A collaborative project between the University of Oklahoma and the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano in Peru (UNAP) was recently awarded a grant to investigate affordable and sustainable housing in the Andes. The project, “Inti Wasi Sustainable and Affordable Cold Climate Housing,” received funding from the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund.
The Innovation Fund stimulates higher education partnerships between the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. The program increases student training and exchange opportunities and strengthens collaborations among governments, businesses, and academia across the Americas.
The OU and UNAP project will facilitate student travel and collaborations between the U.S. and Peru to plan, design, and implement a solution to the affordable housing shortage in the Andes region. Beyond providing an opportunity for students to experience different places and cultures, it will also engage students in finding solutions to real-world problems through travel study and service learning.
The program will be led by Ben Bigelow, an associate professor and director of Construction Science, and Victor Maqque, the managing director of the Latin America Sustainability Initiative (LASI). It will also be supported by René Peralta in the Architecture department and professor Jorge Villegas from UNAP.
If you are a student interested in joining this summer’s trip to Peru, contact Ben Bigelow at bigelow@ou.edu. Watch the video below or click here to learn more about this project. To learn more about the Innovation Fund and see the full list of recipients, click here.
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, Assistant Professor of Regional and City Planning, has been selected to serve as Co-Chair of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG) for the 2025–2027 term.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Tahsin Tabassum, a recent graduate of the college’s Master of Regional and City Planning program and current doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, for receiving the prestigious 2024–2025 American Planning Association (APA) Outstanding Student Award.
