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.
The University of Oklahoma’s Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture hosted the inaugural Oklahoma Housing Supply Accelerator Coalition event on November 13, 2025, a day-long gathering dedicated to addressing the state’s growing housing challenges and exploring solutions to expand the supply of attainable homes.
An unprecedented coalition of Oklahoma’s academic institutions, Tribal Nations, industry leaders, nonprofits, and government agencies has officially submitted a full proposal to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines Program. Titled WxFORGE — Forging New Frontiers in Extreme Weather Resilience and Innovation, the effort aims to position Oklahoma as a national leader in resilient infrastructure technologies, workforce development, and weather-adaptive innovations.
Regional and City Planning faculty John Harris and Charlie Warnken are part of an interdisciplinary team that was recently awarded a $599,000 Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. With this funding, the OU team will support the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality to prepare a climate action plan that will reduce emissions in communities across the state.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has selected the University of Oklahoma-led Southern Plains Transportation Center as the 2023-2027 USDOT Region 6 Regional University Transportation Center. Under the umbrella of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, this center brings federal funding of $3 million per year to OU along with $3 million per year in matching funds. Dr. Tammy McCuen, Professor of Construction Science, is part of the OU multidisciplinary research team representing engineering, construction, and geography and environmental sustainability
An interdisciplinary team of OU researchers recently won a Major Research Instrumentation award from the National Science Foundation and received a $589,262 grant. The research team includes Professors of Architecture Andres Cavieres as co-principal investigator and Dan Butko as senior personnel.
The OU Eco-Sooners received an award at the final competition of the 2023 Solar Decathlon Design Challenge. The team of Gibbs students won the Best Name of the Year award for their well-selected team name. According to the judges, the name strongly reflected the team’s design ideas and innovative strategies.
Dr. Somik Ghosh, Associate Professor in the Haskell and Irene Lemon Division of Construction Science, recently presented his research findings at the Oklahoma Building Summit & Expo in Oklahoma City. The summit was held on September 14th and 15th and was attended by over five hundred attendees and over seventy exhibitors.
Assistant Professor of Architecture Francesco Cianfarani recently presented his research on the current transformation of the Evans Fintube plant in Tulsa, titled “The Evans-Fintube Building: Architecture of the Oklahoma Oil Industry.”
Assistant professor of Architecture Angela Person recently coauthored the article “Climate Change Communication: Examining the Social and Cognitive Barriers to Productive Environmental Communication,” published in Social Science Quarterly. The research looks at the effectiveness of different types of visual appeals that may be used to communicate climate change risk.
Associate professor of architecture Lee Fithian earned a PhD in Engineering in December 2019 for research on active building facades. Her dissertation explores how double skin facade systems could help mitigate urban air pollution and reframe buildings as active contributors to urban environmental health.
Regional and City Planning associate professor John Harris and collaborators published research in Gender and Development on formerly abducted women in northern Uganda. The article highlights their experiences and examines how they are working to rebuild their lives and reassert their humanity.
Gibbs College of Architecture faculty attended a United Nations conference focused on sustainability and humanitarian challenges in the Lake Chad Basin Region. The event highlighted global collaboration, local leadership, and the importance of education and infrastructure in addressing complex environmental and social issues.
Lee Fithian discusses sustainability, climate change, and innovation in architecture during her appearance on a science-focused talk show. She highlights research on buildings as resource-generating systems, including a patented facade designed to improve air quality.
GCA alumnus Khoi Nguyen was selected to exhibit his research at the 2019 Oslo Architecture Triennale in Norway. His work explores material economies in rural communities within the theme of sustainable, degrowth-focused architecture.
Associate Professor Daniel Butko presented research on acoustical applications of concrete at the Acoustical Society of America conference. The work explores how material manipulation can improve sound clarity and reduce unwanted reverberation in built environments.
Landscape Architecture professor Tom Woodfin, alumnus Rachel Ware, and Oklahoma Water Survey Director Jason Vogel presented “North of the Red River: GSI in Oklahoma” at the Texas ASLA Conference. They discussed green stormwater infrastructure in Oklahoma, including its teaching, research, advocacy, and the political, environmental, and professional challenges of implementing best practices in the region.
EarthMonth@OU is OU’s annual celebration of Earth Month. It consists of a series of campus and public events focused on local and global environmental concerns sponsored by members of the University of Oklahoma’s Environmental Portfolio and others. This year, EarthMonth@OU will host a series of lectures featuring experts from around the country, including talks that address the history of environmental movements, approaches to Superfund sites, and the intersections of Christianity, climate and culture.
Construction Science faculty members Somik Ghosh and Matt Reyes received a $5,000 TEXO grant to support a construction safety project. Their work focuses on developing and testing trade-specific safety training that addresses linguistic and cultural barriers in the construction workforce.
OU faculty and students traveled to northern Uganda to continue collaboration with local peacebuilding organizations through the OU Center for Peace and Development. They engaged over 100 participants to document goals, challenges, and personal stories, with plans for future fieldwork and a 2019 Peacebuilding Conference supporting grassroots-led development efforts.
An associate principal at GH2 Architects oversees design delivery, landscape architecture services, and cost estimating while managing a wide range of projects from conception through construction. He emphasizes collaboration, hard work, and continuous learning, drawing on his Gibbs College experience and early career lessons to guide his practice and professional growth.
Gibbs College of Architecture faculty received internal funding to advance research in housing, landscape design, and construction safety. Their projects explore minority homeownership patterns, adaptable nature playground management, and improved safety training through audiovisual tools.
An architecture graduate student developed a sustainable building material by combining mycelium fungus with recycled glass and testing its structural properties. The research highlights its potential as a low-energy alternative for insulation and panels, with further testing needed to evaluate performance.
Professor Butko presented acoustics research at an international conference and later delivered a guest lecture on campus. His talk introduced students to architectural acoustics and emphasized designing resilient spaces for occupant well-being.
The Frank House, designed by Bruce Goff in 1955 for Frankoma Pottery founders, is a National Register-listed Oklahoma landmark that incorporates hand-glazed materials produced by the Frank family. In a preservation-focused academic project, students from architecture, environmental design, and regional and city planning developed a detailed report addressing conservation issues related to the building’s interior, exterior, and landscape conditions.
Originally constructed in 1910 and expanded in 1937, the Altus City Reservoir historically served as the city’s drinking water supply and is now being considered for restoration and surrounding park development on adjacent land. Environmental Design Capstone students studied the site and regional precedents to produce design recommendations that respond to local materials, views, and recreational goals as part of ongoing city planning efforts.
Associate Professor Daniel Butko is developing thin shell precast concrete acoustical panels in collaboration with Coreslab Structures, Inc., building on prior sOUnd lab work and a recent visit to Kirkegaard Associates’ design lab. The project includes acoustical testing at Riverbank Labs, a planned ASA conference paper, and research with a civil engineering PhD student on additives to improve sound absorption.
Associate Professor Daniel Butko visited and established relationships with acoustically focused labs, firms, and manufacturers including Riverbank Acoustical Labs, Kirkegaard Associates, ARUP, IAC Acoustics, and Nokia Bell Labs. His research included meetings with acousticians, historical discoveries, and hands-on material evaluations, and he encourages others to visit these sites.
