Vanessa Morrison, interim director of the Institute for Quality Communities and faculty member at Gibbs College, and Deborah Richards, assistant professor of architecture, were recently featured in the design magazine “Metropolis“. In addition to their roles at Gibbs College, Morrison and Richards are co-founders of Open Design Collective, a nonprofit design firm based in Oklahoma City that works to empower Black communities through architecture, urban planning, and cultural preservation.
The Metropolis article highlights their community-led approach to design, with an emphasis on reparative justice. Open Design Collective addresses historical inequities by working directly with residents to create spaces that reflect the cultural and social needs of marginalized communities. One notable project includes a $500,000 EPA grant to develop a green space and environmental monitoring system in northeast Oklahoma City, promoting environmental justice and community cohesion.
Open Design Collective emphasizes a collaborative, co-design process, ensuring community members play a key role in shaping their neighborhoods. By integrating architecture and urban planning with social justice principles, Morrison and Richards are working to reshape traditional design models and place community voices at the forefront.
Metropolis, an internationally recognized magazine in design and architecture, featured this work as part of its series on innovative design practices. The article shines a spotlight on the importance of community-focused design in addressing social and spatial inequities.
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.
