Associate professor of architecture Dr. Lee Fithian was awarded a PhD in Engineering in December 2019.
The title of the dissertation is “Active Building Facades to Mitigate Urban Street Pollution.” This multidisciplinary research utilized current thinking in planning, engineering, science and architecture, and proposes an interdisciplinary solution (an active Double Skin Facade) for addressing urban air pollution related to increasing urbanization.
It advances the premise that buildings are interconnected with urban infrastructure, with buildings serving as a resource and not just as a load, and the use of an active building facade to remediate environmental air pollutants beyond the building’s perimeter, representing a fundamental paradigm shift as to the nature of buildings in the urban environment.
The abstract and dissertation can be found at https://shareok.org/handle/11244/323255.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
