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Jeffrey Mansfield, principal at the Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS) Design Group and director of MASS’s Deaf Space and Disability Justice Design Lab (DSDJ), assisted OU Architecture faculty in leading a five-day design charrette. Mansfield joined the D6 and D10 studios and the M6 class led by Wanda Liebermann, Amber Sarmiento, Marco Piscitelli, Amy Leveno and Francesco Cianfarani to explore DeafSpace design principles in their projects.
MASS is an architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts that provides innovative design solutions to communities around the world. The DSDJ strives to empower Deaf and Disabled communities and reclaim their typical spatial narratives.
The DeafSpace Guidelines, developed at Gallaudet University, emerged from a study of the visual and other sensorial experiences of Deaf and hard of hearing communities. These guidelines shift the focus to designing for light, movement, reverberation, materiality, and sensory reach. The pin-up on Wednesday, February 22 featured a lively discussion of students’ innovative interpretations.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
