Emily Hays is a graduate student studying Architecture at the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture.
What do you like most about your division/program of study?
The Division of Architecture has been exceptionally open to new ideas, even when they don’t follow precedent. I feel this adaptability is a quality lacking in other architecture programs, and its lack always leads to stagnation. This openness is partly accomplished through teacher-student relationships. The relationships that I have cultivated here have been crucial to my development.
What advice would you give to incoming students in your program?
First, community is paramount to your growth as a person and a designer. Do not isolate yourself, and despite your commitments, enjoy your community and your experience. Secondly, you will never make all the people happy all of the time; that is the way with art. Finally, make this journey your own. Enjoy the ups and downs of your time here and the people you get to spend it with. Take ownership of your space, your decisions and your time.
What project are you most proud of?
In the Spring of my third year, our studio competed in a team competition for a master plan redesign, which our team won. We then designed specific buildings for the site. This design elevated my understanding of program and the requirements related to it since the program I developed for the building had no precedent. I also began my experimentation of hybrid drawings here, which I am continuing to expand upon.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates Thinh "Henry" Duong, a master's student in the Division of Interior Design, for earning first place in the 2026 Robert Bruce Thompson Annual Student Light Fixture Design Competition.
Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) Director and Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) faculty member Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., recently published a new book, Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum.
In May, students from the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture's Architecture, Environmental Design, and Interior Design programs participated in an intensive five-day Studio in Residence at Taliesin West, the iconic winter home and desert laboratory of Frank Lloyd Wright.
