Second-year architecture students at the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture recently worked to create ideas for a new canopy in Andrews Park’s amphitheater in Norman, Oklahoma.
The original tensile structure used to cover the stage of the amphitheater collapsed in Summer 2020 after a violent thunderstorm. The goal of the studio project was to design a new “experiential canopy,” both for the stage and the seating areas of the amphitheater.
The collapsed canopy in Andrews Park.
Students were asked to work in teams to explore multiple overhanging structures thought to celebrate and strengthen the enduring and powerful bonds that have existed through history between performing arts, public spaces, and landscape.
At the beginning of the semester, students visited the site and documented its layout and the programming of the amphitheater through sketching and diagramming. For the second part of the project, students worked in teams to design innovative shading systems for the amphitheater.
The students presented their design proposals via Zoom during second year midterm reviews, where they received feedback from faculty and planners from the City of Norman Parks and Recreation Department.
Second year studio classes are taught by Dave Boeck, Francesco Cianfarani, Joe Dolan, and Ken Marold.
View select proposals in the gallery below.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture announces John Harris as Associate Dean for Research ad interim, effective Aug. 25, 2026, until the permanent position is filled.
Gibbs College is pleased to announce the 2026 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. These individuals were recognized by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting and will be honored during the Celebration Banquet in October. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s student journal, has been awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts to support its next two issues, “Pause” (Volume IX) and “React” (Volume X).
