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University of Oklahoma

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The Division of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma welcomes three new Visiting Professors Katarina Andjelkovic, Tiziana Proietti  and Luca Guido.  

Katarina Andjelkovic is an architect and theorist from Belgrade, Serbia.  Katarina is the founder of Atelier AG Andjelkovic.  She has won numerous awards and design competitions for her design work.  Katarina holds a Ph.D. from the University of Belgrade and her research on representation has been widely published.  She has experience teaching in Oslo and Belgrade.

Tiziana Proietti is an architect and historian from Rome, Italy.  Tiziana’s expertise is proportional systems, particularly those of the Dutch monk Hans van der Laan.  She is member of design studio Satyendra Pakhale_ Associates and Professor at the Institute of European Design IED Rome.  She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and has done research and taught in the Netherlands and Italy.
 

Luca Guido is a licensed architect, critic and historian of contemporary architecture. He has written several books on the history and evolution of contemporary architecture, his collaboration with professional practice and issues of restoration and conservation. Dr. Guido recently curated the Venetian edition of The Swiss Touch, exhibition on contemporary Swiss landscape architects with M. Jakob. He also collaborated with the curator Renzo Dubbini on the organization of the exhibition “Sonnets in Babylon” by Daniel Libeskind, Venezia Pavilion at the 14th  Biennale of Architecture. Dr. Guido’s dissertation titled Building the American Landscape examined the relationship between city, architecture and landscape in the U.S. from T. Jefferson to F.L. Wright.

COA Faculty Selected for 2017 National Fellowship Program

 

Associate Professor Lee Fithian has been selected as a Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program 2017 National Fellowship Program. She exemplifies the mission of the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) – to inspire visionary, action- oriented and diverse leadership to work for a just and sustainable future. By participating in the National Fellowship Program, Fithian will be joining nearly 1000 ELP Senior Fellows (graduates of the program) from around the country. Participation in this year’s class will provide the opportunity to broaden leadership skills and network, as well as help refine the program to better serve the needs of emerging environmental and social change leaders. Congratulations Prof. Fithian!

 

Associate Professor Daniel Butko awarded OU’s  Research Council Faculty Investment Program (FIP) grant.

 

The grant, awarded in the Spring of 2017 will support his research, titled “Adaptive Interactive Acoustics: Investigating Acoustically-minded Architecture to Transform Adverse Multiuse

Spaces into Healthy Learning Environments”. The proposal was developed in conjunction with the Director of Interior Design, Prof. Elizabeth Pober.

 

Review of Director of Architecture Stephanie Zeier Pilat’s book, Reconstructing Italy, published in the latest issue of Modern Italy, the Journal of the Association for the Study of Modern Italy

Reviewer Bruno Bonomo made a very positive review of Dr. Pilat’s recent book on Postwar Italian Housing. He writes: “Zeier Pilat’s work is an exceptionally ambitious enterprise. To my knowledge, this is the first single-authored book to deal comprehensively with the Ina-Casa plan… this is undoubtedly an admirable and thought provoking book. Extensively researched, clearly written and richly illustrated, it will be compulsory reading for all English-speaking scholars who are interested in the Ina-Casa plan, and more widely in urban planning and architecture in post-war Italy.”

You can read Bonomo’s review of Reconstructing Italy here.

 

Andres Cavieres

andres.cavieres@ou.edu

University of Oklahoma

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University of Oklahoma Division of Architecture: October 2014

DesignIntelligence (DI) Magazine has named Director and Professor and Director Hans Butzer, AIA and Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Student Development Dr. Stephanie Pilat as two of DesignIntelligence’s 30 Most Admired Educators for 2015. 

In association with the Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture, Assistant Professor Dr. Catherine Barrett, AIA chaired the 2014 Creating_Making Forum, November 5-7. Sessions, keynote speakers, and student workshops built upon discourse introduced at the inaugural 2010 Creating_Making Forum. Featured speakers included E.B. Min, principal at Min|Day, and Kristen Murray, principal at Olson Kundig Architects. Both Min and Murray collaborated with select students in 1-1/2 day workshops that generated ideas for art installations within downtown Norman’s Main Street.

 

Associate Professor David Boeck, AIA is leading a 4th year studio class to New Orleans this semester to explore the Claiborne Avenue site related to the 2015 NOMA Student Competition. The project allows Architecture and Interior Design students to collaborate with OU’s NOMAS chapter. The 3rd year Interior Design students are designing a restaurant within the complex.

Professor and Director of The Center for Middle Eastern Architecture and Culture Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi recently returned from a sabbatical in the Middle East where he visited, surveyed, and documented 27 architectural sites of various historical nature and size particular to Iranian desert architecture. He is currently working with professional filmmakers in Oklahoma City and New York to assemble and edit hundreds of hours of video into three documentaries focused on courtyard architecture, historical wind catchers, and ancient technology to bring subterranean water to remote locations. For more information about CMEAC, vist: http://www.ou.edu/content/architecture/centers/CMEAC.html

Professor and Director Hans Butzer, AIA, through his practice Butzer Gardner Architects, recently received an Honor Award from AIA Central States Region and an Honor Award AIA Central Oklahoma chapter for the “SLIVR” Building.

Associate Professor and Associate Director of Student Development Marjorie P. Callahan, AIA recently authored Teaching Leadership Skills: “Practice” Coursework in Architecture Education Program in the Journal of Social Sciences Collection. Marjorie was also an invited Conference Facilitator on Leadership Issues at the recent State of Oklahoma Women in Higher Education Conference. She also collaborated with Professor Debra Reisweber on the 2014 published book Sooner State of Mind: Forging Leadership Legacies North of the Red River.

Associate Professor and Associate Director of Curriculum Development Anthony Cricchio, RA and Associate Professor Lee Fithian, AIA helped lead OU’s 2nd annual C5 Capstone Collaborative Competition. Ten interdisciplinary teams, consisting of senior Architecture, Interior Design, and CNS students partnered with JE Dunn Construction and architectural firm ADG. The two-week competition focused on an urban infill rehabilitation scenario in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown. Through the use of BIM and other collaborative technologies, students presented comprehensive and interior concepts along with cost estimates and schedules for the client group.

Director of Small Town Studios Associate Professor and Director of Small Town Studios Ron Frantz, AIA collaborated with the CoA’s Division of Regional and City Planning to host the recent American Planning Association (APA) Oklahoma Chapter Conference. Ron was also a guest speaker in OU’s recent inaugural Placemaking Academy.

Long time DivA supporter and award winning architect John Ward, AIA, principal at TAP Architecture in Oklahoma City, recently joined the faculty as a Professor of Practice.

Associate Professor Jay Yowell, AIA has been working with Hornbeek Blatt Architects on the 21c Museum Hotel in Oklahoma City. New York-based Deborah Berke & Partners are the design architects. The project is an adaptive reuse project transforming the historic Fred Jones building into a boutique hotel that will showcase permanent and rotating artwork.

Additional news includes:

Architecture, Urban Design, and Landscape students are collaborating on a design competition to re-imagine a section of historic Route 66 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Design teams are challenged to change perceptions of the stretch of road by redesigning the streetscape and cultural experience. Teams are also developing new ideas for signage along Route 66 which draw from the legacy of the legendary road’s neon signs. Led by Director of Urban Design Shawn Schaefer and Director of Regional and City Planning Dr. Dawn Jourdan, the faculty team includes Assistant Professor Dr. Stephanie Pilat, Assistant Professor Scott Williams, and Associate Professor Jay Yowell, AIA. The project has been supported by a $10,000 grant from the Signage Foundation, Inc. Each student on the winning team will be awarded a travel grant to support a Spring 2015 trip to Chicago.

Jerri Hodges Bonebrake, Bruce Goff’s long-time assistant, sadly passed away late 2014. The CoA’s Jerri Hodges Bonebrake award will continue to recognize outstanding staff. A newly developed student scholarship in her name is being developed to reward outstanding creative students.

University of Oklahoma

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The Division of Architecture (DivA) recently appointed the following faculty as new administrative positions: Marjorie P. Callahan as Associate Director of Faculty Development, Anthony Cricchio as Associate Director of Curriculum Development, and Dr. Stephanie Pilat as Associate Director of Student Development.

Associate Professor of Architecture Marjorie P. Callahan, AIA received an Ed Cline Faculty Development Award Spring 2014. The award funded research conducted at Carnegie Mellon University with noted scholar Dr. Omer Akin exploring how University environments shape teaching and learning. Marjorie was recently appointed the in-house IDP Education Coordinator and advisor to the newly formed DivA student organization Architectural Virtuosi, a student organization focused on assisting students through the IDP process.

In association with the Bruce Goff Chair of Creative Architecture, Assistant Professor Dr. Catherine Barrett, AIA is chairing the 2014 Creating_Making Forum, November 5-7. This year’s forum builds upon the discourse introduced at the inaugural 2010 Creating_Making Forum.  Featured speakers include Dr. Robert Fishman, OU DivA Director Hans Butzer, and Andrew Freear. For more info, visit: http://www.ou.edu/architecture/centers/creating-making.html

Associate Professor David Boeck, AIA and Assistant Professor Dr. John Harris (Division of Regional and City Planning) led a student service-learning initiative to Zambia, Africa Summer 2014. David also gave a presentation titled Aging in Place to a group of senior citizens in Stillwater, Oklahoma September 2014. As advisor to the College of Architecture (CoA) student organization NOMAS, David escorted the student competition team to Philadelphia for the 42nd Annual NOMAS Conference.

Assistant Professor Daniel Butko, AIA collaborated with Russ Berger Design Group (RBDG) Summer 2014 on a variety of acoustical design projects including a 7,000 sf multi-studio facility. Daniel’s ongoing research with RBDG has shaped his professional and academic investigations, including the curriculum for his biannual Architectural Acoustics seminar titled The Sound of Shaped Space. As a member of the OU CoA Compressed Earth Block (CEB) Research team, Daniel is currently collecting thermal, energy, and acoustical data from both recently completed CEB and adjacent wood-framed residences. Daniel will present conclusions based on recent data in a paper presentation at the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) conference October 2014. Daniel continues his role as advisor to the CoA student organization Design-Build Society (DBS) as they prepare for their first community-based service-learning project of the 2014/15 AY. As part of the DivA’s Bridging Cultures Program, Daniel led a three-day visit to Kansas City, MO September 2014 for the 4th year Undergraduate and 3rd year Graduate students. The group of 46 students and 3 faculty toured numerous firms, buildings, and site options for the semester mixed-use design project. 

Director Hans Butzer, AIA through his practice Butzer Gardner Architects recently published the North Downtown Redevelopment Plan for Oklahoma City. The plan explores the relationship of development opportunities with transportation improvements including streetcar routes and a bicycle boulevard. Hans also lectured at the Oklahoma District Council of the Urban Land Institute.

Associate Professor Anthony Cricchio, RA was promoted to Associate Professor upon receiving tenure. Anthony also serves as Coordinator of College of Architecture International Programs, overseeing bridging cultures experiences. 

Associate professors Anthony Cricchio, RA and Nickolas Harm, RA were instructors for the annual Playhouse Parade project in which students design and build a playhouse for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Oklahoma County. This is the fifth year CoA students have designed and constructed a playhouse for CASA’s raffle to raise support for local children in need. The collaborative course included 8 students of various year levels, Building Facility Manager Jerry Puckett, and Creating_Making Lab Manager Hunter Roth.

Associate Professor Lee Fithian, AIA joined with Associate Tammy McCuen (Division of Construction Science) as advisors to the third place team at the National Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) annual student competition October 2014. Lee recently returned with an interdisciplinary group of students as part of the Spring 2014 semester Rome Program. Lee and her CoA students collaborated with an Italian elementary school to design and construct a rainwater collection system as the service-learning component of this annual bridging cultures experience. Professor Nickolas Harm and 20 students from the Divisions of Architecture and Interior Design are preparing for the Spring 2015 semester in Rome.

The CoA Institute for Quality Communities hosted Oklahoma’s 26th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference in June under direction of Wic Cary Professor and Director of Small Town Studios, Associate Professor Ron Frantz, AIA. Ron was also a speaker during the conference.  For more information, visit http://okpreservationconference.wordpress.com

Assistant Professor Dr. Stephanie Pilat completed the book titled “Reconstructing Italy: The Ina-Casa Neighborhoods of the Postwar Era.” This book, published by Ashgate Publishing Limited, traces the transformation of the Italian nation through an analysis of the Ina-Casa plan for working-class housing, established in 1949 to address the employment and housing crises. As a recipient of the Wolfsonian-FIU Fellowship, Stephanie conducted research in residence on a new project titled “Shaping the Body Politic: Architecture for Youth and Sports in Fascist Italy.” Stephanie is also the recipient of The University of Oklahoma, CoA 2014 Outstanding Educator Award.

Joining the DivA faculty Fall 2014 are Assistant Professor Dr. Shideh Shadrahan to lead instruction on structural design in architecture, Assistant Professor Bob Pavlik, AIA to shape pedagogical strategies for digital haptic fabrication techniques and beginning design, and Associate Professor Jay Yowell to enhance the integration of sustainability and ethics in design and systems courses. Award winning practitioners Debra Richards, AIA and Geoff Parker, AIA serve as adjunct faculty for the 2014/15 AY.

In other program news, the CoA is now offering a PhD in Planning, Design, and Construction as of Fall 2014. The CoA recently awarded over $110,000 in 40 scholarships to 90 students from all disciplines (Architecture, Construction Science, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Regional & City Planning, the Tulsa Urban Design Studio, and Environmental Design). The CoA also recently honored Academic Counselor Suzanne Robinson with OU CoA 2014 Jerri Hodges Bonebrake Award, named after Bruce Goff’s long-time assistant.

University of Oklahoma

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Faculty and students from the University of Oklahoma College of Architecture’s Sustainable Building Program were awarded a $90,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency after winning Phase II funding at the EPA P3 Expo and Competition in Washington D.C. The students performed demonstrations of their Compressed Earth Block (CEB) building technology on the National Mall April 21-23. The team was made up of construction science assistant professor Dr. Lisa Holliday, assistant professor of architecture Daniel Butko, Ph.D. student Matt Reyes, construction science students Molly Lyons and Kyle De Freitas, and architecture students Herve Sivuilu and Aaron Crandell. The team was awarded the grant at a ceremony Monday night. The grant will allow the CEB team to build a compressed earth block house in Norman, Oklahoma in partnership with Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity (CCHFH). The team will compare the CEB home to a conventionally wood framed house recently built by CCHFH to National Green Building Standards (NGBS) on an adjacent lot. Both houses will be instrumented, monitored, and compared for all aspects of sustainability as defined by the NGBS. The ultimate goal is to design a system whereby Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the United States could use CEB technology to provide affordable housing that is more resistant to wind damage and more environmentally sustainable than those built with conventional technologies.

Anthony Cricchio, assistant professor of architecture, received an Award of Excellence from the American Society of Architectural Illustrators for his work “Over Hong Kong.” His selection will be featured in the Architecture in Perspective exhibition that will travel around the country this year. His piece was chosen from nearly 400 entries from five continents.

Hans Butzer, associate professor of architecture, and his team had the official ribbon-cutting ceremony with the City of Oklahoma City for their Skydance Bridge. The bridge, meant to evoke the “sky dance” of Oklahoma’s state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher, eventually will connect the north and south sections of the MAPS 3 urban park. The bridge will be lit up at dusk each day.

5th-year architecture student in the Philadelphia Studio, taught by Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi, professor of architecture, had their final presentations with KlingStubbins. Brad White Fiske, FAIA, Senior Principal, Director of Design, Philadelphia Office, and Joseph Castner, AIA, RIBA, Principal, Managing Director, Cambridge (Mass) Office  gave the final review. The students worked on the project generating design concepts for a diverse architectural mixed-use development that connects the University of Pennsylvania to downtown Philadelphia. The students used the College of Architecture’s Distance Learning Center to video conference with KlingStubbins including Richard Farley, FAIA, PE, LEED AP, Principal, Director of Corporate and Commercial Projects, staff and faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and other city officials in Philadelphia throughout the fall and spring semesters.

University of Oklahoma

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Associate Professor David L. Boeck and College of Engineering Professor Musharraf Zaman have been awarded a two-year $250,000 grant from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to study the use of Recycled Asphalt Shingles (RAS) in road mix design. A significant number of asphalt shingles are damaged each year in Oklahoma due to storms, and this grant will allow testing which should prove their viability in road construction.

Dr. Khosrow Bozorgi will be presenting a paper entitled “Contributions of the Middle East to European Architecture” at the 5th Annual ASMEA (Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa). Conference on October 11-13, 2012 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Bozorgi is also the Founder of the The Center for Middle Eastern Architecture and Culture at the College of Architecture, which was established in the spring of 2012. The Center seeks to advance knowledge of the Middle Eastern built environment and culture, and will support scholarship that is of historical and contemporary importance, by acting as a coordinating body for participating universities and institutions whose research focus relates to this geographic area.

 

Assistant Professor Daniel Butko was the Instructor for a Spring Intercession Course in which students designed and built a playhouse for the Playhouse Parade project for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Oklahoma County. This is the third year the college has been involved in the project. The playhouses were raffled off in early June 2012 to raise money for CASA, which provides trained court appointed volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused or neglected children in the juvenile court system. The playhouse was designed to be easy to assemble with light-weight materials, and to be weatherproof. The students used harvested cedar from around the Norman campus and wood donated from local construction sites in this year’s design. Krone Construction and Western Plastics also donated materials. Enrolled and volunteer students included Aaron Crandall, Haven “Bud” Hardage, Nick Norsworthy, Hunter Roth, Alma Sandoval, Trent Still, Jason Tyler, and Ryan Williams. Faculty reviewing the design and assisting included Assistant Professor Tony Cricchio, Professor Joel Dietrich, Dean Charles Graham, Shop Manager Hunter Roth, and Assistant Professor Stephanie Pilat.

Professor Butko is also on the planning committee for the 164th Meeting/Conference of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). Please see the web site for details:  http://acousticalsociety.org/meetings/kansas_city

The Oklahoma City Skydance Bridge, completed following a national competition with a design consortium assembled by OU Mabrey Presidential Professor Hans E. Butzer, was recently completed in Oklahoma City and has now been recognized as one of the 50 best public art projects by the 2012 Public Art Network Year in Review by Americans for the Arts. Included in the multidisciplinary team that designed the $6.8M pedestrian bridge are OU faculty members Dr. Chris Ramseyer, P.E. and Stan Carroll, AIA.

“Tomorrow’s Yukon” is an initiative that will engage the City of Yukon in a partnership with faculty and students from the University of Oklahoma’s (OU) College of Architecture. Associate Professor Marjorie Callahan, Architecture, and Associate Professor Leehu Loon, Landscape Architecture, are directing a design studio which will provide the initial visionary steps to stimulate ideas for (1) a streetscape on Main Street and Route 66 and, (2) a new city hall complex capable of consolidating all city services. This project will involve the beloved Oklahoma Route 66, which runs through the heart of the Yukon community. The students’ landscaping and architectural conceptual plans and models will demonstrate ideas for: (1) colorful and safe streetscapes; (2) retail and office options; (3) a government central campus; (4) the beautification of the Route 66 to Garth Brooks Drive; (5) a parkway system of bicycle trails; and, (6) other important connections to children’s state of the art playgrounds, housing, schools and festivals.

Associate Professor Lee Fithian was awarded a grant by SAIC in the amount of $5,000  to provide the continuing education program series in sustainability entitled “ Acquisition, Coordination and Dissemination of AIA+2030 Curriculum.”

Professor Fithian and Associate Professor Tamera McCuen (Construction Science), were awarded OU Provosts’ Dream Course funding in the amount of $20,000 for the interdisciplinary collaboration “BIM for Constructors” which will be used to enhance curriculum for over 70 graduate and undergraduate OU College of Architecture students. The grant provides the opportunity for students, academicians and professionals to train in BIM and interact in a virtual charrette via the upcoming BIMStormtm OKC on November 7, 2012:  http://www.bimstorm.com/i/OklahomaStorm.php. Professors Fithian, McCuen, and Butko will be working together in this collaborative effort with the Construction Science students and the Design 7 studio in Architecture to design a mixed-use building in the Core to Shore re-development area of Oklahoma City.

Adjunct Lecturer Geoff Parker was the Winner of the 2012 Architectural Record “Cocktail Napkin Sketch Contest” in the Professional Division. You may view his entry via this link: http://archrecord.construction.com/features/cocktail_napkin_sketch_contest/2012/.

Assistant Professor Dr. Stephanie Pilat has been awarded an AAUW American Summer/Short-Term Research Publication Grant for 2012-13, which provides support for work on her forthcoming book, Reconstructing Italy: The Ina-Casa Neighborhoods of the Postwar Era (Ashgate, 2014).

M. Arch Grad Student Andrew Stevens has won 2nd Place in the National ACSA/NSF jointly sponsored Open Challenge Competition “The Architecture & Engineering of Sustainable Buildings”.  http://www.sustainableae.com/ This award gives $2,000 for to the student and $500 to the faculty involved; in this case Professor Lee Fithian.

In other student news, Lisa Om and Ana Ruiz were just awarded the Newman Medal for Excellence in Acoustics based on work performed in Spring 2012 architectural acoustics class.  http://www.newmanfund.org/newman-student-awards/. Keaton Cizek,  as a member of the OU Habitat for Humanity Group (HFH for Cleveland County), is involved in the “Shackathon,” a fundraising and awareness event held in fall semester which engages many student organizations as well as any person walking along the South Oval for a day. Participating student organizations are allotted a plot of grass along the Oval upon which to build a minimal shelter with limited materials. Facts about poverty displayed by the participants raise awareness among passersby, who are then asked to donate whatever they can to the cause (Cleveland County HFH). Friendly competition among the participating student organizations encourages hard work.

University of Oklahoma

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Assistant Professor of Architecture Thomas Cline has completed the design, fabrication, and installation of a tabernacle for the St. Thomas More University Parish in Norman, Oklahoma.  The existing parish and student center was designed by Raymond Yeh, FAIA, former Dean of the OU College of Architecture. The white oak tabernacle features a gold-leafed carving of a pelican feeding its chicks, a traditional Eucharistic symbol of the Catholic Church. 

Stan Carroll, AIA, joined the Division of Architecture as a Professor of Practice for the Spring 2012 semester. He will be working with the 1st year students to help transform the way they think, both digitally and in the Creating_Making focus of the division’s new curriculum. Stan is president of Beyond Metal and works as a hands-on designer of sculpture, architecture, furniture, and architectural metal specialties. 

 The OU College of Architecture’s undergraduate program was named among the top 10 in the South, according to Design Intelligence, a twice-monthly report of the Design Futures Council. The design recognized three aspects of the college — creative programs, outstanding faculty and premier facilities. Read more. 

The Institute for Quality Communities continues their Streets for People lecture series this semester among other lectures and event in the College. 

Two students received top honors at a national competition sponsored by The American Institute of Architecture Students and VT Industries. The competition challenged students to develop a door around the theme of looking at this type of threshold in all facets: energy passage, security, universal accessibility, physical composition, and most of all design. Jorge Calvo, a third year architecture student from Alicante, Spain, was the overall competition winner, receiving a $1,500 prize. See Jorge Calvo’s winning design. Third year architecture student Ryan Williams, from Colleyville, Texas, received an honorable mention for his AIAS President’s door design. See Ryan William’s design. The students were advised by architecture professor Bob Fillpot. 

Assistant Professor of Construction Science Tamera McCuen and Associate Professor of Architecture Lee Fithian were recently approved for a Dream Course in Fall 2012 by the University of Oklahoma to continue this virtual teaming venture. The course, entitled “BIM for Constructors,” will raise the University of Oklahoma’s image as a leader in interdisciplinary collaboration enabled by innovative technology. The Dream Course will provide a unique opportunity for students to work with design and construction professionals on virtual teams. By working with the City of Oklahoma City and industry partners, students will further their discipline knowledge and collaborative skills in a project based learning environment that is the leading edge technology and innovative project delivery methods for the 21st century architect, planner, and builder.

University of Oklahoma

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The University of Oklahoma dedicated Gould Hall for the College of Architecture in a public ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 14. It is the first time that students from all five disciplines – architecture, construction science, interior design, landscape architecture, and regional and city planning – are housed under one roof. The result, says College of Architecture Dean Charles Graham, will be greater opportunities for interdisciplinary study and a more rounded learning experience. The newly renovated building features a two-story, vaulted gallery – the Buskuhl Gallery – that allows for the flexibility of lighting and space necessary to adequately accommodate the students’ work in a professional manner, as well as a beautiful space in which to host receptions, symposia and traveling exhibits. Among the innovative features of the new building are a “Super Studio,” featuring two 40-inch plasma televisions and an interactive technology table, which allows six students to share their work with the professor and other students, and a full and mini “Learn Lab.” Learn Labs differ from traditional classrooms in that they have no typical “front”; rather, space is arranged in such a way as to encourage interaction among the students and professor. Three projectors allow students to share their work on one or all of the screens, and a ceiling-view document camera can be used to zoom in on an object and display it on one or more of the projector screens.

Oklahoma educator and urban designer Blair Humphreys was named Executive Director of the Institute for Quality Communities at the OU College of Architecture. The Institute for Quality Communities, founded in 2008, builds on OU’s success as an outstanding research university. Humphreys will guide the Institute in its work to build more vibrant, sustainable and equitable communities throughout Oklahoma and provide more research and educational opportunities for OU students. In spring 2011, Humphreys was the faculty adviser for a group of students from OU’s College of Architecture and Michael F. Price College of Business competing in a national urban design competition for The Urban Land Institute. The team placed in the top four, competing against 152 others from across the United States and Canada.

Ron Frantz, an architect who specializes in small-town design and preservation has joined the Institute for Quality Communities as the director of Small Town Studios. Frantz, who has done extensive work with both national and state Main Street programs, also has been named a Wick Carey Professor and will teach in the college’s Division of Architecture.  Frantz will provide design and planning experience by pairing faculty and students to projects in small towns across the state.

University of Oklahoma

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The University of Oklahoma joined Harvard University as one of only two universities with multiple teams honored in the 10th annual Urban Land Institute Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition.  One OU team received an “Honorable Mention First Place” and the other an “Honorable Mention Overall Merit” in the competition, placing them both in the top 10 percent of the field, which consisted of 139 graduate-level teams from 64 universities throughout United States and Canada. Serving as advisers were Blair Humphreys, executive director of the Institute for Quality Communities, and Associate Professor of Architecture Hans Butzer. “The Veranda” placed fifth receiving “First Place Honorable Mention” and featured a dynamic public space connected to the Buffalo Bayou trail network. The team members were fifth-year architecture students Adelle York, who served as team leader, Aric Yarberry and Grant Hromas; regional and city planning graduate student Ty McCarthy, and MBA student Ohm Devani. “The Foundry” received an “Honorable Mention Overall Merit” for their proposal to create a district designed to empower startup entrepreneurs. Members of the team were regional and city planning graduate students Phillips Walters, who served as the team leader, and Shane Hampton; landscape architecture graduate student Alex Tyler; architecture graduate student Grant Evert, and fifth-year architecture student Preston Kunz. Read more.

University of Oklahoma architecture and construction science students made history by winning all categories of the 17th Region V Associated Schools of Construction/TEXO Student Competition, a first for any university in the region and a first for the competition. The OU students won in the Commercial Building, Design Build, Design Build International, and Heavy Civil categories of the competition held in Dallas.  The teams were coached by Tammy McCuen, OU assistant professor of construction science, and Anthony Cricchio, OU assistant professor of architecture (Design Build); Ken Robson, OU construction science professor, and Dublin Institute of Technology Professor Lloyd Scott (International Design Build); Dominique Pittenger, OU adjunct professor of construction science (Heavy Civil); and Richard Ryan, OU professor of construction science (Commercial Building). Read more.

The OU College of Architecture will remodel an old nearby hotel that was damaged in a 2009 fire. The Alvis Hotel in Pauls Valley suffered fire damage in Sept. 2009. The students, alongside associate professor of architecture Ron Frantz, will assist in the remodeling of the hotel, which was built in the late 1800s. The Alvis property is working toward being registered with the National Register of Historic Places, which will open the project up to tax credits and federal funding to allow the students a large amount of leeway, Frantz said. Read more.

Faculty in the College of Architecture will present papers and research during our second annual Research and Creative Activity Day on March 14, 2012. See the full schedule and topics.

Designers James Burnett and Jereck Boss of Project 180, the significant street and public space overhaul underway in downtown Oklahoma City, will speak about their work in Norman and Oklahoma City as part of the Streets for People lecture series presented by the Institute for Quality Communities on Thursday, March 15, 2012.

University of Oklahoma

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Assistant Professor of Architecture Thomas Cline has completed the design, fabrication, and installation of a tabernacle for the St. Thomas More University Parish in Norman, Oklahoma.  The existing parish and student center was designed by Raymond Yeh, FAIA, former Dean of the OU College of Architecture. The white oak tabernacle features a gold-leafed carving of a pelican feeding its chicks, a traditional Eucharistic symbol of the Catholic Church.

Stan Carroll, AIA, joined the Division of Architecture as a Professor of Practice for the Spring 2012 semester. He will be working with the first year students to help transform the way they think, both digitally and in the Creating_Making focus of the division’s new curriculum. Stan is president of Beyond Metal and works as a hands-on designer of sculpture, architecture, furniture, and architectural metal specialties.

The OU College of Architecture’s undergraduate program was named among the top 10 in the South, according to “Design Intelligence,” a twice-monthly report of the Design Futures Council. The design recognized three aspects of the college — creative programs, outstanding faculty and premier facilities. Read more. 

The Institute for Quality Communities continues their Streets for People lecture series this semester among other lectures and events in the College. Get the Spring calendar here with additional events to be added throughout the semester.

University of Oklahoma

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Arn Henderson, FAIA, Professor Emeritus of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, will receive OHC’s highest honor, the Oklahoma Humanities Award, for his dedication to the humanities through his study of architecture as it relates to Oklahoma’s past, present, and future. Mr. Henderson is the author and co-author of numerous works including Architecture in Oklahoma: Landmark and Vernacular (1978), The Physical Legacy: Buildings of Oklahoma County 1889-1931 (1980) and currently at press, Bruce Goff: Architecture of Discipline in Freedom (2012).

Dr. Charles Warnken, Associate Professor of Regional and City Planning and previously Interim Division Director, has been promoted to Associate Dean for the College of Architecture.  Dr. Dawn Jourdan has assumed the responsibility as Director of the Division.

Hans Butzer, the Mabrey Presidential Professor of Architecture and Urban Design and the Director of Butzer Gardner Architects has recently been appointed Director of the Division of Architecture at the College of Architecture.

A Summer Academy Grant of $59,000 to be allocated over three years has been awarded to Elizabeth Pober, Assistant Professor of Interior Design at the University of Oklahoma, along with her collaborators, Thomas Cline (Assistant Professor of Architecture) and Holly Mills. The new program will provide thirty 9th and 10th grade students a one week opportunity to study our built environment disciplines at the college each summer for the next three years. 

Associate Professor of Construction Science Tamera McCuen and Associate Professor of Architecture Lee Fithian were awarded a $20,000 Provost Grant to lead a Dream Course entitled “Building Community and Enhancing Connectivity – BIMStorm™ OKC” during the Fall 2012 semester at the University of Oklahoma. The course raised OU’s image as a leader in interdisciplinary collaboration enabled by innovative technology. This Dream Course provided a unique opportunity for students to work with design and construction professionals on virtual teams. By working with the City of Oklahoma City and industry partners throughout BIMStorm™ OKC, students furthered their discipline knowledge and collaborative skills in a project-based learning environment that represented leading-edge technology and innovative project delivery methods for the 21st-century architect, planner and construction manager.

During the course, students learned virtual design and preconstruction analysis, which is the future of the built environment. Students participated on interdisciplinary teams and used building information modeling (BIM) as a tool for working together. Virtual teams are now a reality in the 21st century construction industry and provide alternatives to traditional methods of teaming that expand the possibility of interfacing teams with a large pool of professionals and consultants. The ability to bring together virtual teams enhances solutions for design and construction of capital projects. The BIMStorm™ OKC project sites were located in the River District area of the Oklahoma City Core to Shore Plan which is the land area between the relocated I-40 and the Oklahoma River. The interdisciplinary student teams worked in a joint partnership with the City of Oklahoma City Planning Department and industry participants for the virtual BIM event held on November 7, 2012. Students developed design alternatives that could be tested and analyzed in BIM to verify feasibility and constructability. The industry partners provided valuable insight to students about real world solutions. The dynamics of students, city officials, and industry partners all working toward one goal had implications for each group with information sharing, problem solving, and solution testing. The virtual team context offered OU students a differentiator and experience uncommon to the majority of students of the built environment.

  

(BIMStorm poster, left; and students in lab, right)

Professor Khosrow Bozorgi is organizing a “Symposium for Middle Eastern Architecture and Culture” that will take place at the University of Oklahoma College of Architecture March 7-8, 2013. Please visit the college web site for further details about speakers and topics.

 

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