University of Oklahoma Architecture alumnus Asa Highsmith was recently recognized as an honoree in the Architectural League of New York’s 2023 Emerging Voices competition. The Emerging Voices program is an annual event that recognizes outstanding Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Design firms across North America.
This year’s winners were selected by a reputable board of judges who reviewed submissions from over 50 competitors. Highsmith’s firm, Common Works Architects, was awarded along with seven other accomplished firms.
Common Works Architects was founded in 2015 by Highsmith in Oklahoma City. According to Highsmith, the firm is dedicated to “democratizing design and elevating that which is common.” The firm has designed a wide variety of different projects including residences, restaurants, and public spaces.
Village Park by Common Works Architects.
Common Works was previously listed among Architect’s Newspaper Interior’s “Top 50 Architects and Designers of 2022” and highlighted in a Metropolis New Talent Feature.”
Learn more about the Emerging Voices Award and see the full list of recipients.
Past emerging voices from the OU Architecture program include Brian Phillips of ISA and Lyn Rice of Rice+Lipka.
A project designed by Gibbs College of Architecture faculty member Austin Lightle has been selected for BuildFest 2026, a national art and architecture festival held at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.
Two Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumni are helping shape recommendations that could influence affordable housing design and construction across Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries recently welcomed Carl Siegel as an Architecture Librarian and Archivist and Assistant Professor. In his role, Siegel supports students, faculty and staff across the Gibbs College of Architecture while also serving as archivist for the American School of Architecture Archives.
