The University of Oklahoma (OU) Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Irene Hwang, University of Michigan assistant chair of architecture, has been appointed as a Fall 2020 Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture. Chicago-based art collective Luftwerk, will also serve as Goff Chairs.
As Goff Chair, Irene offered a free public lecture via Zoom entitled “A Building Is Not Architecture: On Stewardship and Agency in the Built Environment” on Thursday, October 29th, at 3:00 p.m.
What is the impact of architectural thinking and making upon society? For nearly twenty years, Irene has been examining and learning to understand the power of the architectural mindset in shaping the world around us. From editorial structuring and writing, exhibition programming and execution, to the design and delivery of buildings, teaching and research, curricular development and advancement, and business development and strategic planning in professional practice, she has worked to experiment and innovate in a wide variety of contexts (Deborah Berke Partners, Kohn Pedersen Fox, Rafael Moneo Arquitecto, Actar Publishers, MIT, Northeastern, graphic and editorial consultancy, among others) to grow and advance the discipline of architecture.
Currently, Irene serves as the assistant chair of architecture at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, where she was also the Willard A. Oberdick Fellow in 2010 to 2011. She is also finishing a book: Get Practiced: Turn Your Architectural Education into a Career (Routledge, 2021). The book is the one she wishes she had read as a student: through over twenty-five case-studies and creative, career-galvanizing exercises, readers can better understand not only the value of an architectural education, but also why getting one is absolutely worth it.
The Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture is an endowment that was created to honor Goff’s pedagogical legacy at OU. Among past Goff Chairs are Deborah Berke, Odile Decq, Lebbeus Woods, and Rick Lowe.
For more information or to request accommodations, contact Marjorie Callahan (mcallahan@ou.edu).
During the Spring 2026 semester, students in Interior Design Studio IV and Graduate Studio IV gained hands-on experience in educational facility design through a semester-long partnership with MA+ Architecture.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates Dr. Tammy McCuen, Robert E. Busch Professor of Construction Science, on beginning her term as president of the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC), an international organization dedicated to advancing construction education through teaching, research and service.
Following years of contributions to the College’s research and strategic initiatives, Gibbs College shares that Associate Dean for Research and External Engagement Angela M. Person, PhD, will step down from her position at Gibbs College as she moves to Tucson with her family, effective June 30, 2026.
