A design-build project led by faculty in the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture has been recognized with a 2026 Design-Build Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), a national organization representing accredited architecture programs across the United States and Canada.
20 students in the Gibbs College of Architecture’s American School Design+Build (ASDB) program, including 13 architecture students, 6 construction science students and 1 environmental design student, are partnering this semester with WildCare Oklahoma, and together they have been named one of five North American finalists for the Land Rover Defender Service Awards. The honor carries the opportunity for a $30,000 grant, with funding supported by Chase and other high-profile sponsors, including Disney. Public voting is now open through October 19, 2025, to determine the winner of the Animal, Wildlife & Marine Welfare Award.
Please join us in congratulating the 2025 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. Recipients were honored by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting and will be recognized during the college awards banquet in October. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
On Aug. 28, students from the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture joined school and community leaders to celebrate the opening of an educational greenhouse and outdoor garden space they designed and built for the John Rex Charter School in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt joined in the ribbon-cutting celebration.
This semester a group of construction science students enrolled in this spring’s Design+Build course has been constructing a greenhouse and outdoor learning space for Crutcho Public Schools in Oklahoma City. Each spring semester, the Design+Build course gives construction science students the opportunity to build a real-world, full-scale project for an underrepresented or under-resourced community.
OU Construction Science Professor Bryan Bloom received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Engaged Teaching. This award recognizes faculty that utilize innovative teaching techniques that promote community collaboration and high-quality, engaged learning.
Last spring, Construction Science students enrolled in Professor Bryan Bloom’s Design+Build course constructed a greenhouse for local nonprofit Engage Learning’s Makerspace in Oklahoma City. The Design+Build course, offered every spring, gives construction science students the opportunity to build a real-world project to serve a community partner.
A Cleveland County City Lifestyle Magazine article was written about Gibbs College Design+Build program. The article was written by Jerri Culpepper under the title "Design + Build: OU Architecture Students Get Real-World Experience Building Houses and More."
Earlier this month, a team of seven Construction Science and Interior Design students attended Design and Construction Week in Orlando, Florida. This week features both the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders Show (IBS) and the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s Kitchen and Bath Industry Show.
Sooner Magazine, a publication of the University of Oklahoma Foundation, recently featured an article highlighting the mobile medical unit project led by Bryan Bloom, an assistant professor in OU’s Haskell and Irene Lemon Construction Science Division, and assistant professor Ken Marold from the Division of Architecture.
Faculty and students in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma partnered with the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes to develop a mobile medical unit to meet the needs of rural tribe members. The project is led by Bryan Bloom, an assistant professor in the Haskell and Irene Lemon Construction Science Division, and supported by assistant professor Ken Marold from the Division of Architecture.
Gibbs College students enrolled in Prof. Bloom’s Spring 2021 “Design + Build” class (CNS 4970/5970) have been working hard to create a mobile medical unit to meet the needs of rural members of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.
