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.
In her presentation, Dr. Proietti asked how modern science can advance our understanding of the experience of proportion of the flesh-and-blood person who moves freely in the built environment. Seeds of empirical approach to the topic were introduced through the analysis of the work of several architects, such as Nikolai Ladovsky and Hans van der Laan. Following this analysis, pertinent modern scientific studies were described emphasizing tangencies with the empirical thinking of proportion. Dr. Proietti concluded by presenting the work she has conducted at the Sense|Base Lab as an example of investigating architectural proportion through methods of science. She introduced two experimental approaches: external observation and immersive observation.
The Sense|Base laboratory, directed by Dr. Tiziana Proietti, is housed here at the Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. It is an interdisciplinary laboratory that bridges architecture and neuroscience with an emphasis on the perception of architectural proportion. Dr. Proietti is also working with the scientist Dr. Sergei Gepshtein at Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Together, they are developing an interdisciplinary program of research to intertwine neuroscientific knowledge and architectural design and to test long-standing hypotheses about the human response to architectural proportion. Explore more of Dr. Proietti’s work.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
Gibbs Construction Science and Architecture students recently traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to compete in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 8 Student Competition. The team partnered with Czech Technical University and secured third place in the Design-Build category.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2026 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
