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In collaboration with the Institute for Quality Communities, OU Interior Design and Environmental Design students are working on an adaptive reuse project in Taft, Oklahoma. Taft is a small town located in Muskogee County and is one of Oklahoma’s thirteen remaining Black townships. In 2023, the community reached out to the IQC for assistance in revitalizing the town’s community spaces.
The IQC perennially invites communities across Oklahoma to collaborate on urban planning and design projects, employing the knowledge and skills of students and faculty at Gibbs College to deliver recommendations. The IQC has completed more than 50 community projects in 28 Oklahoma counties, including the Westville project which recently received a Built Environment Grant from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.
The Taft project has two main areas of focus: the Moton School, a historic schoolhouse near Taft’s City Hall and Community Resource Center, and the Panther Health and Fitness Trail, a multi-use paved trail that runs alongside an abandoned rail line. Notably, the Moton School is two blocks away from the Panther Health and Fitness Trail.
Taft stakeholders give a tour of the Panther Health and Fitness Trail.
Throughout the spring 2024 semester, students will work with community leaders and subject matter experts to reimagine the rail line and school. They will then explore how Taft can revitalize the community and improve the town’s overall quality of life.
Taft stakeholders speak to OU students inside City Hall.
Led by Mia Kile and Marco Piscitelli, the Interior Design students are working on design solutions for the adaptive reuse of the Moton School. This one-story, 8,000 square-foot structure is located in a mixed-use, low-density neighborhood. The students are challenged to work with the existing shell of the building to create an impactful new space that is connected to the community’s needs.
Taft City Hall.
In Vanessa Morrison’s Environmental Design Practicum, students are working on design and programming concepts to enhance the Panther Health and Fitness Trail. The goal is to rebuild an ecosystem of active public spaces to improve and support Taft’s quality of life, cultural visibility and community revitalization efforts.
Taft stakeholders speak to OU students.
In early February, the students travelled to Taft and toured the school and walking trail. Led by Kim Lee, a resident of Taft and alumna of the Moton School, the students evaluated the sites to inform their potential design concepts. They also engaged with local community members and learned about the town’s deep legacy connected to education, entrepreneurship, innovation and resiliency.
In April, the students will hear from Clyde Higgs, president and CEO of the Atlanta Beltline, Inc. The Atlanta Beltline is one of the largest redevelopment projects in the nation, providing a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor in Atlanta, Georgia. Higgs will speak to students about how green space supports culture, economic development, mobility and community revitalization. The event will be open to all of Gibbs College for shared learning and inspiration.
At the end of the semester, the students will share their design solutions with Taft city officials. Their work will provide the community with the necessary ideas and information to seek funding and support future renovations.
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.
