Dr. Xiaobo Quan, the Violeta Autumn Teaching Fellow in the Gibbs Architecture program, recently attended at the 2022 Healthcare Design Conference + Expo hosted by the Center for Health Design and the Academy of Architecture for Health of the American Institute of Architects (AIA/AAH). The international conference, held in San Antonio, Texas, highlighted the latest research, innovations, and strategies in healthcare design. It was attended by designers, researchers, health professionals, over two hundred exhibitors, and more.
Dr. Quan’s presentation focused on his mixed-method research project around the impact of perioperative environmental design on ambulatory surgery patients’ experiences. The project included a qualitative study and quasi-experimental study in order to identify key design considerations at various stages of the patient journey as well as compare three types of surgery suite design.
The results of surveys, interviews, and sound level measurements were triangulated to increase the validity and generalizability of findings. Those who attended Dr. Quan’s session received a first look at the project as well as learned about his recommendations for further design optimization and future research.
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
