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The Open Design Collective, a nonprofit design and planning firm founded by Vanessa Morrison and Deborah Richards, was recently featured in Architect magazine. Vanessa Morrison, the Associate Director of the University of Oklahoma’s Institute of Quality Communities, is a social-impact planner who lives and works in northeastern Oklahoma City. Deborah Richards, AIA, is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Gibbs College and a licensed architect in New York, Oklahoma and Massachusetts. Morrison and Richards founded the Open Design Collective to create an Oklahoma City-based design firm that centers community input and engagement as the main driver of the design process.
The article in Architect magazine reports on the Open Design Collective’s first major project, the South of 8th Street Masterplan. The Oklahoma City Redevelopment Authority commissioned the Open Design Collective to create a masterplan for property in northeastern Oklahoma City owned by the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA). The historically Black area was severely impacted by past urban renewal and highway development efforts. The Open Design Collective engaged the community to develop a masterplan for future development in the area, which will be published sometime in the coming months.
To learn more about how the Open Design Collective engaged the community to develop the masterplan, read the Architect article.
A team of Construction Science and Architecture students from the Gibbs College of Architecture made their mark on the national stage this week, earning third place out of 37 universities competing at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition, held during the International Builders' Show in Orlando, February 16-18, 2026.
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has elevated Gary Armbruster, FAIA, ALEP to its prestigious College of Fellows—AIA’s highest membership honor—for his exceptional work and sustained contributions to architecture and society. Fellowship recognizes architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant impact at a national level. Members elevated to this distinction carry the FAIA designation after their name.
Students from the Spring 2026 Graduate 4 Architecture Design Studio, led by Professor Amy Leveno, exhibited their work at the School of Visual Arts. The exhibition, titled Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts, featured drawings, models, and animations developed throughout the semester's studio project. The show was hosted in The Spotlight, a creative gallery space located on the first floor of the Fred Jones Art Center, and ran from January 20–30, 2026.
