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Arch. Faculty Leads DeafSpace Design Charrette with Jeffrey Mansfield

Jeffrey Mansfield critiques student designs.

Arch. Faculty Leads DeafSpace Design Charrette with Jeffrey Mansfield

Jeffrey Mansfield, principal at the Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS) Design Group and director of MASS’s Deaf Space and Disability Justice Design Lab (DSDJ), assisted OU Architecture faculty in leading a five-day design charrette. Mansfield joined the D6 and D10 studios and the M6 class led by Wanda Liebermann, Amber Sarmiento, Marco Piscitelli, Amy Leveno and Francesco Cianfarani to explore DeafSpace design principles in their projects.

MASS is an architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts that provides innovative design solutions to communities around the world. The DSDJ strives to empower Deaf and Disabled communities and reclaim their typical spatial narratives.

The DeafSpace Guidelines, developed at Gallaudet University, emerged from a study of the visual and other sensorial experiences of Deaf and hard of hearing communities. These guidelines shift the focus to designing for light, movement, reverberation, materiality, and sensory reach. The pin-up on Wednesday, February 22 featured a lively discussion of students’ innovative interpretations.


Recent Gibbs College News

August 31, 2026

Gibbs College Names Interim Associate Dean for Research

The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture announces John Harris as Associate Dean for Research ad interim, effective Aug. 25, 2026, until the permanent position is filled.


August 31, 2026

Gibbs College Announces 2026 Faculty and Staff Award Recipients

Gibbs College is pleased to announce the 2026 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. These individuals were recognized by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting and will be honored during the Celebration Banquet in October. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.


August 18, 2026

University of Oklahoma Student Journal Telesis awarded Graham Foundation Grant

Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s student journal, has been awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts to support its next two issues, “Pause” (Volume IX) and “React” (Volume X).