Earlier this month, a team of seven Construction Science and Interior Design students attended Design and Construction Week in Orlando, Florida. This week features both the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders Show (IBS) and the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s Kitchen and Bath Industry Show.
The National Assocation of Home Builders also hosts a student competition during Design and Construction Week where students from across the county are given the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom to a real construction company by completing a management project and proposal. The student teams are given a description of a property and must prepare a proposal to develop the property, including but not limited to market analysis, site design, cost estimate and schedule, and sustainability.
Elisabeth Walgreen, an OU student team member, said, “The International Builder’s Show was such a great experience not only for our own project development presentation, and getting to work with some students outside of our own division within the college, but also to get the opportunity to walk the show floor, meet industry professionals, and even get to see and test some new products hitting the market.”
The student team, led by Bryan Bloom an assistant professor of Construction Science, included Elisabeth Walgreen (4th year Interior Design), Campbell Homen (4th year Interior Design), Matthew Dawson (4th year Construction Science), Zac Tucker (4th year Construction Science), Peter Wright (4th year Construction Science), and Brick Hulin (3rd year Construction Science).
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
