OU Gibbs College of Architecture associate professor, Dr. Andrés Cavieres received a 2-year $497,750 grant from the Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) for the development of innovative solutions to streamline the deployment of ground mount photovoltaic systems, with a special focus in the area of Agrivoltaics. This is an emerging practice, which seek greater land use efficiency by combining the production of solar energy with agricultural production on the same field.
V-clamps for photovoltaic modules.
Dr. Cavieres is the principal investigator for this grant, partnering with VesprSolar, to pursue research and development of new technologies to lower the Balance of System costs associated with hardware and labor of solar construction. There is significant room for improvement in this area, as many of the solutions currently available in the market are not only expensive, but also susceptible to multiple types of failure. In this context, a key principle for the project is the development of innovations that not only reduce entry barriers for the deployment of solar, but that are also capable of addressing increasingly stringent operational requirements.
This research is part of an ongoing track record of innovations led by Dr. Cavieres in the PV Integration Lab at the Gibbs College of Architecture. It is built on top of the V-Clamp platform, a patented technology that is already transforming the solar industry around the world with a much faster and secure way to attach PV modules.
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.
