A team of graduate students from the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture claimed a significant victory April 27, earning top honors in the Multi-Family Housing Division of the international BuildingNEXT competition, held at the U.S. Department of Energy’s laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
The Eco-Sooner team, made up of 11 master’s and doctoral students from various divisions of the college, competed against 93 other colleges and universities from around the world. Judges praised the team for its innovative and well-rounded design, which focused on high-performance systems and long-term energy savings. Their project tackled substantial global challenges like affordable housing and lowering consumer costs with solutions that can be scaled widely.
Negar Matin, Ph.D., faculty advisor to the team, expressed her pride in their accomplishment. “This recognition is a testament to our students’ hard work, innovation and collaborative spirit,” she said. “Their success not only highlights the excellence of our academic programs but also underscores our commitment to sustainable and affordable housing solutions across Oklahoma.”
The BuildingNEXT competition, formerly known as the Solar Decathlon competition, recognizes outstanding achievement by awarding four teams in each division an honorable mention. The Eco-Sooner team’s win in the Multi-Family Housing Division places them among the top-performing teams in the world.
The 2025 Eco-Sooner team.
“This latest achievement in the BuildingNEXT competition further solidifies the OU team’s position as one of the top-performing groups in the nation,” said Hans Butzer, dean of the College of Architecture. “Their continued excellence reflects not only technical skill but also exceptional leadership, bringing together master’s and Ph.D. students from across disciplines to deliver outstanding results.”
The Eco-Sooners team’s student members include Shiva Azizi, Akshaya Balakrishnan, Abbey Fradette, Jennifer Fuentes-Gonzales, Yousef Haghighi, Rodney Hurt, Charlotte McMeekin, Iman Moradi, Keerthana Nampally, Juan Jose Serrano Sala and Oluwayanmife Taiwo.
The award ceremony, linked below, held at the Department of Energy facility marked a high point in a rigorous competition known for showcasing the latest in sustainable design and construction.
Congratulations, Eco-Sooners!
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.
