian use. The project provided real-world training and is now under review by the city.
This position manages the daily operations, safety, and equipment of the Creating_Making and Digital_Making Labs while supporting faculty, students, and hands-on projects. The role also oversees training, student employees, and facility improvements to meet evolving academic needs.
New Fire Native Design Group, a Native American-owned and operated architecture firm, today announced its new Vice President Cathleen Guthery. Guthery’s addition to the leadership group is a response to the firm’s steady, intentional growth since its 2017 founding.
The Director of Advancement for the Gibbs College of Architecture manages a portfolio of major gift donors and leads fundraising efforts in collaboration with OU Foundation colleagues and university leadership. This role focuses on cultivating relationships, soliciting significant gifts, and advancing strategic fundraising priorities to support the college’s goals.
Associate Professor of Architecture Daniel Butko’s acoustic consulting work on the CO-OP Ramen House project, with award-winning firm Marlon Blackwell Architects, was recently recognized with an AIA Interior Architecture Award.
The Carceral Studies Consortium offers an outstanding graduate student with interest in advancing Carceral Studies a 12-month, .20 FTE position (8 hours per week). This CSC Graduate Student Fellow serves as the student representative on the Carceral Studies Board of Directors, as well as provides critical support for CSC initiatives throughout each academic year (July 1 to June 30).
This year, over 50 Sooners, family and friends were part of something BIG when they united for our fourth annual #OUGivingDay in support of Gibbs College on April 13, 2021. As a result, we raised over $17,000 for the Nick Harm Memorial Travel Study Scholarship.
Gibbs College student Kristi Saliba, a junior majoring in Architecture, was recently named the University of Oklahoma “Student Employee of the Year,” in a ceremony held at the Oklahoma Memorial Union on Saturday, April 17, 2021.
Associate Professor Daniel Butko’s article focused on acoustic concrete research and prototype fabrication was recently published in the Technology | Architecture + Design Spring 2021 Issue 5:1. The article, entitled “A Sound Approach to Concrete: Transforming Concrete Through Shape and Porosity for Acoustical Reflection, Diffusion, and Absorption,” summarizes research since 2017 focused on developing Acoustically Diffuse & Absorbent Lightweight Aerated Concrete (ADALAC) for implementation into multiuse spaces.
Gibbs College students enrolled in Prof. Bloom’s Spring 2021 “Design + Build” class (CNS 4970/5970) have been working hard to create a mobile medical unit to meet the needs of rural members of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.
