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Earlier this academic year, OU first-year Interior Design studio students showcased their understanding of design principles through an innovative mid-term project: creating a mobile. This assignment allowed students to explore and demonstrate their mastery of fundamental design principles in a dynamic and engaging way.
The project, part of the fall 2024 midterm for the first-year Interior Design studio class, was led by Associate Professor Chelsea Holcomb and Lecturers Jennifer Shirley and Julie Hornbeek. Students were tasked with designing and constructing a mobile—a type of kinetic sculpture composed of suspended, weighted objects or rods that move in response to air currents or motor power. The two-week assignment culminated in presentations to Gibbs faculty.
Students present their mobile projects.
The mobile was chosen as a medium because it inherently embodies key principles of design, such as balance, harmony, and, most importantly, movement. To emphasize this, students were required to submit a video of their mobiles in motion, demonstrating how their designs interacted with the surrounding environment.
Mobiles by first-year Interior Design students.
During their presentations, students delivered concise “elevator pitches” lasting 30 seconds to a minute, explaining their design concepts and the rationale behind their choices. They also fielded questions from instructors about how their work reflected the design principles studied throughout the semester.
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
