René Peralta, a faculty member in the Division of Architecture, recently presented at the 2022 Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) Conference. This was SESAH’s 40th annual conference in Memphis, Tennesse, and it took place from November 2-5.
SESAH is a professional organization that currently serves in 12 states across the U.S. and has almost 300 active members. The organization strives to promote architectural education by providing a forum for historians, architects, preservationists, and students to come together and exchange ideas.
The weekend consisted of several educational sessions led by outstanding architecture professionals. Peralta presented in a session titled “Emerging Architectures and Urbanisms in Latin America.” The goal of this session was to teach attendees about the dynamic changes occurring in Latin America and how they have drastically shifted approaches to the design of the cities.
Peralta’s presentation, “Emerging Architecture Praxis from the Borderlands,” explored how changes in national identity, transnational dependencies, and globalization are provoking new forms of architectural thought through the work of architects, think-tanks, and independent design venues. Specifically, he examined the widespread accelerated growth of informal settlements along the US-Mexican border, in between San Diego and Tijuana.
In recent decades, the US-Mexico Borderlands has undergone a second transformation, moving from a region dedicated to low-wage manufacturing to one focused on innovation and reconceptualization. Peralta’s presentation also explained how this development of infrastructure produced a unique economic situation, which encouraged laborers to establish these informal communities.
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, Assistant Professor of Regional and City Planning, has been selected to serve as Co-Chair of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG) for the 2025–2027 term.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Tahsin Tabassum, a recent graduate of the college’s Master of Regional and City Planning program and current doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, for receiving the prestigious 2024–2025 American Planning Association (APA) Outstanding Student Award.
