Oscar Concessao, an alumnus of the OU Master of Urban Design program, and his wife Ponni Concessao recently designed the Telangana State Secretariat, the largest state capitol in India. Their firm, OCI Architects, won a national competition held by the Telangana government and was chosen out of a large pool of accomplished firms, also making Ponni the first woman architect in India to design a State Secretariat.
Oscar and Ponni Concessao.
The Concessaos founded OCI Architects in 1996, shortly after completing school in the United States and returning to their hometown of Chennai, India. Their firm has received widespread recognition for its innovative designs, and has won over 150 international, national and state awards. They have designed a large variety of projects at universities, hospitals, government state buildings and now, the largest state capitol in India.
Their firm completed the State Secretariat in just two years, despite the struggles brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. They utilized local materials and a blend of Eastern and Western cultures to reflect the heritage and traditions of the local Telanagana people in their design. The 1.2 million-square-foot building received a Green Gold rating from the Indian Green Building Council, which recognizes the project’s national excellence.
Featured Image: Exterior view of the Telangana State Secretariat.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
Gibbs Construction Science and Architecture students recently traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to compete in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 8 Student Competition. The team partnered with Czech Technical University and secured third place in the Design-Build category.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2026 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
