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 Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce the inaugural recipients of the 2025 Graduate Student Research Enhancement (GSRE) Award, a new program designed to support graduate-led research with strong potential to advance scholarship across the design and construction disciplines.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce that the University of Oklahoma Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships has awarded $30,052 through the Strategic Equipment Investment Program (SEIP) to support the launch of the Mobile Urban Design Unit (MUDU). This new resource will allow OU teams to bring high-quality tools for research and community engagement directly into towns and neighborhoods across Oklahoma.
Senior Interior Design student, Jada Higgins, has achieved a remarkable milestone by winning the IIDA Excellence Award at the Texas-Oklahoma Chapter’s annual awards ceremony held on Friday, November 7th in Austin, Texas.
On November 19, 2025, Gibbs College of Architecture hosted a panel focused on how artificial intelligence can be integrated into the University of Oklahoma’s (OU) and College’s policies and practices, as well as its teaching and research efforts.
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 Foundation. The grant will support their project “Artificial Intelligence Assisted Design for Independent Living.”
An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Oklahoma Norman (OU Norman) and OU Health, including Interior Design professors, has published their study in the journal Virtual Reality.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Alison Hafar is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support.
Telesis is the student-led journal at the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture. The Telesis team is considering the theme of “DESIGN_LESS” in its forthcoming issue (Vol. VIII). We invite you to contribute your work–design proposals, essays, stories, poetry, art, or other media–to this exciting publication until November 14, 2025. Contributors may be students, faculty, professionals, or community members from inside and outside the University of Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture has earned national recognition with its student-produced journal Telesis, which has been awarded the 2025 Douglas Haskell Award for Student Journals by the Center for Architecture in New York City.
Please join us in congratulating the 2025 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. Recipients were honored by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting and will be recognized during the college awards banquet in October. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Telesis, a journal produced by students and faculty in the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, has earned first-place with the 2025 Douglas Haskell Award for Student Journals for its sixth volume, “The Essence.”
At the 2025 Oklahoma Interior Design Awards ceremony, senior Grady Morton was awarded the “Best in Student Category” award, and sophomores Ayla Fetters and Maeleigh Drake both received honorable mentions in the Student Category for their Life Church Employee Cafe project.
Interior Design Director Elizabeth Pober was recently honored with the prestigious Logan Award during the 2025 Oklahoma Interior Design Awards, a fundraiser and celebration organized by the Oklahoma Interior Design Coalition. The Logan award is only presented when the selection committee determines that there is a recipient who has profoundly impacted interior design in Oklahoma.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture dean Hans E. Butzer addresses graduates during the Spring 2025 commencement ceremony.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the release of Telesis “Unfold,” the dynamic seventh volume of its award-winning student journal. Fully led, curated, and created by students, this seventh volume embraces the theme of unfolding, encouraging deep reflection, process-driven exploration, and storytelling from the margins.
For principal architects and partners Gary Armbruster and Heath Tate, giving back to the University of Oklahoma’s Gibbs College of Architecture isn’t just a professional obligation; it’s personal. Both proud OU alumni, Gary and Heath credit much of their success to the connections, mentorships, and lessons learned during their time at the University. Today, that Sooner spirit lives on through MA+’s active partnership with Gibbs College — from advisory board membership, to supporting scholarships and student internships to hands-on mentorship that helps bridge the critical gap between education and professional practice.
A team of graduate students from the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture claimed a significant victory April 27, earning top honors in the Multi-Family Housing Division of the international BuildingNEXT competition, held at the U.S. Department of Energy’s laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
On April 18, 2025, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture hosted its annual Graduate Student Showcase, a celebration of research, design innovation, and creative exploration across all graduate programs within the College. The event transformed Gould Hall into a vibrant exhibition of ideas where students shared their work with faculty, peers, and the broader community.
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.
Salma Akter Surma, a Ph.D. student in Gibbs College’s Planning, Design and Construction program, has been awarded the Nancy L. Mergler Dissertation Completion Fellowship for the 2025–2026 academic year. This competitive fellowship, awarded by the OU Graduate College, supports outstanding doctoral candidates in the final stages of their dissertation research.
Please join the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture in celebrating our four Outstanding Seniors in the Class of 2025, one from each of Gibbs College’s undergraduate programs.
A message from Dr. Amber N. Wiley, director of the OU Institute for Quality Communities.
Earlier this academic year, OU first-year Interior Design studio students showcased their understanding of design principles through an innovative mid-term project: creating a mobile. This assignment allowed students to explore and demonstrate their mastery of fundamental design principles in a dynamic and engaging way.
Ali Ames, an alumna of the University of Oklahoma’s Architecture program, recently had a project featured in House Beautiful, including on the magazine’s cover. The project is a breathtaking residence in Westlake, Texas. Ames, class of 2012, designed the exterior of the 17,200-square-foot home and collaborated on the interiors with designer Janelle Patton.
The 2025 Charles W. Graham Travel Study Gala was a record-breaking success, with over $75,000 raised. The proceeds from this event directly benefit students who are eager to travel and gain hands-on learning experiences.
Interior Design assistant professor, Dr. Negar Matin, has published a study that advanced the application of data-driven design for minimizing discomfort glare in high-performance sustainable buildings.
Satyendra Pakhalé is a globally recognized designer whose pioneering work bridges industrial innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural narratives. With a career spanning decades, his multidisciplinary practice has redefined design across industries, from industrial design to architecture. His work is known for pushing the limits of materials and technology while maintaining a deep connection to human experience and sensorial design.
Davis Furniture proudly announces its recent sponsorship of the Furniture Design-Build Studio at the University of Oklahoma, a hands-on course inspiring the next generation of designers through experimental learning. Held during the Fall 2024 semester at the University’s Gibbs College of Architecture, the studio brought together 17 senior Interior Design students who designed, constructed, and showcased original furniture pieces.
Dr. Suchi Bhattacharjee, Dr. Chie Noyori-Corbett, and Ph.D. candidate Salma Akter have collaborated on a chapter titled “Sheltering Hope: Navigating the Nexus of Refugee Housing Conditions and Well-Being”, featured in the book “Migration and Forced Displacement.”
Salma Akter Surma, a Ph.D. candidate at Gibbs College has co-authored a study published in the Journal of Urban Management. The research investigates the experiences of women in urban informal settlements of Khulna, Bangladesh, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on how housing infrastructure influenced caregiving responsibilities.
The 2024 Gibbs College of Architecture Celebration Banquet brought together students, faculty, alumni, and donors to celebrate scholarship awards and induct three distinguished alumni into the Gibbs College Hall of Fame. Held at the Sam Noble Museum, the event recognized the achievements and commitment of the Gibbs College community.
University of Oklahoma senior Mohamed Elgouhari has been named a finalist in the SEC Start Up competition for student-athletes in the Southeastern Conference for his personal fitness app Gametime Rehab.
OU Interior Design Associate Professor Mia Kile is a leading co-principal investigator of the Happy Teacher Project: Happy Teacher Wellness Intervention initiative. This project focuses on improving the well-being of early childhood educators by creating dedicated wellness rooms — spaces where teachers and staff can rest and recharge, helping to address the physical, psychological, and professional demands of their work.
University of Oklahoma senior Mohamed Elgouhari has been named a finalist in the SEC Start Up competition for student-athletes in the Southeastern Conference for his personal fitness app Gametime Rehab.
Gibbs College is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards. These outstanding individuals were honored by dean Hans E. Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting on August 14, 2024. Recipients were selected by the Gibbs College Awards Committee following an open nomination process.
Interior Design assistant professor, Dr. Yeji Yi, has been granted funding through OU’s Faculty Investment Program. This funding supports her project “Development of Interactive Virtual Reality Multi-Sensory Environments: Participatory Research.” The project seeks to integrate Virtual Reality (VR) technology to analyze stakeholders’ needs and develop interactive VR Multi-Sensory Environments. These environments are specifically designed to be usable for neurodivergent individuals.
On April 11, 2024, The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) hosted Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of the Atlanta BeltLine, to share lessons learned from the iconic project. The fully booked event drew dozens of students, members of the Taft community, event sponsors, and friends from the broader metro community.
On April 22, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture celebrated the annual Gibbs Design Activism Awards. The GDAA is a grant initiative that supports student-led design and research projects that engage topics of community, social and economic concerns across Oklahoma.
Salma Akter Surma, a Ph.D. student in Gibbs College’s Planning, Design and Construction program, recently won second place in the Graduate & Postdoc Research and Scholarly Activity Day Poster Competition. Each year, the OU Graduate College sponsors this event to offer graduate students and postdocs from all disciplines the opportunity to exhibit their research.
An interdisciplinary team of Gibbs graduate students recently competed in the TEXO Foundation Region 5 Student Competition in Hurst, Texas. The team of six competed in the Design-Build division in the Graduate category and won second place with their design proposal.
Nominations are now open for the University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame. The goal of the Gibbs Hall of Fame is to recognize a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact over time to Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities is proud to announce the visit of Clyde Higgs, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine Inc, on Thursday, April 11th to share stories and lessons learned from the iconic Atlanta BeltLine project. The event will take place at Gould Hall’s Buskuhl Gallery from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. RSVP is required to attend.
In collaboration with the Institute for Quality Communities, OU Interior Design and Environmental Design students are working on an adaptive reuse project in Taft, Oklahoma. Taft is a small town located in Muskogee County and is one of Oklahoma’s thirteen remaining Black townships. In 2023, the community reached out to the IQC for assistance in revitalizing the town’s community spaces.
An interdisciplinary team of OU students from the Gibbs College of Architecture, Gallogly College of Engineering and Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication was recently selected as a finalist for the 2024 Solar Decathlon Competition. The team is competing in this year’s Design Challenge in the Single-Family Housing Category.
Seven faculty members from the divisions of Regional and City Planning, Architecture and Interior Design were recently awarded funding through Gibbs College’s Program for Research Enhancement. These grants of up to $6,500 are available to full-time faculty members of Gibbs College to support their research and creative activities.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce the Spring 2024 Career and Internship Fair! The event will take place on Thursday, February 22, 2024, from 3:30 – 6 p.m. at the Thurman J. White Forum.
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During the fall 2023 semester, senior Interior Design students designed and constructed furniture pieces as a part of Gibbs College’s furniture design studio. For the second year in a row, the course was sponsored by local furniture and design studio Henry Home Interiors. Their sponsorship helped cover the cost of materials, scholarships and resources for the end-of-semester furniture design exhibition.
Gibbs College’s annual Charles W. Graham Travel Study Gala will be held on February 23, 2024, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at VAST (333 W. Sheridan Ave, 50th Floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 – click here for parking information). It will feature a three-course meal with fine wine pairings. Individual tickets are $200. All proceeds support student travel study scholarships and opportunities.
Christopher Loofs and Jordan Loofs, faculty in the divisions of Architecture and Interior Design, were recently selected as winners of Warming Huts v.2024: An Arts + Architecture Competition on Ice, hosted by The Forks. Supported by the Manitoba Association of Architects, this annual competition combines world-class design and art with the famous winters of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
During summer 2023, the fourth annual Grassroots Women’s Peace Conference was convened at St. Monica’s Vocational School in Gulu, Uganda. The conference was organized by OU’s Center for Peace and Development and St. Monica’s as well as 10 other grassroots women’s organizations. The conference also received support from a gift by the Gibbs College of Architecture.
Tiziana Proietti, assistant professor of Interior Design and Architecture and director of the interdisciplinary laboratory Sense|Base, recently presented her research at the 2023 Interior Design Educators Council Southwest Regional Conference. She was recognized with the Best Presentation award for her project, Vision Training for Designers.
Allison Winn, a fourth-year Interior Design student from Elk Grove, California, was selected as Gibbs College’s Outstanding Senior for 2023. Every fall, the dean of each undergraduate college at OU selects one accomplished student to receive this Award of Merit.
The International Conference of Heritage and Affect, co-organized by Angela Person (associate professor of Architecture, University of Oklahoma) and Jacque Micieli-Voutsinas (assistant professor of Museum Studies, University of Florida), will take place online in late November and early December 2023. The conference brings together dozens of leading scholars from around the world to explore the affective, visceral, and more-than-representational atmospheres of heritage landscapes.
Gibbs College of Architecture proudly announces the successful re-accreditation of its Interior Design program by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.
Interior Design student Naila Hasan recently presented her research at the 2023 Interior Design Educators Council Southwest Regional Conference, where she received the award for Best Poster Presenter. Hasan presented the results from her recent study, The Relationship Between Natural Lighting and Biophilic Elements and Children’s Behaviors, co-authored by Yeji Yi, assistant professor of Interior Design.
Telesis is the student-led journal at the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture. Following its last volume, “Adaptive Practice” (Vol. V), the Telesis team is considering the theme of “The Essence” in its forthcoming volume (Vol. VI). We invite you to contribute your work–design proposals, essays, stories, poetry, art or other media–to this exciting publication until Monday, November 27, 2023. Contributors may be students, faculty, professionals, or community members from inside and outside the University of Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture, in partnership with the OU School of Visual Arts, is pleased to announce that Alison Fisher and Craig Lee will give a public lecture as a part of the 2023 Goff Lecture Series. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 4:30 p.m. in Nielsen Hall, room 170.
Bruce Wilkinson, OU alumnus and major supporter of Gibbs College, recently received a Regents’ Alumni Award from the OU Board of Regents and OU Alumni Association. This award celebrates the profound way OU alumni and supporters shape the university’s vibrant future.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support.
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OU Interior Design Faculty recently presented at the Environmental Design Research Association’s 54th Annual Mexico City Conference. Professors of Interior Design Dawn Loraas and Yeji Yi both attended the conference and shared their research findings.
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s award-winning student journal, is releasing its fifth edition in Fall 2023. This edition, “Adaptive Practice,” called for contributions from interdisciplinary problem solvers who reject the status quo and redefine “business as usual” through their work.
Salma Akter Surma, a Ph.D. student in Planning, Design and Construction, was recently awarded the Security in Context Research Fellowship from the OU Center for Peace and Development. During her fellowship, Akter will research how trauma-informed care approaches can be applied in the planning and design process of child-friendly built environments in the refugee context.
Gibbs College is excited to announce that Gould Hall underwent several renovations during summer 2023. These building improvements were made in an effort to meet the growing needs of students, faculty and staff, as student enrollment has increased by over 300 students in the past five years.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is excited to announce the Fall 2023 Career and Internship Fair! The event will take place on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, from 3-6 p.m. at the Thurman J. White Forum.
Please join us in congratulating the 2023 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. Recipients were honored by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting on Thursday, Aug. 17. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Thomas Kang is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester. Thomas Kang is a professor in the Department of Architecture & Architectural Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU) in Korea. Before that, he was a professor in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at OU and has held various affiliated positions at universities around the world.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that David Logan is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming school year. Logan is currently the Director of Tax & Trade Policy Analysis for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Chadwick Allen is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester, co-sponsored by OU Departments of English, Film & Media Studies, Geography and Native American Studies. Chadwick Allen serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement at the University of Washington Seattle (UW), where he is also a Professor of English and Adjunct Professor of American Indian Studies. He has published numerous books and has conducted interdisciplinary work on Indigenous earthworks – a study of cultural and political revitalization through the built environment.
Following an internal search, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture has appointed Suchismita (Suchi) Bhattacharjee as associate dean for academics and college administration, effective July 1, 2023.
OU Gibbs College is pleased to announce that Jonathan Tate is invited to give a public lecture in the upcoming fall semester. Jonathan Tate is the founder and principal of OJT, an award-winning architecture firm based in New Orleans. OJT was established in 2011 as a creative, expansive, and exploratory practice with a desire to contribute to contemporary discourse.
The Gibbs College of Architecture and OU Libraries invite you to celebrate exhibitions on the American School in California. These exhibitions showcase the works of John Marsh Davis and Mickey Muennig, two architects who studied at OU under Bruce Goff and went on to have distinguished careers in California.
Twelve Gibbs students recently traveled to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona for a travel study course led by Interior Design Professor Mia Kile. Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and studio in the desert and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark.
30 high school students from across the state took part in OU Gibbs College’s recent annual design camp, led this year by interior design faculty Elizabeth Pober and Chelsea Holcomb. The camp introduces students to OU’s Interior Design and Architecture degree programs and associated professions.
Professors of Interior Design Mia Kile and Dawn Loraas recently received seed funding grants from the OU Institute for Community and Society Transformation. ICAST awarded seed funding grants to seven interdisciplinary teams to aid in the development of their projects related to community and societal transformation.
OU Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that David J. Lewis, a principal of LTL Architects and dean of Parsons School of Constructed Environments, has been appointed as the Goff Chair of Creative Architecture for fall 2023. For his lecture, Lewis will discuss his work related to the Manual of Biogenic House Sections, which articulates how plant-based and low-carbon materials can produce a profound rethinking of section in houses.
The OU Center for Peace and Development (CPD) is now accepting applications for the fall 2023 Security in Context (SiC) Research Fellows grant. All OU graduate students are eligible to apply, and selected students will receive a scholarship of $2,500 for the upcoming fall semester.
On April 21, Gibbs College celebrated the inaugural Gibbs Design Activism Awards (GDAA). The GDAA is a grant-initiative that supports student-led design and research projects that engage topics of community, social and economic concerns across Oklahoma.
OU’s Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce the appointment of three new faculty members in its Divisions of Architecture and Interior Design in the Fall 2023 term. Gibbs College is grateful to the many search committee members and others around campus who made this process a success.
Freshman Interior Design students recently visited Rivermont Independent Living in Norman, OK as a part of their studio course. 36 students attended the trip, joined by Professors of Interior Design Dr. Suchismita Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yeji Yi and graduate teaching assistant Naila Hasan.
Professors of Interior Design Dr. Suchismita Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yeji Yi and graduate student Azra Fific presented at the I.D.E.A. symposium, hosted by OU’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Bhattacharjee and Dr. Yi presented their teaching experience, “Universal Design in Architecture." Fific presented her project “Refugees and Placemaking: Healing Trauma Through Interior Design.”
On April 6, third-year Construction Science, Architecture and Interior Design students travelled to Dallas for an interdisciplinary field trip. The students got to learn from industry professionals and gain hands on experience at a construction job site and architecture office.
Ph.D. student Salma Akter Surma and Interior Design faculty Dr. Suchismita Bhattacharjee were recently awarded funding as a part of Gibb’s College of Architecture’s Program for Research Enhancement. This merit-based program grants Gibb’s faculty members funds to increase their research and creative activities.
OU architecture alumna Breah Page was recently awarded the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Dubin Family Young Architect Award. The AIA is a professional organization for architects that works to improve the architecture industry through education, government advocacy and community outreach.
In February, the Interior Design Professional Advisory Board hosted their annual career prep workshop. This event helps students prepare for the career fair each spring through resume and portfolio feedback sessions and mock interviews.
OU Interior Design student Riham Hamed was recently selected for the 2023 Metropolis Future100 program. Created by Metropolis Magazine, this program recognizes the top 100 architecture and interior design students in the United States and connects them with leading design firms.
Dr. Tiziana Proietti, assistant professor of Architecture and Interior Design and director of the Sense|Base Laboratory at OU, is the recipient of a 2023 Junior Faculty Fellowship. Awarded by the Research Council of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships office at the University of Oklahoma, the program is designed to support tenure-track faculty establish their research and creative activities.
A team of Gibbs students was recently selected as a finalist for the 2023 Solar Decathlon Design Challenge. The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition that has inspired thousands of students worldwide to enter the clean energy workforce since its inception in 2002. This competition challenges student teams to create innovative building designs that address real-world issues, including climate change, environmental justice, and affordability.
An integrated Design-Build team of OU students from Construction Science, Architecture, and Interior Design won 1st place at the TEXO Foundation | Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 5 student competition.
A gift to the University of Oklahoma will honor alumnus and esteemed architect Bob Faust by creating multiple new faculty and staff positions dedicated to the American School, an innovative design practice developed at OU in the 1950s and ’60s. Sherry Faust, Bob Faust’s spouse, has made a multi-million-dollar planned gift in his honor to University Libraries and OU’s Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture.
The 2023 Charles W. Graham Travel Study Benefit Dinner was a huge success, with about 200 attendees and over $34,000 raised. The 11th annual event was held Friday, February 11, at Vast restaurant in Oklahoma City. The proceeds from this event directly benefit students who are eager to travel and gain hands on learning experiences.
Ph.D. student Zhina Rashidzadeh, and her faculty advisor Dr. Negar Heidari Matin, an Assistant Professor of Interior Design, recently published a paper in the Sustainability journal. Sustainability is a peer-reviewed journal published by the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
Through a new seed funding opportunity supported by the OU Norman Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships, the OU Health Sciences Center Vice President for Research and the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, two teams will each receive up to $30,000 to support interdisciplinary research at the intersection of health, well-being, and the built environment.
Negar Matin, an assistant professor of Interior Design, was recently awarded funding as a part of the Gibb’s College of Architecture’s Program for Research Enhancement. Each year, this merit-based program grants funds to Gibb’s faculty members in order to increase their research and creative activities.
Marco Piscitelli, an Herb Greene Teaching Fellow of Interior Design and Architecture, was recently awarded funding as a part of the Gibb’s College of Architecture’s Program for Research Enhancement. Each year, this merit-based program grants funds to Gibb’s faculty members in order to increase their research and creative activities.
Oklahoma City-based KFOR News recently highlighted the OU Interior Design Furniture Design Studio on its "Is this a Great State or What?" segment.
Gibbs College’s annual Charles W. Graham Travel Study Benefit Dinner will be held on February 10, 2023, from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. at VAST (333 W. Sheridan Ave, 50th Floor, Oklahoma City, OK 73102). It will feature a three-course meal with fine wine pairings.
Seniors in the University of Oklahoma Interior Design program recently travelled to Dallas to visit multiple design firms, projects, and showrooms. The two-day trip consisted of several stops allowing students to connect with several Dallas Interior Design professionals and program alumni, see multiple active design projects, and tour both showrooms and firms.
This semester’s Interior Design Furniture Design Studio course will be hosting an exhibition of their completed furniture pieces on Thursday, December 1st at 7:00pm at MAINSITE Contemporary Art Gallery in Norman. The exhibition is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Henry Home Interiors of Norman.
Interior Design students and faculty were recently invited to tour the newly opened NOUN Hotel in Norman’s historic Campus Corner area. The field trip was a collaboration with the Oklahoma Interior Designers Coalition (OIDC) chapter board, the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Oklahoma City Chapter board, and GH2, an Oklahoma based architecture and design firm. The OIDC, IIDA, and GH2 hosted the entire Interior Design program, including undergraduate students and faculty.
Interior Design Senior, Ava Moore, and Interior Design 2022 Graduate, Olivia Aasheim, recently received awards from the Oklahoma Interior Design Coalition’s (OIDC).
We would like to extend special thanks to Gibbs College Interior Design alumni, design professionals, student volunteers, and event organizers who participated in IIDA ZeroLandfill Oklahoma City 2022! Since 2014, the IIDA ZeroLandfill OKC project team has partnered with the architectural and interior design community to collect expired or un-used sample material for re-purposing back into the community.
Gibbs College invites applications for several faculty and staff positions. Please help us share these opportunities broadly. We are excited to be adding to our amazing team!
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s award-winning student journal, is releasing its fourth edition in Fall 2022. This edition, “Habitation,” questions how we may ensure all things, living and non-living, may continue to inhabit our planet. “Habitation” continues the overarching theme explored in “Isolation”: “How can design aid people’s sense of belonging?”
Khoi Hoang, an alumnus of the Interior Design program, was recently recognized as one of the 2022 American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Ones to Watch Scholars. The Ones to Watch program honors underrepresented members of the interior design community. As part of ASID’s dedication to the advancement of diversity and inclusion in the interior design profession, the Ones to Watch initiative supports and provides opportunities to rising leaders.
Please join us in congratulating the 2022 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. Recipients were honored by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting on Thursday, August 18. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Five graduates from the Gibbs College of Architecture received Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards this April. This award recognizes the top grade point average for each undergraduate major.
The Gibbs Design Activism Awards is a new grant initiative that was created to support student-led design and research projects that critically engage topics of community, social, and economic concern within the built environment – at Gibbs College, on the OU Campus, and across Oklahoma.
Dr. Tiziana Proietti, an assistant professor of Interior Design and Architecture, recently spoke at a Kansas State University event titled “Generators of Architectural Atmosphere.” Dr. Proietti presented the keynote talk, The Experience of Architectural Proportion Through a Scientific Perspective, in which she explored human perceptions of architectural proportion.
Several Gibbs College Architecture and Interior Design students have been spending the semester living and learning in Rome. The students’ coursework is tailored to both take advantage of Rome’s great sites as well as meet the curricular needs of students. Some have recently shared some of the moments of discovery they have experienced during their time in Rome and Europe.
GCA assistant to the directors, Camille Germany, sat down OU interior design alumnus, Avery Smith, to discuss her journey into the interior design world! Read on for highlights, or click the link below to access the full podcast.
You are invited to attend the sophomore Interior Design students’ Furniture Design Shows during the first week in May.
Second-year Interior Design students are creating Shaker tables as part of their Furniture Design course taught by Profs. Natalie Ellis and Tracy Howard. Shaker furniture is known for its careful attention to proportion, form and function. Under guided supervision, they are crafting the tables from start to finish in the Gibbs College of Architecture’s Creating_Making Lab.
