A new pergola designed by Urban Design students Virginia Paiva and Samiul Haque was recently installed at Chapman Green in downtown Tulsa. The pergola was funded by a grant from the Claritin® Clarity Parks Project, which helps restore community outdoor spaces that have been impacted by natural disasters. The grant was administered by the Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and maintaining community places.
Chapman Green is a public park that is used for a variety of community events, including Tulsa Mayfest. However, with the park’s previous lack of shade and Tulsa’s sometimes severe summers, the park could quickly become unbearably hot. Led by Shawn Schaefer, director of OU’s Urban Design program, the students conducted in-depth observations and research to determine innovative design solutions for the park. In collaboration with several organizations and the local community, the students developed the idea to install a pergola.
The pergola designed by Virginia Paiva and Samiul Haque.
The project originally began in 2020, but it was delayed for several years due to the pandemic and other issues. The pergola now joins 20 previously planted trees to provide shade for park visitors. According to Schaefer, the project was a true community collaboration. Schaefer and his students would like to thank the local stakeholders and organizations that contributed, including:
Feature Image: Chapman Green, photo by Stephan Pingry.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Dr. Tamar Zinguer, Associate Professor of Architecture, has been selected to participate in the prestigious 2026 Summer Residency at the National Humanities Center (NHC).
Tanvin Mahtub Fariha, a first-year Master of Landscape Architecture student in the Gibbs College of Architecture and a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, has earned recognition for her work.
A team of Construction Science and Architecture students from the Gibbs College of Architecture made their mark on the national stage this week, earning third place out of 37 universities competing at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Competition, held during the International Builders' Show in Orlando, February 16-18, 2026.
