On November 19, 2025, Gibbs College of Architecture hosted a panel focused on how artificial intelligence can be integrated into the University of Oklahoma’s (OU) and College’s policies and practices, as well as its teaching and research efforts.
Charles Warnken, an associate professor in the University of Oklahoma’s Master of Regional and City Planning (MRCP) program, is leading a major national academic event in his role as the National Conference Committee Chair for the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP).
Associate professor of Architecture Tamar Zinguer recently contributed to a dynamic, multidisciplinary conversation as part of the University of Oklahoma Arts & Humanities Forum’s 2025–26 theme year, “Dirt.” The event—“What Dirt Is Not: Thinking with Loess, Sand, Shell, and Dust”—brought together scholars from across the OU and beyond to examine how different kinds of earth and sediment shape environments, histories, and cultural narratives.
The Lemon Family Distinguished Speaker Series in Community and Real Estate Development launched this fall with its inaugural lecture delivered by Jared Della Valle, CEO and Co-Founder of Alloy Development.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture recently hosted the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) 2025 Faculty Bootcamp. Once a year, construction educators and industry partners join together and shape the future of the industry. Over the span of several days, professionals explore new technologies, exchange best practices, and strengthen their commitment to preparing the next generation of industry leaders.
Lahari Peluri, an alumna of the University of Oklahoma’s Urban Design program and Urban Planner III at Freese and Nichols, presented at the Barcelona Livable Cities Conference 2025, hosted by AMPS Research at La Salle BCN.
Jessica Steele, second-year landscape architecture graduate student, was invited to speak on the topic of Low-Impact Development at this year’s Sustainable Urban Landscape Conference at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Her discussion included ways to adapt to increasing threats of localized flooding and strategies to improve biodiversity and add aesthetic value to our environments.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Kiara Gilmore, Associate Architect and Director of Emerging Professionals at Modus Studio, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for 2025. As Goff Chair, Gilmore is invited to give a public lecture this semester, open to all Gibbs students, faculty, and staff.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Jack DeBartolo III, FAIA, principal and design leader of DeBartolo Architects, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for 2025. As Goff Chair, DeBartolo is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming semester, open to all Gibbs students, faculty, and staff.
This April, architectural historian and preservationist Dr. Amber N. Wiley will release her book, Model Schools in the Model City, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Dr. Wiley is an associate professor of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and the Wick Cary Director of the Institute for Quality Communities in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Nathalie Miebach, an acclaimed sculptor known for her interdisciplinary approach to art and science, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for 2025. As Goff Chair, Miebach is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming semester, open to all Gibbs students, faculty, and staff.
The Goff Lecture Committee invites you to a lecture by Simon Allford of Allford Hall Monagham Morris. Simon Allford is a founding director of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM). He leads a studio of two hundred architects working around the world on the design and construction of projects. These projects reflect his belief that outstanding architecture accommodates different uses to those that called it into being by offering an extraordinary and delightful backdrop to the theatre of everyday life.
The Center for Architecture + Design in San Francisco hosted an opening reception for the “Do Not Try to Remember” exhibition. Organized by the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture, the exhibition explores the groundbreaking work of renegade architects who helped shape Bay Area design in the mid-20th century.
Satyendra Pakhalé is a globally recognized designer whose pioneering work bridges industrial innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural narratives. With a career spanning decades, his multidisciplinary practice has redefined design across industries, from industrial design to architecture. His work is known for pushing the limits of materials and technology while maintaining a deep connection to human experience and sensorial design.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce this spring’s Goff Lecture Series. This lecture series was made possible with support from the Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture.
The 2024 Gibbs College of Architecture Celebration Banquet brought together students, faculty, alumni, and donors to celebrate scholarship awards and induct three distinguished alumni into the Gibbs College Hall of Fame. Held at the Sam Noble Museum, the event recognized the achievements and commitment of the Gibbs College community.
Join Gibbs College for the “Outré West Symposium” on October 17 and architectural tours on October 18, 2024. Featuring gallery tours of the Outré West exhibition, presentations on mid-century architecture, a reception and architectural tours, these events offer an opportunity to learn more about the American School of Architecture, which was born in Oklahoma and thrived in California!
Gibbs College is excited to announce that Carey Lyon, founding Director of Lyons, and Ian McDougall, founding Director of ARM Architecture, will be featured in the Goff Lecture Series for 2024. Both distinguished architects will give a public lecture open to all Gibbs students, faculty, and staff.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Lawrence Scarpa, principal of Brook + Scarpa, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for 2024. As Goff Chair, Scarpa is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming semester, open to all Gibbs students, faculty and staff.
On April 11, 2024, The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) hosted Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of the Atlanta BeltLine, to share lessons learned from the iconic project. The fully booked event drew dozens of students, members of the Taft community, event sponsors, and friends from the broader metro community.
Mark your calendars for the OU Alumni + Friends Reception at the 2024 AIA National Conference! Scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, 2024, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m, Dean Hans E. Butzer will host the event at the Crimson View Rooftop Bar located within the Motto by Hilton Washington DC City Center.
Ladan Mozaffarian, assistant professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, recently participated in the esteemed International Conference on Urban Affairs. This annual event brings together urban-focused researchers, planners and policy advocates to examine strategies to make cities more equitable and resilient.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities recently hosted a Route 66 Placemaking Retreat in collaboration with the OU Arts and Humanities Forum. The retreat was funded by an Oklahoma Humanities “Community Discussions” grant that an interdisciplinary OU team received in November. This retreat built upon the team’s site visits and community discussions in several historic towns along Route 66.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities is proud to announce the visit of Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc, on Thursday, April 11th to share stories and lessons learned from the iconic Atlanta BeltLine project. The event will take place at Gould Hall’s Buskuhl Gallery from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. RSVP is required to attend.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce the Spring 2024 Career and Internship Fair! The event will take place on Thursday, February 22, 2024, from 3:30 – 6 p.m. at the Thurman J. White Forum.
Gibbs College’s annual Charles W. Graham Travel Study Gala will be held on February 23, 2024, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at VAST (333 W. Sheridan Ave, 50th Floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 – click here for parking information). It will feature a three-course meal with fine wine pairings. Individual tickets are $200. All proceeds support student travel study scholarships and opportunities.
In October, a group of Architecture students represented OU at the 2023 National Organization of Minority Architects Conference in Portland, Oregon. The annual NOMA conference brings together NOMA members, allies and students to engage in thought-provoking seminar sessions, connect with industry experts and celebrate member achievements.
A group of OU graduate Landscape Architecture students recently attended the 2023 National American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Conference in Minneapolis. This ASLA conference is the largest gathering of landscape architects and allied professionals in the world, bringing together attendees to learn, celebrate, build relationships and strengthen friendships within the professional community.
The International Conference of Heritage and Affect, co-organized by Angela Person (associate professor of Architecture, University of Oklahoma) and Jacque Micieli-Voutsinas (assistant professor of Museum Studies, University of Florida), will take place online in late November and early December 2023. The conference brings together dozens of leading scholars from around the world to explore the affective, visceral, and more-than-representational atmospheres of heritage landscapes.
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Several students from OU’s Master of Landscape Architecture and Regional + City Planning programs recently received awards at the annual meeting of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Each year, the OKASLA hosts an annual conference to recognize exceptional ASLA members and their achievements and discuss relevant topics within the discipline.
The University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture, in partnership with the OU School of Visual Arts, is pleased to announce that Alison Fisher and Craig Lee will give a public lecture as a part of the 2023 Goff Lecture Series. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 4:30 p.m. in Nielsen Hall, room 170.
Marjorie Callahan, professor of Architecture, was recently invited to speak at the 2023 Annual OU Law Conference. The conference took place from Sept. 22-23 at the OU College of Law and featured a variety of keynote speakers, presentations and activities. Callahan gave the keynote address at the conference’s reception dinner and spoke about the value of Architecture in jail design.
Third-year Ph.D. student Felipe Flores was recently invited to speak at the Thematic Conference of the International Geographic Union. The conference took place in Mexico City from Aug. 18-25 and featured various sub-thematic sessions, speakers, excursions and workshops. Flores participated in the panel “Local and Urban Governance: lessons from the past and perspectives for resilient and sustainable development in a time of global emergencies and transitions.”
OU Urban Design alumni recently teamed up with the Society of Urban Design Students to celebrate International Park(ing) Day. On Sept. 15, they occupied parking spaces in downtown Tulsa to transform on-street parking into urban parklets.
René Peralta, a lecturer in the Division of Architecture, was invited to present at the 2023 AIA Oklahoma Conference. The conference will take place in Enid, Oklahoma, from Oct. 5-6 and will feature a variety of guest speakers, activities and presentations.
OU Interior Design Faculty recently presented at the Environmental Design Research Association’s 54th Annual Mexico City Conference. Professors of Interior Design Dawn Loraas and Yeji Yi both attended the conference and shared their research findings.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce the Fall 2023 Career and Internship Fair! The event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, from 3-6 p.m. at the Thurman J. White Forum.
James Collard, professor of Regional and City Planning and director of planning and economic development for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, was invited to speak at the “Making Global Goals a Local Affair” webinar. The event took place on Aug. 10 and was hosted by the International Economic Development Council.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Thomas Kang is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester. Thomas Kang is a professor in the Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU) in Korea. Before that, he was a professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at OU and has held various affiliated positions at universities around the world.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that David Logan is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming school year. Logan is currently the Director of Tax & Trade Policy Analysis for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Chadwick Allen is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester, co-sponsored by OU Departments of English, Film & Media Studies, Geography and Native American Studies. Chadwick Allen serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement at the University of Washington Seattle (UW), where he is also a Professor of English and Adjunct Professor of American Indian Studies. He has published numerous books and has conducted interdisciplinary work on Indigenous earthworks – a study of cultural and political revitalization through the built environment.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce our Goff Lecture Series for the upcoming school year. This lecture series was made possible with support from the Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Jonathan Tate is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester. Jonathan Tate is the founder and principal of OJT, an award-winning architecture firm based in New Orleans. OJT was established in 2011 as a creative, expansive, and exploratory practice with a desire to contribute to contemporary discourse.
The Gibbs College of Architecture and OU Libraries invite you to celebrate exhibitions on the American School in California. These exhibitions showcase the works of John Marsh Davis and Mickey Muennig, two architects who studied at OU under Bruce Goff and went on to have distinguished careers in California.
30 high school students from across the state took part in OU Gibbs College’s recent annual design camp, led this year by interior design faculty Elizabeth Pober and Chelsea Holcomb. The camp introduces students to OU’s Interior Design and Architecture degree programs and associated professions.
OU Architecture faculty member René Peralta was a panelist for this year’s California Lawyers for the Arts symposium, INTERSECTIONS: Art and Law at the Border. With a focus on the geopolitical context of the Tijuana-San Diego region, the intention of this gathering was to highlight artists, activists, lawyers, scholars and researchers whose work navigates the intersection of art, praxis and legal issues.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that David J. Lewis, a principal of LTL Architects and dean of Parsons School of Constructed Environments, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for fall 2023. For his lecture, Lewis will discuss his work related to the Manual of Biogenic House Sections, which articulates how plant-based and low-carbon materials can produce a profound rethinking of section in houses.
Mark your calendars for the OU Alumni + Friends Reception at the 2023 AIA National Conference! Scheduled for Friday, June 9, 2023, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m, Dean Hans E. Butzer will host the event at the Living Room Bar located within the W San Francisco Hotel.
Fernando Costa, a professor of practice in the Regional + City Planning program, recently chaired a seven-member Urban Land Institute (ULI) advisory services panel in Fort Wayne, Indiana. ULI is a global, multidisciplinary research and education organization that promotes best practices in real estate development. Professor Costa currently serves ULI as a Global Governing Trustee, Americas Executive Committee member, and member of the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee.
Professors of Interior Design Dr. Suchismita Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yeji Yi and graduate student Azra Fific presented at the I.D.E.A. symposium, hosted by OU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yi presented their teaching experience, “Universal Design in Architecture." Fific presented her project “Refugees and Placemaking: Healing Trauma Through Interior Design.”
In February, the Interior Design Professional Advisory Board hosted their annual career prep workshop. This event helps students prepare for the career fair each spring through resume and portfolio feedback sessions and mock interviews.
On March 20th, hundreds of planning and design professionals, civic leaders, and students gathered at the University of Oklahoma for the 5th biennial Institute for Quality Communities’ Placemaking Conference. The all-day event featured speakers working in a variety of fields, all of which contribute to community placemaking.
Outstanding OU Urban Design alumni recently gathered at the 2023 State Planning Conference, sponsored by the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA). The APA is a non-profit educational organization that strives to enhance the planning profession and help communities adapt to the rapidly changing environment.
OU’s Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that two of our faculty will be offering the inaugural Bob & Sherry Faust Distinguished Lecture at Auburn University on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at the Gogue Performing Arts Center and streaming on YouTube Live.
Tamar Zinguer, assistant professor of Architecture, is the recipient of the Forum Public Fellowship for the 2022-2023 academic year. Awarded by the Arts and Humanities Forum at the University of Oklahoma, the fellowship’s purpose is to foster an interdisciplinary intellectual exchange among a diverse group of scholars around a shared theme.
Jeffrey Mansfield, principal at the Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS) Design Group and director of MASS’s Deaf Space and Disability Justice Design Lab, assisted OU Architecture faculty in leading a five-day design charrette. Mansfield encouraged students to explore DeafSpace design principles in their projects.
Dr. Santina Contreras, an Assistant Professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, recently visited Gibbs College to present her talk, “Building Resilience through Community Practices: Exploring Community-led Efforts to Address Gaps in Relocation and Resettlement Programs” as part of the Regional + City Planning Kuhlman lecture series.
The 2023 Charles W. Graham Travel Study Benefit Dinner was a huge success, with about 200 attendees and over $34,000 raised. The 11th annual event was held Friday, February 11, at Vast restaurant in Oklahoma City. The proceeds from this event directly benefit students who are eager to travel and gain hands on learning experiences.
Join us in listening to Dr. Andrew Van Leuven discuss his experience with the economic development of rural communities in Oklahoma! The event will take place on Thursday, February 9th from 12:00-1:15 in Gould Hall, Room 345.
The Master’s in Regional + City Planning (MRCP) program is hosting a virtual open house! Join them on zoom to learn more about the degree program. The two sessions will take place virtually on Friday, February 3rd and Friday, February 10th from 12:00-1:00.
Dr. Tamar Zinguer, Assistant Professor of Architecture, recently presented at the “Are You a Model?: On an Architectural Medium of Spatial Exploration” conference hosted by the Technical University of Darmstadt, which took place from November 2-4.
Gibbs College’s annual Charles W. Graham Travel Study Benefit Dinner will be held on February 10, 2023, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at VAST (333 W. Sheridan Ave, 50th Floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102). It will feature a three-course meal with fine wine pairings.
The Center for Spatial Analysis recently hosted OU’s 2022 GIS Day, on November 16 in the Oklahoma Memorial Union, featuring a student poster competition with cash prizes giving attendees the opportunity to network with GIS professionals. Two of the undergraduate winners, Daniela Kosnacova and Luke Kerr, were advised by Gibbs College faculty members.
This semester’s Interior Design Furniture Design Studio course will be hosting an exhibition of their completed furniture pieces on Thursday, December 1st at 7:00pm at MAINSITE Contemporary Art Gallery in Norman. The exhibition is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Henry Home Interiors of Norman.
Interior Design students and faculty were recently invited to tour the newly opened NOUN Hotel in Norman’s historic Campus Corner area. The field trip was a collaboration with the Oklahoma Interior Designers Coalition (OIDC) chapter board, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Oklahoma City Chapter board, and GH2, an Oklahoma based architecture and design firm. The OIDC, IIDA, and GH2 hosted the entire Interior Design program, including undergraduate students and faculty.
Rene Peralta, a faculty member in the Division of Architecture, recently presented at the 2022 Southeast Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (SESAH) Conference. This was SESAH’s 40th annual conference in Memphis, Tennessee, and it took place from November 2-5.
We would like to extend special thanks to Gibbs College Interior Design alumni, design professionals, student volunteers, and event organizers who participated in IIDA ZeroLandfill Oklahoma City 2022! Since 2014, the IIDA ZeroLandfill OKC project team has partnered with the architectural and interior design community to collect expired or un-used sample material for re-purposing back into the community.
Recently, a group of Gibbs College students from OU’s chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) attended the 2022 NOMA Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The group was led by Felipe Flores, a Gibbs College PhD student and supervisor of OU’s NOMA chapter.
The Division of Regional + City Planning hosted Dr. Andrew Greenlee as part of the Kuhlman lecture series, which is cosponsored by the OU Center for Peace and Development and the Center for Social Justice. Dr. Greenlee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Ron Frantz, Associate Professor and Director of Small Town Studios with the Institute for Quality Communities, recently presented the keynote address at the 2022 Iowa Downtown Conference.
Join Gibbs College on October 3, 2022, at 4:00 p.m. in the Gould Hall Buskuhl Gallery (rm. 130), for a lecture by Dr. Matthew Cohen, AIA, titled, “Visual Training for Designers: The Cultural Dimension.”
The National Brownfields Training Conference was held in Oklahoma City from August 16th through the 19th. The local and national planning committees for the annual conference began work on the meeting in March of 2020. Ron Frantz, Director of the Environmental Design Program, served on the Local Planning Committee’s Mobile Workshops, Socials, and Evening Receptions Committee.
René Peralta, a lecturer with the Division of Architecture, recently presented a roundtable on the San Diego-Tijuana area for the Architects Association of Peru’s Lima Region. The event, titled “The Fragile Movement: Understanding the Modern Monument and the Ephemeral Persistence of Walter Weberhofer,” featured several architects with expertise in different cities across the Americas.
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The University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) is partnering with the Kay County Healthy Living Program to host the Oklahoma Towns: Walkability and Placemaking Summit. The summit will feature workshops and speakers from Kay County and other parts of Oklahoma to highlight real-world examples of changing an environment to promote walkability and placemaking.
Dr. Tiziana Proietti, an assistant professor of Interior Design and Architecture, recently spoke at a Kansas State University event titled “Generators of Architectural Atmosphere.” Dr. Proietti presented the keynote talk, The Experience of Architectural Proportion Through a Scientific Perspective, in which she explored human perceptions of architectural proportion.
Karen Kubey of Pratt Institute and Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation is presenting a lecture titled “Collaborative Approaches, New Forms of Housing, and a New Kind of Architect” as part of the Gibbs Spring 2022 Goff Lecture Series.
You are invited to attend the sophomore Interior Design students’ Furniture Design Shows during the first week in May.
