Negar Matin, an assistant professor of Interior Design, was recently awarded funding as a part of the Gibb’s College of Architecture’s Program for Research Enhancement. Each year, this merit-based program grants funds to Gibb’s faculty members in order to increase their research and creative activities.
Dr. Matin received the grant to pursue her project A Human-Centric Responsive Façade, which will explore the effects of color variations in façades on human circadian rhythms. A responsive façade is a type of exterior wall that can change in response to the surrounding environment in order to improve its performance. They are the main source of daylight penetration, and they impact the intensity, color, and distribution of interior light.
Recent findings have confirmed the necessity of evaluating the circadian light performance of responsive façades, because they could be the main contributor to occupants’ comfort. Dr. Matin’s proposed façades will be tested with hourly adaptation and motion scenarios that address the effects of color temperature, light intensity, uniformity, and glare on human circadian rhythm.
Dr. Matin aims to use her study’s findings to design and develop a new type of responsive façades that will address all aspects of building occupants’ needs.
A project designed by Gibbs College of Architecture faculty member Austin Lightle has been selected for BuildFest 2026, a national art and architecture festival held at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.
Two Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumni are helping shape recommendations that could influence affordable housing design and construction across Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries recently welcomed Carl Siegel as an Architecture Librarian and Archivist and Assistant Professor. In his role, Siegel supports students, faculty and staff across the Gibbs College of Architecture while also serving as archivist for the American School of Architecture Archives.
