Former Gibbs College of Architecture instructor, William Reue, RA AIA NCARB has recently completed the Devland SOWETO Education Campus in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Education Campus was designed for the non-profit, Growing Up Africa. The project is located within a densely populated Reconstruction and Development Program Zone of SOWETO, about 25 kilometers outside of Johannesburg. The project has been donated to the University of Johannesburg and will be used as a satellite campus for its educational programs that serve the Devland SOWETO community.
Several spaces within the Devland SOWETO campus.
The building is made up of multipurpose teaching spaces, flexible classrooms, open-plan work areas, a lecture hall, canteen, restrooms, storerooms, and administrative offices all anchored by a large auditorium. Outside, there is a tree-shaded amphitheater, sculpture garden, double-height porch, and water-wise garden planted with over forty native tree and plant species.
William Reue Architecture in New York City partnered with Boogertman + Partners, the largest architecture firm in Africa, on this project. An eight-year effort, all design professionals provided their services for free, and the building was constructed entirely from donated materials from over 225 corporate sponsors.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture professor and Institute for Quality Communities Director Dr. Amber N. Wiley’s book, Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital, has received two major honors from the Urban History Association.
Research initiated by Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumna Naila Hasan during her master’s studies at the University of Oklahoma has continued through faculty collaboration and resulted in a peer-reviewed publication in HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce Esther Thorp, Tyler Boydstun and Chukwuma Nwokoye as the winners of the 2026 Construction Innovation Translation Hub (CIThub) Student Ideas Competition.
