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 annual competition challenges university students to tackle a comprehensive, real-world construction and development scenario. This year's competition selected a location in Alabama, where teams were charged with selecting a lot, identifying a target consumer, and designing a home from the ground up. Beyond the design element, students were also required to develop a full sales and marketing plan, cost estimates, project schedules, a construction management plan, and a detailed financial analysis outlining how they would fund and ultimately profit from the venture.
The team was composed of students from the Construction Science (CNS) and Architecture (ARCH) programs, bringing together a range of skills and perspectives that represent the way real construction and design projects actually come together. The team was coached by CNS Assistant Professor Bryan Bloom.
Team members included Kendall Knighton, Kate Brigmon, Francesca Costanzo, Jared Schenk, and Matthias Wittenberg from CNS; Sasha Alexander, Chloe Bys, Natalia Koo Vinatea, and Carson Holmes from ARCH; and Barbara Garcia from END.
Gibbs College of Architecture (GCA) alumnus Tony Wu has spent nearly two decades at Pelli Clarke & Partners, rising to Senior Associate and leading projects on an international scale. His most recent notable work, a transit-oriented development in Yibin, China, earned national recognition in the country and was featured on ArchDaily.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Tim Stephens has accepted the position of Senior Director of Development for Gibbs College, beginning April 15, 2026.
Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi, professor of Architecture at the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, is advancing a major research project that examines how societies across time and place have organized the built environment in strikingly similar ways.
