Thank you to the Gibbs College alumni, design professionals, student volunteers, and event organizers who participated in this year’s IIDA ZeroLandfill OKC event!
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Texas-Oklahoma chapter recently hosted the 2021 ZeroLandfill OKC event. The organization partnered with Oklahoma City interior designers and architects, encouraging them to clean out their discontinued or un-used finish materials from their libraries. They then donated these materials that would normally be thrown away to IIDA ZeroLandfill. These materials include carpet tiles, laminate chips, tile samples, wood flooring, fabric swatches, metal chips, wall coverings, etc. During the event on October 23rd, teachers, artists, and the general public could come pick up materials to upcycle for their own use.
Since 2014, the IIDA ZeroLandfill OKC project team has partnered with the architectural and interior design community to collect expired or un-used sample material for re-purposing back into the community. Since 2014, they have diverted over 55 Tons from Oklahoma landfills. IIDA ZeroLandfill OKC is an annual up-cycling program that supports the supply needs of local artists and educators, while reducing pressure on local landfill capacity. This year, 13 tons of materials were diverted from landfills including from the OU Interior Design Materials Resource Library!
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.
