his summer, third-year Ph.D. student Felipe Flores served as an architectural associate at DLZ Corporation. DLZ is one of the leading consulting firms within the realms of architecture, engineering and surveying. It currently occupies the 139th spot on Engineering-News Record’s esteemed list of the Top 500 Design Firms in the United States. Additionally, it stands as the 11th largest firm in the Midwest, boasting a workforce of over 800 individuals spread across 29 offices.
As an intern, Flores was an integral part of the design team at the St. Joseph office in Michigan. He contributed his expertise to several noteworthy projects, including the renovation of the USPS Chicago Bulk Mail Center in Forest Park, IL, the modification of an existing master plan for the Livonia City Department of Public Works in Livonia, MI, and the conceptual design of the Ingham County Potter Park Zoo’s new animal hospital in Lansing, MI.
The design proposal for the Cultivating Kentucky community garden.
He also played a pivotal role in the conceptual design phases of the Delhi Township Fire Station in Cincinnati, OH, and the Michigan State Police Training Academy’s Drive Track Building Replacement. Among these remarkable projects, Flores holds a special reverence for Cultivating Kentucky, primarily due to its altruistic mission to serve the Morganfield, KY, community. Cultivating Kentucky is a non-profit organization that works to combat social isolation in rural areas of the state.
Cultivating Kentucky project goals.
Its mission centers on nurturing community-based learning and programming with a strong emphasis on nutrition, wellness, art, recreation and mental health. Flores and the DLZ team were thrilled to be an integral part of this significant project. As the representative designer, Flores played a pivotal role in developing a conceptual design for a new community space intended for hosting community programs and retreats.
A perspective view rendering of the Cultivating Kentucky design.
According to Flores, the clients were deeply impressed by the team’s design proposal and underlying project rationale. Jason Vetne, the division manager at DLZ, expressed his enthusiasm by stating, “It’s not often that a client uses the word ‘profound’ in response to a presentation.”
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.
