OFFICIAL, the design practice founded by Assistant Professor of Architecture Amy Leveno and her partner Mark Leveno, has been recognized with an AIA Oklahoma Design Award for their Riverhills Residence project.
Situated on a one-acre site with a natural westward slope toward downtown Fort Worth, Riverhills Residence is thoughtfully designed to engage both the panoramic views and the site’s unique topography. The land’s uniform drop at its center creates a natural internal courtyard, allowing the architecture to embed itself seamlessly into the hillside.
Riverhills residence. Photo courtesy of OFFICIAL.
From the street, the home presents a low-slung façade that aligns in scale with neighboring residences, establishing a subtle and contextual street presence. To the west, the design opens outward to the expansive vista and inward to the intimate lower-level courtyard and pool. A continuous balcony wraps the second floor, connecting interior spaces with the landscape and offering ever-changing perspectives of the courtyard and the sweeping view beyond.
The landscape design transitions from formal plantings around the residence to existing and native vegetation as it descends the slope, reinforcing the site’s natural character. Deep overhangs and sliding solar screens provide passive solar control, filtering sunlight while preserving openness and visual connections to the outdoors. Tiered levels throughout the house further enhance the relationship between interior and exterior spaces, creating a dynamic interplay between built form and landscape.
The Gibbs College community congratulates Professor Leveno and her firm, OFFICIAL, on this well-deserved honor.
Robert L. Wesley, a pioneering architect and beloved mentor, has died at age 88. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Wesley joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1964 and became the firm's first Black partner in 1984. Throughout his career, he contributed to significant architectural projects while maintaining a strong commitment to civic engagement and professional mentorship.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. [PA1.1]Butzer returned to one of his most significant works on December 15, joining survivors and past and present board members for the groundbreaking of a $15.8 million expansion of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
