Dr. Somik Ghosh and Dr. Ben Bigelow, Haskell and Irene Lemon Division of Construction Science faculty members, along with Vivek Patel, a Construction Science alumnus, recently published a paper in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s publication Cityscape. The paper examines the current use of panelized components in homebuilding in the Oklahoma City and Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Panelization is a type of prefabrication in which certain framing components are built off site and then transported to the site for assembly. This technique has been reported to make homebuilding more efficient and affordable. Panelization might also offer a one strategy to help with the growing labor shortage. Despite these benefits, adoption of panelization in the United States has been relatively limited.
Researchers from the Haskell and Irene Lemon Division of Construction Science conducted ten semi-structured interviews with production homebuilders from the OKC and DFW metropolitan areas in order to better understand the benefits and challenges of panelization.
Although most of the benefits (faster, more consistent, and less waste) and challenges (cost, logistics, and labor issues) found in these interviews were consistent with previous research, new benefits related to warranties and new challenges relating to transportation and delivery were identified. In addition, the study concludes that national and regional production builders differ in their priorities and perceptions of panelization: national builders are trying to increase their use of panelization, whereas regional builders are moving away from it.
Congratulations to Dr. Ghosh, Dr. Bigelow, and Vivek Patel on their publication!
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.
