Professors of Interior Design Dr. Suchismita Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yeji Yi and graduate student Azra Fific presented at the I.D.E.A. symposium, hosted by OU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
This event was created to highlight inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (I.D.E.A.) across OU’s campus and within the local community. The symposium featured a variety of interactive workshops and presentations that explored the intersections of I.D.E.A. in higher education.
Dr. Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yi presented their teaching experience, “Universal Design in Architecture,” regarding how the built environment can be inclusively and universally designed to support diverse groups of people. Fific presented her project “Refugees and Placemaking: Healing Trauma Through Interior Design.” In her presentation, Fific investigated placemaking and interior design strategies to help the Afghan refugee community heal trauma and assimilate to Oklahoma City.
A project designed by Gibbs College of Architecture faculty member Austin Lightle has been selected for BuildFest 2026, a national art and architecture festival held at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.
Two Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumni are helping shape recommendations that could influence affordable housing design and construction across Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries recently welcomed Carl Siegel as an Architecture Librarian and Archivist and Assistant Professor. In his role, Siegel supports students, faculty and staff across the Gibbs College of Architecture while also serving as archivist for the American School of Architecture Archives.
