Gibbs College Interior Design professors, Dr. Suchi Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yeji Yi, as well as PhD. Student Abrar Talal Alhamadi, have been awarded the 2025 Irene Winifred Eno Grant from the American Society of Interior Design (ASID) Foundation. The grant will support their project “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assisted Design for Independent Living.”
The project aims to develop and test an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted interior design platform that promotes independent living among individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Interior design is a vital discipline that can promote autonomy, safety, and well-being, and design strategies have been extensively researched and documented to assist independent living. However, applying these strategies through the traditional design processes often requires significant time and effort to explore and assess multiple iterations for each unique case.
Advances in AI offer an opportunity to transform these design processes into an efficient, user-driven approach. The proposed intelligent agent seeks to automatically analyze spatial environments and generate design iterations that maximize both physical and cognitive accessibility. Technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and Deep Q-Network (DQN) algorithms will be employed to interpret user input and produce adaptive, personalized design solutions.
This innovative platform will serve not only individuals and caregivers seeking safe and supportive environments for people with disabilities but also equip interior designers with intelligent tools capable of addressing the functional and cognitive needs of clients with varying neurodevelopmental conditions. Additionally, the platform can be integrated into interior design curricula, enabling students to apply emerging technologies in creating human-centered environments.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
