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Earlier this academic year, OU first-year Interior Design studio students showcased their understanding of design principles through an innovative mid-term project: creating a mobile. This assignment allowed students to explore and demonstrate their mastery of fundamental design principles in a dynamic and engaging way.
The project, part of the fall 2024 midterm for the first-year Interior Design studio class, was led by Associate Professor Chelsea Holcomb and Lecturers Jennifer Shirley and Julie Hornbeek. Students were tasked with designing and constructing a mobile—a type of kinetic sculpture composed of suspended, weighted objects or rods that move in response to air currents or motor power. The two-week assignment culminated in presentations to Gibbs faculty.
Students present their mobile projects.
The mobile was chosen as a medium because it inherently embodies key principles of design, such as balance, harmony, and, most importantly, movement. To emphasize this, students were required to submit a video of their mobiles in motion, demonstrating how their designs interacted with the surrounding environment.
Mobiles by first-year Interior Design students.
During their presentations, students delivered concise “elevator pitches” lasting 30 seconds to a minute, explaining their design concepts and the rationale behind their choices. They also fielded questions from instructors about how their work reflected the design principles studied throughout the semester.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture assistant professor Amy Leveno and Mark Leveno, co-founders of OFFICIAL Design, have received a 2026 AIA Central States Region Design Award for the firm’s Granger Annex Community Center project in Garland, Texas.
Construction Industry Speaker Series welcomed Stephen Evans from the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to give a lecture on better conversations and relationship building.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Joseph Edgar Smay is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
