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.
Proietti presented her research regarding new pedagogical methods that aim to develop the sensorial abilities of young designers. According to Proietti, many architectural education programs focus on aesthetics and the use of certain shapes and proportions universally considered to be beautiful. However, this method of design ignores the larger issue regarding how certain qualities of objects are perceived and affect the overall experience of the built environment.
In her presentation, Proietti emphasized the importance of human perception in design education. She encouraged the use of innovative pedagogical formats, such as the Theory of Pure Design by Arthur Wesley Dow and Denman Walso Ross. This approach focuses on physio-psychology and relies on empirical studies to determine the visual appeal of various design forms.
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
