The Gibbs College of Architecture celebrates fifth-year architecture student Haley Praytor, who has been recognized at the national level for her design work. In early March, Haley received a Graduate Division Award of Merit for her submission to the 2025 Metal Building Manufacturers Association student design competition.
The national competition invited undergraduate and graduate architecture students to develop an innovative design for a botanical garden and event space using pre-engineered metal building systems as the primary structural framework. Participants were asked to create a complex that blended indoor and outdoor experiences. Designs included elements such as an event center, biomes and greenhouses, an aviary, a sculpture garden, an observation deck, and spaces for education and research.
Exterior rendering of Haley Praytor’s Garden & Event Space.
Students were also asked to propose an additional exploratory program, an open-ended element that allowed them to introduce a distinctive idea to set their project apart.
The competition was one of two major projects assigned during the Fall 2025 semester in the ARCH 6956 graduate design studio. The course was coordinated by Associate Professor Paolo Sanza and co-taught with Professor Marjorie Callahan.
Interior rendering showcasing the botanical garden.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture professor and Institute for Quality Communities Director Dr. Amber N. Wiley’s book, Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital, has received two major honors from the Urban History Association.
Research initiated by Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumna Naila Hasan during her master’s studies at the University of Oklahoma has continued through faculty collaboration and resulted in a peer-reviewed publication in HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce Esther Thorp, Tyler Boydstun and Chukwuma Nwokoye as the winners of the 2026 Construction Innovation Translation Hub (CIThub) Student Ideas Competition.
