Virtual Metropolis, an interactive virtual reality project on which Associate Professor Graham Owen collaborated in the mid-1990s, has been selected by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France for its collection of best artists’ CDs of that era.Led by Owen’s former Thesis student Robert Ouellette, the collaboration brought together Toronto-based designers and artists.Virtual Metropolis anticipated Google Street View by 12 years, but went further by using architecture as a portal, a series of wormholes to worlds and artworks beyond.At the BNF, the project will run on emulators of the original operating systems.Prof. Owen has also published “Whatever Happened to Semi-Autonomy?” in Architecture Philosophy; and “City of Risk:Organization and Individualization in the Urban Recovery of New Orleans” in the minnesota review, in its Special Focus on “Katrina, Ten Years Later”, from Duke University Press.
Three Auburn alumni were among the 149 elevated to the American Institute of Architects prestigious 2016 College of Fellows: Larry S. Cash (Chapter: AIA Alaska, Firm: RIM Architects); Paula Burns McEvoy (Chapter: AIA Atlanta, Firm: Perkins+Will); and C. Al York (Chapter: AIA Austin, Firm: McKinney York Architects). “We are extremely proud of Paula, Larry, and Al,” says David Hinson, Head of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. “Elevation to the AIA College of Fellows is a fitting recognition of their positive impact on the profession and the benefits of their work to society. Their careers are a credit to Auburn, and our students and faculty are inspired by their example.” For more, read here.
Josiah Brown, a fifth-year architecture student from Ashland City, Tennessee, is the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture’s first recipient of the Aydelott Travel Award. The Aydelott Travel Award was established by Alfred Lewis Aydelott, FAIA (1916–2008) and his wife, Hope Galloway Aydelott (1920-2010), to encourage architecture students to “become proficient in the art of architectural analysis.” The $2.4 million endowment established by this well-known Memphis architect and his wife creates a $20,000 travel award for architecture students at four universities: Auburn University, Mississippi State University, the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, and the University of Tennessee. Read more here
The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture was well represented among the award winners at the “This is Research: Student Symposium 2016,” held on April 13 at the Student Center. Out of the more than 400 undergraduate and graduate students who competed from Auburn and AUM, APLA students, Abigail Katsoulis and Madeline Gonzales, fifth-year architecture students, took home two first place awards and one second place in the Research and Creative Scholarship in Design, Arts and Humanities category. Ryan Bowen, a dual Environmental Design/Master of Landscape Architecture student, won first place for his poster presentation in the undergraduate category, and Livia Lima, a first–year MLA student, won second place in the graduate Creative Scholarship category for her oral presentation. To read more about the research, read here.
The Design Museum Foundation has developed a major, nationally-traveling exhibition on the importance of play and how designers translate play objectives into innovative, extraordinary, outdoor play environments. The exhibit, called “Extraordinary Playscapes,” includes Rural Studio’s Lions Park Playscape as one of the selected contributors. Currently open in Boston, the exhibit will be in Portland, OR next. Read more here.
Ankerson named dean of UNL College of Architecture
Katherine Ankerson, professor and head of the Department of Interior Architecture and Product Design at Kansas State University, has accepted appointment as dean of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture. The appointment, pending approval by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, was announced May 23.
“Katherine Ankerson is a proven administrator, educator and scholar with a track record in elevating programs and encouraging excellence,” Chancellor Ronnie Green said. “She also has a strong vision that understands the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to prepare the next generation of building and landscape architects, interior designers, and community and regional planners. This combination positions her as a transformational leader for our college of architecture.”
Ankerson, who was a professor and associate dean in the UNL architecture college from 1996 to 2011 before her tenure at Kansas State, will assume the dean’s post July 1. “I am honored to be named the dean of the College of Architecture at UNL,” Ankerson said. “I look forward to returning to this great university and leading the College of Architecture into its next era. I am committed to the transformative power of planning and design in our lives and communities and join with our faculty, staff, students and alumni to continue building the college into national prominence.”The College of Architecture’s programs in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and community and regional planning have a tradition of excellence in education, research and service. Its fall 2015 enrollment was 493 students.
“This is an exciting time at the college. Faculty and students are involved daily with work that inspires, with a focus on how architecture and design must confront real challenges in today’s world,” said Marjorie Kostelnik, interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, who led the search committee for the position. “We are confident that the college will break important new ground under Katherine’s leadership.”
Ankerson is a tenured full professor and has concluded her fifth year as head of Kansas State’s interior architecture and product design department. A strong proponent of design education, Ankerson said she believes in the potency of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary engagement, the value of design and making, and embracing new technologies in addition to strengthening traditional design tools.
Ankerson’s philosophy is that design education must prepare global design citizens who take leadership to foster synergy, embrace successful collaboration and recognize interconnectedness, with an awareness of the responsibility of individual and collective actions in personal, social and environmental arenas.
She is an award-winning author, and as lead of the 20th Anniversary Nuckolls Lighting Grant, she worked with nine other educators in architecture, engineering and interior design representing four major universities to initiate and produce the award-winning web-based resource Lighting Across the [Design] Curriculum. Ankerson just completed a three-year term of elected presidential leadership with the North American organization Interior Design Educators Council. She is a CIDA site visitor and the education member of the Nuckolls Lighting Fund board of directors.
Ankerson also held academic positions at Radford University and Washington State University after spending many years as a practicing architect and designer. She received her bachelor of science in architecture and bachelor of architecture from Washington State. She also earned a master’s degree in architecture from Washington State.
Column by Maya Gervits, Director of the Barbara & Leonard Littman Library, College of Architecture & Design, New Jersey Institute of Technology
According to a recent Andrew Mellon Foundation report, many academic institutions are now investigating partnerships between the arts and other academic disciplines to foster connections between them [1]. During these discussions, music has received special attention. It has been proven that musical compositions can inspire higher brain functioning and unlock creativity [2]. Albert Einstein, who credited some of his discoveries to musical perception, believed that music is the driving force behind intuition. Links between music and spatial-temporal skills, those important in solving problems, have been discovered by neuroscientists. Mozart and Vivaldi effects [3] are discussed in scientific journals. There are many associations to be found between music and architecture, music and visual arts, and design. They have been discussed over the centuries and were part of the reasoning behind the Littman Library’s attempt to engage students in the College of Architecture and Design at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in further exploration of these connections by hosting musical events.
The relationship between architecture and music is well documented. Leon Battista Alberti believed that the same characteristics that please the eye also please the ear. Palladio echoed this by noticing that, “the proportions of the voices are harmonies for the ears; those of the measurements are harmonies for the eyes. Such harmonies usually please very much without anyone knowing why, excepting the student of the causality of things”. [4] Johann Wolfgang von Goethe called architecture the “frozen music,” while 19th century art critic Walter Pater came to the conclusion that “all art constantly aspires towards the condition of music.” We discuss rhythm, proportion, and ornamentation in both music and visual arts, and search for harmony between them.
Typically associated with German Romantics, the idea of Gesamtkunstwerk described as a complete, unified, or as it often referred to, a “total work of art”, was formulated in1849 in Richard Wagner’s “Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft“ ( “The Artwork of the Future” ). Although, Hans Sedlmayr insisted that it existed long before that time [5]. Initially related to the synthesis of arts in opera, it also has been manifested in Charles Baudelaire and Stéphane Mallarmé’s poetry, Josef Hoffmann’s and Joseph Maria Olbrich’s architecture, James McNeil Whistler’s paintings, Sergei Diagilev’s ballet, and Alexander Skriabin’s musical compositions. The 20th century provided more tools to rethink the boundaries between the visual and musical. Creation of the “total work of art” was the ultimate goal of the Bauhaus program and the cornerstone of their educational system. Oscar Schlemmer’s “Triadisches Ballett” and Wassily Kandinsky’s experimental performances, rooted in his synesthesia (ability to see sounds), are just two of several Bauhaus projects created as an interplay of music, dance, and painting. “Poème électronique” and “Philips Pavilion” at Expo 58 – collaborative works by Edgard Varèse, Le Corbusier, and Iannis Xenakis, which combined electronic music, projections, and architecture, also came into existence with the purpose of creating a “total work of art.”
Understanding the idea of the “total work of art” can be an important lesson for students and, recently, more attention has been drawn to it. Gesamtkunstwerk has once again become a subject of numerous discussions, proving that this idea is still relevant. The exhibition, “Der Hang zum Gesamtkunstwerk” in Kunsthaus Zurich (1983) and in Vienna (1984), a recreation and performance of Skriabin’s “Prometheus” at Yale University (2010), and the latest collection of essays, “The Death and Life of the Total Work of Art,” presented at the Bauhaus Colloquium in 2013, highlight the historic meaning of the term, and apply it to more recent events and works. Technological advancements provide the tools that allow for the creation of immersive artistic experiences, which remove “the borderline between object and observer, stage and audience, art work and spectator,” [6] and create projects that can be considered a “total work of art” of the 21st century. Although some of its political implications have been criticized, the idea of aesthetic unity of all the arts and their “wholeness” deserves attention, even if only for the purpose of providing students with more well-rounded educations that help to contextualize what they learn at school. Building on these ideas, in the spring of 2015, the Littman Library at the College of Architecture and Design at NJIT began “Music in the Library,” a series of concerts performed by the Montclair Trio [7] – musicians affiliated with the John J. Cali School of Music at the Montclair State University.
Although open to the whole university community, the concerts are mostly focused on the needs of the College of Architecture and Design population. The concert series directly supports several courses, including “Music for Designers,” which is focused on the theory and history of music, its relation to culture, and its use in cinema, digital and interactive media. Each concert is accompanied by a short lecture and PowerPoint presentation related to the theme of a concert, providing context as well as background information. Students design posters advertising the series. A book exhibition further enhances each event. The collaboration with musicians–a group of talented and dedicated educators–helps to develop programs that are both popular and educational. These events take place in an intimate “chamber-like” environment of the college Library which is located in the physical center of the building. Folding chairs that can be easily assembled form an auditorium. The Library remains open and fully functional during these events, which usually take place at night. Light refreshments help to create a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. Free of charge, funded and supported by the college administration and alumni, these concerts have become popular and well attended. They help to alleviate stress, expand students’ horizons, improve their exposure to music, link performed musical compositions to the subjects of study in classes and studio, provide a historical context, and establish the Library as a place which can provide cultural and educational opportunities, often not possible within a curricular setting.
[2] E. Glenn Schellenberg Music and Cognitive Abilities in Current Directions in Psychological Science, v.14,n.6,2005.p317-320; R. Root-Bernstein Music, Creativity and Scientific Thinking Leonardo, v.34,n.1,2001,pp63-68
[3] K.Nantais and G.Schellenberg The Mozart Effect: an artifact of Preference. Psychological Science, July 1999.v.10,n4,pp370-373; L.Riby The joys of spring: Changes in Mental Alertness and brain functions Experimental psychology, vol. 60, 2013,p.71-79.
[4] M. Trachtenberg ”Architecture and Music Reunited: a New Reading of Dufay’s Nuper Rosarum Flores and the Cathedral of Florence” in Renaissance Quarterly, is.54,2001,p, 740.
[5] Hans Sedlmayr Der Verlust der Mitte: Die bildende Kunst des 19 und 20 Jahrhunderts als Symptoms und Symbol der Zeit. Frankfurt am Mein, 1985.
[6] .Hans Ulrich Reck Immersive environment: the Gesamtkunstwerk of the 21st century? At: http://www.khm.de/kmw/reck/essays-ecrits-writings-saggi-ensayos/english/immersive-environments-the-gesamtkunstwerk-of-the-21-century/
[7] Montclair trio – Robert Radliff, Aurora Mendez and Paul Vanderwall
Marlon Blackwell Architects in Fayetteville, Arkansas has received a 2016 National Design Award for Architecture from Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. The design firm was recognized “for exceptional and exemplary work in” architecture design for its body of work. Marlon Blackwell, a 1980 Auburn architecture graduate, is principal and founder of Marlon Blackwell Architects. For more, click here.
At the AIA National Convention in Philadelphia in May, the AIA presented a short documentary film on Rural Studio, Auburn University’s community-oriented, design-build program dedicated to improving the western Alabama region with good design. The Rural Studio film launches the 2016 Film Challenge, inviting filmmakers and architects to team up and tell stories of how architecture is solving a problem facing us today in communities, big or small, across the country. Visit here to learn more about the AIA’s Film Challenge.
The Rural Studio contributed to two international art and architecture exhibitions this spring: the XXI Triennale di Milano open from April to September of this year in Milan, Italy, and the 15th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice (La Biennale Architettura 2016) opened May 27th Images will be featured in the Summer Issue of StudioAPLA.
Professor Emeritus Michael Buono elected to AIA College of Fellows.
The College of Fellows, founded in 1952, is composed of members of the Institute who are elected to Fellowship by a jury of their peers. Fellowship is one of the highest honors the AIA can bestow upon a member. This honor not only recognizes the achievements of the architect as an individual, but also elevates before the public and the profession those who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society.
“The American Institute of Architects has over 85,000 members, and each year only around 150 AIA members are elected to the Institute’s College of Fellows,” says Dr. Robert Weddle, dean of the Hammons School of Architecture. “This news truly demonstrates Professor Buono’s caliber and dedication as an educator and is emblematic of the quality of the HSA program, which he led for over a decade.”
Buono is only the third AIA member from the southwest Missouri area to be elected an AIA Fellow. The first was Richard P. Stahl, a 1936 Drury graduate and architect of many distinguished buildings, including on the Drury campus. HSA alumnus Andrew Wells ’91 — principal of Dake Wells Architecture in Springfield — was the second.
Buono, AIA, LEED AP, served as Director of the Hammons School of Architecture from 2000 until 2012. Prior to joining Drury, he served as associate dean and also director of the architecture program at the University of Arkansas for 15 years. He has also taught at Texas Tech University, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Mississippi State University. Buono has practiced architecture with firms in Atlanta and Denver, and maintains his own practice. His primary interest is in sustainable design.
As part of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s 50th Birthday Bash on Saturday, April 16, 2016, University of Illinois School of Architecture students showcased work from their current investigations into city improvement projects around the CTA Red Line, including ideas for streetscaping, retail and new mid-rise towers.
Randy Deutsch – Associate Professor
Leading a Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) Executive Education course for the third year, BIM: Lessons in Leadership, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. http://bit.ly/1YVWseC
Presenting “21st Century Skillsets: Assuring Architects and Emerging Professionals Stay Ahead,” at the AIA National Convention, Philadelphia, PA May 19, 2016 http://bit.ly/1SNsQyG
Invited to present “Big Data in the Construction Industry,” Executive Management for Design and Construction, McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, June 15, 2016
Invited guest speaker, Strategic Workshop on Big Data in the Built Environment, Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada, June 16-17, 2016
Serving as the BIM SME, BRE Research Group, London
New book published: Data Driven Design and Construction: 25 Strategies for Capturing, Analyzing and Applying Building Data (Wiley) http://bit.ly/1Oe2XDh
Book reviewed, Data Driven Design and Construction: 25 Strategies for Capturing, Analyzing and Applying Building Data, by Lachmi Khemlani, AECBytes, March 24, 2016http://bit.ly/1rCNIjx
Forthcoming book, Convergence: The Redesign of Design (AD, March 2017)
Column by Megan Lotts, Art Librarian Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
One of the most interesting aspects of the Art Library Lego Playing Station is coming into the library each day to see what has transpired at the table. Some days it appears a group of grubby young children have been let loose at the table and Legos are strewn everywhere, including the floor. Other days I find elaborate models that tell stories about the students, their lives, their imaginations, and their dreams” (Lotts, 2015).
When I started the Art Library Lego playing Station in 2014 at the Rutgers University Art Library, located in the heart of New Brunswick, New Jersey, I was looking for ways to connect with the departments with whom I am a library liaison. I wanted to form deeper connections with the Landscape Architecture and Mason Gross Visual Arts, departments that are located a 15-30 minute walk from the Art Library. Coming from a background in Art & Design, I was concerned that these students did not know or understand the value that the library has to their education I also wanted to learn more about who the students, faculty, and staff are in these departments and how the library could best support these individuals.
Shortly after installing the Lego Playing Station, I contacted the Chair of the Landscape Architecture Department, Dr. Laura Lawson. After a brainstorming session we came up with an active learning assignment for her Environmental Design Analysis course that would incorporate the Art Library Lego Playing Station, and get her students into the library in person. The objective of the assignment was to introduce 100 incoming freshmen in the Landscape Architecture program to me (their library liaison), the Art Library Lego Playing Station, and the resources Rutgers University Libraries have to offer.
In September 2014, I was introduced to the EDA course and gave a 30-minute lecture that included a conceptual overview of the physical space of the art library, the resources available, an overview of the Art Library Research Guides, and an introduction to the Art Library Lego Playing Station (Lotts, 2015). Following my presentation Dr. Lawson introduced the assignment to the students and explained what would be required of them. Within days the Art Library Lego Playing Station saw an enormous increase in play and models made. Figure 1 shows 4 students working together to create a model for their assignment.
Figure 1 Students from Landscape Architecture EDA course. Photo credit: Megan Lotts
Since this collaboration with Dr. Lawson and her EDA course I have seen an increase in reference questions from the Landscape Architecture students and a decrease in my office candy supply. I have learned more about the needs of the LA department and now hold weekly office hours in the Blake Hall lobby, where the department resides. This gives students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to see me in person each week to ask questions or let me know anything new happening in their department. These hours also give me the opportunity to learn more about the individuals who are part of the LA community as well as share with them what is happening in the Rutgers University Libraries.
In conclusion, the Art Library Lego Playing Station has explored and expanded the conventional research functions of an academic library through encouraging creative problem-solving techniques associated with art and design and makerspaces (Lotts, 2015). If you would like to read a more about the Art Library Lego Playing station or an in depth version of this collaboration please read the paper, Playing with LEGO, Learning about the Library and ‘Making’ Campus Connections: The Rutgers Art Library Lego Playing Station, Part One, noted in the additional readings section.
When acquiring Legos, consider crowd-sourcing and asking for donations. This can be much cheaper and easier than purchasing the bricks from Lego, craigslist, ebay, or a garage sale.
Create signage for your Lego Station and consider creating a comment box. You can also invite patrons to take pictures not Legos, to detour possible thefts.
Find a good table or space where the Legos can be spread out and players have room to move. Remember Legos and players can be noisy so keep this in mind when locating your Legos.
Find partners and co-collaborators. Think about who else might have interest in Legos or making things. Consider partnering with another course or organization within your campus or community.
ConAgra, formerly headquartered in Omaha, Neb. moved its headquarters to Chicago. Now the city of Omaha and ConAgra are considering redevelopment. Instructors Emily Anderson and Geoff Deold‘s 411 studio reimagines Omaha’s ConAgra campus and Heartland of America Park as housing, mixed use, and a new anchor tenant. Students were charged with adapting existing urban building typologies to imagine new models of urbanism, adapting form to be responsive to use, context, and public or open space.
Charlene LeBleu, FASLA , Associate Professor and Chair of the Graduate Program in Landscape Architecture in Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA), was presented with the 2016 CELA President’s Award; David Hill, ASLA, LEED AP, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, received the 2016 Excellence in Design Studio Teaching Award, Junior Level. Both faculty were honored at the CELA annual conference in Salt Lake City, March 23-27. CELA (Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture) is the premier international organization for educators in landscape architecture. Read more here.
Auburn APLA Alumnus Dan Ballard, MLA ’11, and DESIGNhabitat, created by APLA professors David Hinson and Justin Miller, recently received 2016 Spirit of Sustainability Awards at the Auburn University Office of Sustainability fourth annual awards ceremony on April 20 at the Pavilion at Ag Heritage Park. Read more here.
The Master of Landscape Architecture program in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA) has been granted re-accreditation for a six-year period by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board. The LAAB based its re-accreditation decision on the MLA’s program self-evaluation report, the visiting team report, the institution’s response to the team report, and discussions with team members and program faculty. For more information about the MLA program, click here.
Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) faculty have been busy presenting research abroad.Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, Karen Rogers, was a presenter at the “National Encounter of Deans and Directors of Schools of Architecture” sponsored by the Colombian Association of Schools of Architecture in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, March 29–31. Her presentation, “Rethinking the Relationship between Academia and Community: the Experience of Auburn University’s Rural Studio” was made in Spanish to the deans and directors of 38 Colombian architecture schools. Read more here.
J. Scott Finn, Associate Professor of Architecture and Director of the APLA’s International Studies Program in Rome, presented a seminar to Italian design professionals entitled “Dialogues of Architecture” on March 29. Finn, Carmelo Baglivo, and Laura Negrini, Italian architects and theorists of architecture, discussed Rome and its role in the education of Italian and foreign students of architecture. Read more here.
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Understanding the idea of the “total work of art” can be an important lesson for students and, recently, more attention has been drawn to it. Gesamtkunstwerk has once again become a subject of numerous discussions, proving that this idea is still relevant. The exhibition, “Der Hang zum Gesamtkunstwerk” in Kunsthaus Zurich (1983) and in Vienna (1984), a recreation and performance of Skriabin’s “Prometheus” at Yale University (2010), and the latest collection of essays, “The Death and Life of the Total Work of Art,” presented at the Bauhaus Colloquium in 2013, highlight the historic meaning of the term, and apply it to more recent events and works. Technological advancements provide the tools that allow for the creation of immersive artistic experiences, which remove “the borderline between object and observer, stage and audience, art work and spectator,” 
university community, the concerts are mostly focused on the needs of the College of Architecture and Design population. The concert series directly supports several courses, including “Music for Designers,” which is focused on the theory and history of music, its relation to culture, and its use in cinema, digital and interactive media. Each concert is accompanied by a short lecture and PowerPoint presentation related to the theme of a concert, providing context as well as background information. Students design posters advertising the series. A book exhibition further enhances each event. The collaboration with musicians–a group of talented and dedicated educators–helps to develop programs that are both popular and educational. These events take place in an intimate “chamber-like” environment of the college Library which is located in the physical center of the building. Folding chairs that can be easily assembled form an auditorium. The Library remains open and fully functional during these events, which usually take place at night. Light refreshments help to create a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. Free of charge, funded and supported by the college administration and alumni, these concerts have become popular and well attended. They help to alleviate stress, expand students’ horizons, improve their exposure to music, link performed musical compositions to the subjects of study in classes and studio, provide a historical context, and establish the Library as a place which can provide cultural and educational opportunities, often not possible within a curricular setting.
