SUPPORT UTSOA
SIXTH RIVER ARCHITECTS ENDOWED FELLOWSHIP ESTABLISHED
Austin Music Hall, renovation by Sixth River Architects.
Rollie Roessner, Jr. [B.Arch. '76], President of Sixth River Architects in Austin, has generously established the Sixth River Architects Endowed Fellowship to provide scholarship support in the School of Architecture to graduate students in the Master of Architecture First Professional Degree program. Sixth River Architects was founded in 1994, and among their recent projects is the renovation of the Austin Music Hall. Rollie is a member of the School of Architecture Advisory Council and is also the principal for an endowment in his father's honor, the Roland Gommel Roessner Centennial Professorship in Architecture. We want to extend our thanks to Rollie for his support of our architecture graduate students.
To learn more about opportunities to establish permanent endowments at the School of Architecture, please visit our endowment web page or contact Julie Hooper, Assistant Dean for Development, at 512.471.6114.
TEXAS CHAPTER ASLA TO ENDOW NEW GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP
Harrington Faculty Fellow Allan Shearer, Assistant Professor Jason Sowell, ASLA Texas Chapter member Chad Davis, and Associate Professor Mirka Benes .
At the 2009 Texas Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Awards Banquet held on April 16, President Tom Alves, ASLA, and chapter member, Chad Davis, ASLA, presented the School of Architecture with a $25,000 gift towards the funding of a new graduate fellowship for students in the landscape architecture program. Associate Professor Mirka Benes , Assistant Professor Jason Sowell, Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellow Allan Shearer, and Assistant Dean for Development & External Relations Julie Hooper were in attendance to receive this wonderful gift on behalf of the school. This endowment will be the first dedicated graduate fellowship solely for the benefit of landscape architecture students at the School of Architecture. We extend our great thanks to each and every one of the Texas ASLA members whose generous giving made this meaningful gift happen.
Among the Student Design Award honorees were Michael Averitt for his "[Re] New Economy" project and the team of Cameron Campbell and Wen Shang for their "Urbanizing the Picturesque, Beijing, China" project. Both projects won a Graduate Program Design Honor Award for Analysis and Planning. Cameron and Wen are students in the UTSOA Landscape Architecture Program. Michael graduated in December 2008 with an MLA degree and is on the design staff of Peter Walker and Partners Landscape Architecture in Berkeley, California.
FRIENDS OF ARCHITECTURE
FOA members Doug McCall and Laurent Le Gourrierec in front of the Golden House, a 1920s renovated Mediterranean bungalow in the Alamo Heights area of San Antonio. The Golden House was one of several beautifully renovated homes visited on the Friends of Architecture "San Antonio... Old Meets New" tour in February. Photo © Laurent Le Gourrierec.
Friends of Architecture (FOA) is an annual giving program within the School of Architecture with a mission to increase knowledge and awareness of superior architecture, planning, and design and to advance quality education for future generations. Our members are current students, faculty, alumni, patrons, practitioners, and aficionados who believe in the significance of the built environment and are looking to take part in shaping its future by supporting excellence within the School of Architecture.
FOA membership benefits include involvement opportunities through the school's lectures, exhibitions, and publications and access to significant architecture and design with our exclusive tours.
How to Join
As of September 1, 2007, all donors to the Annual Fund Program who direct their gifts in the amount of $50 or more to the School of Architecture automatically receive a one-year membership in Friends of Architecture.
Make your gift today at our giving page. Click on "School of Architecture" in the right-hand menu to make your donation and start receiving your FOA benefits!
You may also make a contribution directly to FOA online. Log on to our website to join online, learn about member benefits, and get information about upcoming tours and events.
Friends of Architecture would like to thank our Corporate Silver members and supporters Curtis & Windham Architects and Lucifer Lighting Company.
Events
For the latest updates, check out the online UTSOA Calendar.
Funding for lectures and exhibits is provided in part by the Herbert M. Greene Centennial Lectureship, the Wolf and Janet Jessen Centennial Lectureship, the Karl Kamrath Lectureship, the Edwin A. Schneider Centennial Lectureship, and the Brightman/York Endowed Lecture Series in Interior Design.
EXHIBIT
April 24 - May 8
Northwest corner, Harry Ransom Center
Opening Party: Friday, April 24, 1:00 p.m.
"5 X 5 EXHIBITION
The 5 X 5 Exhibition is a temporary installation comprised of various design concepts expressing contemporary issues in landscape architecture and environmental design. The goal of the exhibit is to help improve outdoor environments at The University of Texas at Austin campus by exploring and experimenting with alternative solutions to the university's vernacular landscape. The exhibition will take place in twenty-five 5'x5' raised concrete planters at the northwestern corner of the Harry Ransom Center (HRC).
Currently, these planters are neglected as a result of the challenging site conditions including: inadequate sunlight, lack of permanent irrigation, poor soil conditions, and shelter any natural precipitation. In response, the ASLA Student Chapter hosted a design competition housed within the School of Architecture encouraging students to propose expressive alternatives and sustainable solutions to this challenging site. Thirty-nine submissions were narrowed down through a jury of faculty members to twenty-five proposals that each received fifty dollars to install each design concept.
Ultimately, the UT Austin ASLA student chapter hopes to work towards a long-term solution for this challenging site. In the meanwhile, the temporary exhibition will bring attention to this neglected place on campus and help improve the university's awareness of how landscape architecture students in the School of Architecture could become helpful resources in future campus improvement projects.
EXHIBIT
"Another House Fly," created by artist Arthur Ganson, 1999.
April 6 - 30
Mebane Gallery
Goldsmith Hall
"MACHINES | Arthur Ganson"
CENTER LUNCH FORUM SERIES
The Center for American Architecture and Design hosts a Friday Lunch Forum Series from 12:00 to 1:30 in the Battle Hall Conference Room (room 101).
The aim of the series is for faculty and students to meet in an informal atmosphere to debate topics and to share ideas about history, practice, theory, and new directions for architecture. Forum topics/titles are confirmed a week prior to each forum date. Visit the Center website for updates.
The Friday Forum is also webcast live (visit the Center's website), and you are invited to call in live with questions or comments during the discussion at 512.471.9890.
LECTURE
Monday, April 27
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.
Kristina Hill
Director of Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
EXHIBIT
Cuilapan Monastery, Oaxaca, Mexico, 16th century.
January 16-August 14, 2009
Visual Resources Collection
Sutton Hall 3.128 (Monday-Friday, 8-5)
"Perceiving Space: The Hal Box and Logan Wagner Collection of Mexican Architecture and Urban Design"
Every summer from 1985 to 1996, with the assistance of volunteer teams from Earthwatch, W.L. Moody, Jr. Centennial Professor Emeritus in Architecture and former dean of the School of Architecture Hal Box, FAIA, and Dr. Logan Wagner [M.Arch. '79; Ph.D. in Latin American Studies, with an architectural history concentration, '97] explored, photographed, measured, and made scale drawings of over ninety towns in Mexico. The collection of over 8,000 slides taken during this period was donated to the School of Architecture's Visual Resources Collection (VRC).
The exhibit highlights a selection of images from a collection that documents communal open spaces built in Mexico from 2000 B.C. to the present, concentrating on the 16th and 17th century fusion of Mesoamerican and European architecture and town planning. Contained in the collection are images of sacred open spaces formed by ancient pyramids and the plazas, atrios, cloisters, and towns' central plazas.
The Hal Box and Logan Wagner Collection of Mexican Architecture and Urban Design will be available in ARTstor later this spring and as part of the VRC's online Image Collection.
FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP
Dean Fritz Steiner presented the inaugural Robert L. Thayer Lecture in Landscape Architecture on April 16 at the University of California, Davis, Department of Environmental Design. His lecture, "Making Territory," explores the territories between architecture and planning, as well as those between science and art.
Professor Richard Cleary has been appointed by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) as a member of the pool for National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) visiting teams for 2009-14.
Dr. Cleary will serve on a team of educators, practitioners, regulators, and students conducting architectural accreditation review and site visits. Since most state registration boards in the United States require an applicant for licensure to have graduated from a NAAB-accredited program, obtaining such a degree is an essential aspect of preparing for the professional practice of architecture.
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS
CLASS OF 1959 REUNION
Come and join your Class of 1959 reunion April 29-May 1 here on UT campus! The Texas Exes is hosting this three-day event, and registration is already underway. Log on to the reunion website to sign up, view, and print a schedule of activities and make your travel plans.
During the three-day reunion, hosted by Texas Exes, you will have an opportunity to visit the School of Architecture, hear updates on the school's programs, and visit with faculty and students.
If you have questions about the 50-Year Alumni Reunion events or haven't received your packet of information, please don't hesitate to contact Stephanie Perez at 512.471.8098 or toll free at 1.888.628.0003.
ALUMNI UPDATES
Lecturer Robert Gay [M.Arch. '05], Agustina Rodriguez [M.Arch. '08], and John H. Asher II [MLA '07] have started a very unique venture called BBIITT (Building Integrating Technology) in Austin.
They explain, "Our mission is simple. We love using digital fabrication tools to design. We love it so much, we created BBIITT.
"BBIITT is made up of a trio of individual designers with diverse backgrounds and capabilities. Together, we provide you with a unique approach to production, design consulting, and creative solutions involving digital cutting technologies.
"Each partner brings a diverse set of backgrounds to the table. While we each might have our own particular focus, collectively, we have a broad range of experience. From underwater archeology to glass making to modular building design, creatively, we can help you make anything.
"By making digital fabrication services available to other designers and creative firms, we hope to contribute a new way of working with the design community of Austin. Our aim is to establish lasting relationships with like-minded individuals who are also interested in adapting the normal creative process into something extraordinary."
The Plastiki, a boat built of re-purposed plastic bottles, created by Adventure Ecology, Andrew Dovell and Nathaniel Corum.
Nathaniel Corum [M.Arch '01], a programs manager with Architecture for Humanity, is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the nonprofit. This spring, Nathaniel has been co-teaching architecture studios at University of Southern California and the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and designing off-grid homes. His summer projects include designing a cabin and systems for the Plastiki Expedition, a boat built of re-purposed plastic bottles launching soon on a 7,500-mile route from San Francisco to Sydney, and co-mentoring a Wilderness Institute for Leadership Development river trip built around the floating classroom concept through Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park.
CAREER RESOURCES FOR ALUMNI
Did you know that as an alumnus of the University of Texas, you have access to valuable career tools such as AccessUT and Texas Exes Career Services?
AccessUT is an online job and internship database within the university's Hire Texas web site that allows students and alumni to view postings from employers searching for their next hire. It also provides employers a free, centralized place to post professional, career-related job and internship opportunities for students and alumni.
The Texas Exes offers important career services such as one-on-one career consultations, resume critiques, coaching, online career assessment tools, seminars, job-searching resources, networking opportunities, and a Virtual Career Center.
ALUMNI EVENTS
On April 2, 2009, the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation hosted a Preservation Meet & Greet at the Littlefield Home on UT campus. Dr. David Gracy II, the Governor Bill Daniel Professor in Archival Enterprise in the School of Information, and a Littlefield descendant (above, far right), was the guest of honor. Next to him is Student Historic Preservation Association President Emily Freeman. Also pictured is John Volz (fourth from right), of Volz & Associates, who prepared a preservation plan for the house a few years ago. Photo by historic preservation student Daniel Yen.
We want you to stay involved and connected to the school, so join us for one of our many upcoming alumni events:
- Class of 1959 Reunion - April 30 - May 1, 2009
- AIA Alumni Reception at the offices of EDAW/AECOM in San Francisco - Thursday, April 30, 2009, 6:00 p.m. R.S.V.P. online here.
- School of Architecture 100th Anniversary Celebration - Sunday, October 10, 2010
Being an alum has its benefits! As an alumnus of the School of Architecture, you will have many opportunities for ongoing contact with the school and our alumni community:
- Social and intellectual enrichment at one of our annual socials or mixers
- Expanded networks for professional growth and development by attending our series of lectures and exhibits
- Connections with UTSOA students, staff, and faculty, and continued involvement in the welfare and future of the school by joining Friends of Architecture
We are continuing our effort to find (and maintain) the most accurate contact information for all of our alumni. Stay in touch with former classmates--update your record and contact preferences by logging on to the university's online alumni directory.
More details will be available on the School of Architecture alumni web page as events approach. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Stacy Manning at smanning@austin.utexas.edu or 512.471.0617.
AIA AUSTIN HONOR AND DESIGN AWARD WINNERS
AIA Austin (Austin Chapter of The American Institute of Architects) presented the recipients of the 2009 AIA Austin Honor Awards at an Awards and Honors Gala held on Saturday, April 18, 2009, at the historic Browning Hangar at Mueller.
Honor Award recipients include:
Juan E. Cotera [B.Arch. '69], JOHN V. NYFELER, FAIA, COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD for extended commitment to community service or significant contribution evidenced by a positive impact on urban, environmental, or neighborhood issues.
Richard Weiss [MSCRP '04], YOUNG ARCHITECTURAL PROFESSIONAL, presented to a member or associate member for professional achievement in leadership during the early years of participation in AIA Austin.
Sue Edwards, City of Austin, EDWIN WALLER AWARD FOR PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE. The Waller Award was created in 1998 to recognize achievement in public architecture, to recognize public-service architects, public officials or other individuals, by their role as architects or as advocates.
Dick Clark [B.Arch. '69], Dick Clark Architecture, FIRM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, the highest honor that AIA Austin can bestow on an architecture firm for outstanding contributions to the community, the profession, or for producing distinguished architecture.
AIA Austin also announced the results of the 2009 Design Awards Competition. The jury reviewed 115 entries from local firms and made the following selections:
DESIGN AWARDS
The Long Center for the Performing Arts
Nelsen Partners Architects
Lake Travis Retreat
Dick Clark Architecture
Met Retail
Studio 8 Architects
Cliff Street Duplex
Alterstudio Architects, LLP
House in Trees
Tim Cuppett, AIA
Action Figure
Rhode : Hurt Architects
Lost Pines Chapel
LZT Architects Inc.
Oasis Advertising Agency
Specht Harpman
Travis Heights Art Studio
Clayton Levy Little Architects
Tower House
Andersson Wise Architects
Trail Restroom
Miró Rivera Architects
Architecture for Discovery Green
PageSoutherlandPage, LLP
Wolfe Den
M.J. Neal Architects
U.P. Ultimate Pulse
Legge Lewis Legge
STUDIO AWARD
The Chimeric Project
James Haynes, [M.Arch. '08] and Patrick Winn, [M.Arch. '08]
CONTACTS
In this fast-paced world, there's a lot of news to keep up with. We know you are doing great things, and we rely on you not only to share your stories, but also to keep us up-to-date on your contact information so that we can share our stories with you. Alumni, please send your news and contact updates to Associate Director of Constituent and Alumni Relations Stacy Manning at smanning@austin.utexas.edu. Students, faculty, and staff may send updates to eNews editor Pamela Peters at p.peters@mail.utexas.edu.
UT-Austin School of Architecture
soa.utexas.edu
Dean's Office
512.471.1922, fax 512.471.0716
Center for American Architecture and Design
christinewong@mail.utexas.edu, 512.471.9890
Center for Sustainable Development
teresacarr@mail.utexas.edu, 512.475.7995
Assistant Dean for Development
Julie Hooper, jhooper@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.6114
Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Jeanne Crawford, jcraw@mail.utexas.edu, 512.471.0109
Graduate Program Coordinator
Rosemin Gopaul, gopaul@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.0134
Associate Director of Constituent and Alumni Relations
Stacy Manning, smanning@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.0617
Director, Career Services Center
Carrie O'Malley, carrie.omalley@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.1333
Publications Editor
Pamela Peters, p.peters@mail.utexas.edu, 512.471.0154
Materials Lab
http://soa.utexas.edu/matlab, 512.232.5969
Visual Resources Collection
http://soa.utexas.edu/vrc/, 512.471.0143
Architecture and Planning Library
www.lib.utexas.edu/apl/, 512.495.4620
Webmaster
Christopher Rankin, crankin@mail.utexas.edu, 512.495.4620
UTSOA Mailing Address
The University of Texas at Austin
School of Architecture
1 University Station B7500
Austin, TX 78712-0222
