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20 students in the Gibbs College of Architecture’s American School Design+Build (ASDB) program, including 13 architecture students, 6 construction science students and 1 environmental design student, are partnering this semester with WildCare Oklahoma, and together they have been named one of five North American finalists for the Land Rover Defender Service Awards. The honor carries the opportunity for a $30,000 grant, with funding supported by Chase and other high-profile sponsors, including Disney. The winner will be determined by public vote October 3–19, 2025. You can cast your vote for WildCare Oklahoma on Land Rover’s website.
As part of the year-long design-build studio, OU Architecture and Construction Science students are working with WildCare to design and construct a Bat and Swift Rehabilitation Facility. The project is led by faculty members Ken Marold in the Division of Architecture and Bryan Bloom in the Haskell and Irene Lemon Construction Science Division. If awarded, the grant will be dedicated directly to this project, helping create specialized enclosures that improve animal care while also giving students hands-on professional experience.
Design+Build students working on-site
ASDB is a hallmark of Gibbs College’s approach to experiential education. Each year, students take on a real client, a real site, and a real community need, guiding projects from schematic design through construction. The program reflects the ethos of OU’s American School of Architecture, which emphasizes experimentation, responsiveness to place, and the inseparability of making and thinking.
Recent ASDB projects include the Urban Learning Greenhouse at John Rex Charter School in Oklahoma City, the SunHive Collective Community Space in Norman, and a series of community greenhouses supporting STEAM education across the metro. These projects demonstrate the program’s dual impact: preparing students for practice while delivering lasting facilities to schools, nonprofits, and community organizations.
WildCare, based in Noble, is one of Oklahoma’s leading wildlife rehabilitation organizations, providing treatment and care for thousands of animals each year. The new facility designed in partnership with OU will expand its capacity to care for bats and chimney swifts, two species vital to ecological balance in the region.
If you would like to learn more about WildCare and its mission, visit wildcareoklahoma.org.
You can also follow the American School Design Build’s ongoing progress and projects at americanschooldesignbuild.com or on Instagram at @ou_designbuild.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition 200 Digital Drawings by Professor Tiziana Proietti, currently on display in the Gould Hall Living Room.
Gibbs College of Architecture Professors Amber Brown and Amy Leveno led 29 students to Dallas, Texas, in September for a learning experience as part of their Design 7 Studio course.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture professor and Institute for Quality Communities Director Dr. Amber N. Wiley’s book, Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital, has received two major honors from the Urban History Association.
