Lee Fithian, Ph.D., AIA, an associate professor of architecture at Gibbs College, has been appointed to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Building Performance Committee.
The National Building Performance Committee (NBPC) is part of the AIA’s Knowledge Community, which focuses on improving occupant comfort and health, along with the function, durability, sustainability, and resilience of buildings. Fithian, the first member of the advisory group to represent higher education, will also work to foster collaboration between the NBPC and the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) to align shared goals and outcomes.
“This appointment comes at a unique juncture as the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) rolls out its new Competency Standard for Architects,” Fithian said. “I look forward to serving as a liaison and share the knowledge I have gained in practice, research, and teaching to advance both the profession and our college.”
“Lee’s appointment to this AIA Knowledge Community was inevitable, given her steady national ascendance as an acclaimed expert in sustainability, resilience, and collaboration. Few professionals possess her practical and educational experience and intellectual acumen”, stated Hans E. Butzer FAIA and dean of the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture. “Her expertise that has helped make our architecture program a recognized leader in sustainability and resilience will assuredly further elevate the impact of the NBPC’s work.”
In addition to her teaching and research, Fithian serves as the director of the University of Oklahoma’s Online Master of Science in Sustainable Architecture program, where she helps prepare students to address contemporary challenges in sustainability and resilience.
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
