Vanessa Morrison, interim director of the Institute for Quality Communities and faculty member at Gibbs College, and Deborah Richards, assistant professor of architecture, were recently featured in the design magazine “Metropolis“. In addition to their roles at Gibbs College, Morrison and Richards are co-founders of Open Design Collective, a nonprofit design firm based in Oklahoma City that works to empower Black communities through architecture, urban planning, and cultural preservation.
The Metropolis article highlights their community-led approach to design, with an emphasis on reparative justice. Open Design Collective addresses historical inequities by working directly with residents to create spaces that reflect the cultural and social needs of marginalized communities. One notable project includes a $500,000 EPA grant to develop a green space and environmental monitoring system in northeast Oklahoma City, promoting environmental justice and community cohesion.
Open Design Collective emphasizes a collaborative, co-design process, ensuring community members play a key role in shaping their neighborhoods. By integrating architecture and urban planning with social justice principles, Morrison and Richards are working to reshape traditional design models and place community voices at the forefront.
Metropolis, an internationally recognized magazine in design and architecture, featured this work as part of its series on innovative design practices. The article shines a spotlight on the importance of community-focused design in addressing social and spatial inequities.
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.
