Tanvin Mahtub Fariha, a first-year Master of Landscape Architecture student in the Gibbs College of Architecture and a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, has earned recognition for her work. Her undergraduate thesis project, Redeveloping the Urban Fabric around the Maijdee Court Building Dighi, received a Merit Award from the St. Louis Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects Central States Conference Awards jury.
Her project focuses on the Maijdee Court Building Dighi, a historic urban pond at the civic heart of Noakhali, Bangladesh. Originally excavated as part of the city’s administrative district, the Dighi holds deep cultural significance but has become environmentally stressed and increasingly disconnected from the surrounding community.
Rendering of Maijdee Court Building Dighi
Through her design, Fariha reimagines the Dighi as a vibrant and welcoming public space. She combines ecological restoration, improved pedestrian access and culturally meaningful gathering areas to strengthen its role as a civic landmark. Strategies such as restoring pond edges, planting native vegetation and using permeable paving help manage stormwater, support local wildlife and create a cooler, more comfortable environment while reinforcing the site’s identity as a shared destination.
New pedestrian corridors and waterfront promenades reconnect nearby institutions and neighborhoods, encouraging everyday use, community events and informal recreation. The project presents a model for mid-sized cities seeking to balance heritage, climate resilience and active public life through landscape-driven urban design.
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.
A project by University of Oklahoma Architecture lecturer René Peralta, developed through Generica Architecture with co-director Monica Fragoso and collaborators Andrew Stone and Ty Brown-Field, is now on view in Gould Hall as a focused installation drawn from the recent exhibition Is Housing Still Housing? Houston’s Single-Family House.
