30 high school students from across the state took part in OU Gibbs College’s recent annual design camp, led this year by interior design faculty Elizabeth Pober and Chelsea Holcomb. The camp introduces students to OU’s Interior Design and Architecture degree programs and associated professions.
Design camp students with architectural models.
From June 4-9, the students were provided the full college experience, with the opportunity to live in the residence halls, eat in the cafeteria and attend classes. They also participated in teambuilding exercises, learned about the elements and principles of design and developed basic graphic skills.
Design camp students creating digital models.
Throughout the week, the students worked on a project where they designed a small coffee shop kiosk, located on the South Oval of the OU Norman campus. For the project, the students conducted precedent studies, built physical and digital models, and created floor plans, elevations, sections and perspective renderings.
Students on the South Oval.
The students utilized important architectural tools including SketchUp to create digital models and a heliodon to study the impact of daylight on their designs. By the end of the week, the students presented their full-scale design plans to share their ideas and show what they learned.
Testing impacts of daylight with the heliodon.
This year, Gibbs College received a grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to fund the camp. Gibbs also partnered with OU Precollegiate Programs to provide students with housing, food arrangements and camp counselors. This year’s camp counselors included fellow Gibbs students Joey Barzellone, a third-year Interior Design student, and Ben Jawad, a third-year Architecture student.
Pober would like to thank Chris Elliot, Joseph Tassinari, Cassie Eads and everyone else who made this camp possible. She hopes to receive grant funding again next summer to host her 14th annual design camp.
A team of Construction Science and Architecture students from the Gibbs College of Architecture made their mark on the national stage this week, earning third place out of 37 universities competing at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition, held during the International Builders' Show in Orlando, February 16-18, 2026.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has elevated Gary Armbruster, FAIA, ALEP to its prestigious College of Fellows—AIA’s highest membership honor—for his exceptional work and sustained contributions to architecture and society. Fellowship recognizes architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant impact at a national level. Members elevated to this distinction carry the FAIA designation after their name.
Students from the Spring 2026 Graduate 4 Architecture Design Studio, led by Professor Amy Leveno, exhibited their work at the School of Visual Arts. The exhibition, titled Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts, featured drawings, models, and animations developed throughout the semester's studio project. The show was hosted in The Spotlight, a creative gallery space located on the first floor of the Fred Jones Art Center, and ran from January 20–30, 2026.
