RETIREMENT CELEBRATION

Friends, colleagues, and family members gathered to celebrate the careers of retiring faculty members Associate Professor Dan Leary, Professor Gerlinde Leiding, and Professor Richard Swallow at a party at the Moore/Andersson Compound in Austin on Wednesday, April 25. The colorful, art-filled Moore House was bursting with well-wishers, including emeritus faculty members Hal Box, James Coote, Richard Dodge, and Martin Kermacy, and retired faculty and staff members Owen Cappleman, Raquel Elizondo, Bob Swaffar, and Carolyn Smith.

Each retiree was presented with an original work of art created by a fellow faculty member. Dan received a watercolor from Associate Professor Larry Doll. Gerlinde received from Lecturer Joyce Rosner an experimental leaf weaving, consisting of autumn leaves gathered in Dresden, Germany—an investigation in recomposing natural elements and including temporal markers. Richard received from Associate Professor Nichole Wiedemann "a composite drawing made with many hands, representative of the impact Professor Swallow has had on faculty and students over the 50 years he has taught at UT. The drawings, each 3x6 inches, are variety of media including watercolor, pencil, ink, and prismacolor."

The Provost's Office has announced that the three have been granted emeritus status, which entitles a lifetime affiliation with the University and recognizes their vast accomplishments over the course of their careers. The School wishes them warm congratulations on their careers and emeritus status.

Events

Check out the new SOA Calendar at http://soa.utexas.edu/calendar.

EXHIBIT

April 18 through May 4
Four Chilean Architects
Patricio Mardones
Mebane Gallery, Goldsmith Hall

DESIGN>BUILD>TEXAS OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, May 5

The School of Architecture is hosting an Open House for DESIGN>BUILD>TEXAS, the award-winning model house designed and built by architecture students and faculty as a hands-on learning experience. The project has been published in many national and international design publications and won a prestigious Texas Society of Architects honor award in 2006. The house will be featured as part of the national AIA conference this spring.

Tours are free, but reservations are required.

Tour 1 9:30 a.m.
Tour 2 11:00 a.m.
Tour 3 1:30 p.m.

For reservations and a map, please contact Judy Parker at jparker@mail.utexas.edu or 512-471-1922.

EXHIBIT

January 26 through August 24
Visual Resources Collection
Sutton 3.128 (Monday-Friday, 8-5)

"Frozen Notes: the Photography of Frederick R. Steiner"

This exhibit features a selection of black and white photographs printed from 35mm Scala slides taken by the School of Architecture's Dean Frederick Steiner. Regarding his photographic pursuits, Dean Steiner says, "I seldom think about taking pictures, it is something I just do. Through my camera, I am an observer of the contemporary urban condition. Mostly, I take pictures of buildings and landscapes. I suppose my pictures might be viewed as abbreviated forms of architecture."

Dean Steiner is the Henry M. Rockwell Chair in Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin. During his tenure as a National Endowment for the Arts Prize Fellow in Rome in 1998, his love for photography was rekindled, and he has been photographing ever since.

CENTER FORUMS

The Center for American Architecture and Design hosts a Friday Forum Series from 12:00 to 1:30 in the Center's Battle Hall Conference Room (room 101).

Throughout the fall and spring semesters, faculty, visitors, and graduate students at the School of Architecture offer their latest work up for freewheeling discussion and debate, with subjects varying from architectural practice, design, design theory, to the arts, planning, and the politics and economics of development.

The idea is for faculty and students to meet in an informal atmosphere to debate and freely discuss topics "hot" on the minds of the speakers. Forum topics/titles are confirmed a week prior to each forum date. Visit the Center website (http://www.utexas.edu/architecture/center/lunch_forums) for updates. The remaining spring 2007 schedule includes:

• May 4, Smilja Milovanovic

The Friday Forum is also webcast live (visit the Center's web address above), and you are invited to call in live with questions or comments during the discussion at 512-471-9890.

EXHIBIT

Through May 31
Architecture and Planning Library's Reading Room
Battle Hall

"Sanctioning Modernism:
An Exhibition on Post-World War II Architecture"

This exhibit features selections from the Alexander Architectural Archive and the Architecture and Planning Library's Special Collections.

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Professor David Heymann was featured in the April 16, 2007, edition MSNBC.com/Newsweek in their "Leadership and Environment" section (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17996835/site/newsweek/page/6/). In the article, "16 Ideas for the Planet," Professor Heymann is among 15 other scholars and civic and business leaders discussing their experiences in sustainable living. Heymann describes the house he designed for then-governor George Bush and Laura Bush, who "wanted a design for a house that would blend into the landscape of an extraordinary piece of land they had just purchased in Crawford, Texas." It is designed to use a quarter to a third of the energy of a normal house its size.

Lecturer Nik Nikolov completed work on the abridged biography of the pan-Arabic writer and translator Khalil Ramez Sarkis. Mr. Sarkis, born in Beirut in 1921, is a well-known author and thinker and a prominent exponent of Christian existentialism and personalistic thought in contemporary Arab philosophy. The work was sponsored by the private philanthropic association, Lebanese British Friends of the National Museum in London (http://www.lbfnm.org). For more information about Khalil R. Sarkis go to http://www.krsarkis.org/.

Visiting Associate Professor Sergio Palleroni's Katrina Furniture Project was featured in the Time.com/CNN online magazine last week (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1615123,00.html). The article, "From Katrina Wreckage to Workshop," by Anita Hamilton, explains how the project uses wood salvaged from homes destroyed by the hurricane to build new furniture for local residents that could also be sold in boutiques around the country. The first three prototypes—a minimalist pew, a table, and a set of nesting boxes—will be on display starting May 4 at the "Design for the Other 90%" exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City.

Dean Fritz Steiner has been elected by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) Executive Board members to be a member of the second class of the CELA Academy of Fellows. The award "honors a faculty member's lifetime accomplishments in teaching, scholarship/creative activity, and service [which] add up to excellent endeavor sustained over an extended period of time that is truly inspiring and significant." The award will be announced at the annual CELA Conference to be held at Pennsylvania State University, August 15-19, 2007.

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI RECEPTION AT THE AIA CONVENTION

Thursday, May 3
Lucifer Lighting Company
3720 IH 35 North
San Antonio
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Lucifer Lighting Company.

CLASS OF 1957 REUNION

Members of the Class of 1957 returned to campus April 26-27 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation. School of Architecture graduates included Bill Booziotis, Pat Holden, Owen Hooten, Joe Hoover, Hans (Clint) Jensen, Duane Landry, Jane (Lorenz) Landry, Earl Nesbitt, William Odum, Jay Powell, Jim Scoggins, and Magdalena (Leyendecker) Zuniga.

ALUMNI UPDATE

Ralf Brand [Ph.D. CRP '03] and Andy Karvonen (Ph.D. Candidate, CRP) recently published an article in the e-journal Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy titled, "The Ecosystem of Expertise: Complimentary Knowledges for Sustainable Development." The article can be accessed online at http://ejournal.nbii.org/. Ralf is currently a lecturer in the School of Environment and Development at the University of Manchester, and Andy is completing his dissertation research on the cultural aspects of urban water quality in Seattle, Washington, and Austin, Texas.

IN MEMORIAM

Betty Anne Benecke Johnson [B.S.I.D. '71] passed away on March 8, 2007, in Lutz, Florida. Betty was born in Manhattan, New York, and graduated high school in Houston, Texas. After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, she spent most of her working career with Ford Motor Credit, retiring as the North American Manager of Training and Development. Betty was an avid animal lover and a very creative, passionate, and outgoing person.

B. Boykin Bartlett [B.Arch. '51] passed away on April 15, 2007, in Houston, Texas, at the age of 83. Boykin was born in Quincy, Illinois, and attended the University of Mississippi before being commissioned as a pilot in the Army Air Corp during World War II. After the war, he completed his degree at The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. Boykin was a talented architect and designed many schools and buildings in the Houston area and on Texas university campuses. He was a gifted artist who enjoyed farming, golfing, and traveling. He will be remembered as a kind and gentle man who liked to be with his family and friends. Memorial contributions in Boykin's name may be made to Seven Acres Senior Jewish Care Center in Houston, Texas, or to a charity of your choice.

FRIENDS OF ARCHITECTURE

Friends of Architecture presents
"Re-New Orleans"
May 25-27, 2007

Time is running out to join Friends of Architecture's exclusive tour of the Crescent City. This comprehensive visit to one of the nation's most unique coastal cities has been designed by Reed Kroloff [M.Arch. '86], Dean of the School of Architecture at Tulane University. Together, we will take you through a broad spectrum of New Orleans architecture and design, capturing both the extensive impact of Hurricane Katrina and the city's amazing, ongoing recovery. With knowledgeable guest lecturers and private tours of the Garden District, the Ogden Museum, and several remarkable private residences, the weekend promises to be an experience you will never forget! FOA's tour will also feature extraordinary post-Katrina designs by UT-Austin and Tulane University School of Architecture students. And of course, there will be private cocktail receptions and plenty of traditional French Quarter dining and entertainment!

Reservations will be closing soon! For tour or membership details, contact FOA Director Stephanie Palmer at stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu or 512-471-0617.

ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY PROGRAM NEWS

Vladimir Kulic, a doctoral candidate in architectural history, is a recipient of the 2007 grant award from the John Anson Kittredge Educational Fund. Vladimir will use the $5,800 awarded by the foundation to fund his research on the Americanization of Yugoslav architecture at archives in Belgrade (Serbia) and Skopje (Macedonia), as well as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. Vladimir's dissertation, "Land of the In-Between: Modern Architecture and Politics in Socialist Yugoslavia 1945-65," is scheduled for completion in spring 2008.

Associate Professor Chris Long and Assistant Professor Mary Neuburger (Department of History) will receive an $8,000 grant from the Center for Russian and Eastern European Studies to support their conference, "Exhibiting the Nation: World's Fairs, International Exhibitions, and the Place of Southeastern and East Central Europe," that will be held October 26 and 27, 2007. Also among the sponsors for the event are the Center for European Studies, the Czech Chair, the History Department, and the School of Architecture.

COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING PROGRAM NEWS

SLETTO JOINS CRP FACULTY

Bjorn Sletto has been appointed as a new Assistant Professor of Planning in the Community and Regional Planning Program. He comes to us most recently from Cornell University, where he received a Ph.D. in city and regional planning. He also holds degrees in geography and journalism. In addition to teaching Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications in planning, he will also teach in the areas of Latin American planning, environmental management, and social justice. Sletto taught last year as an adjunct assistant professor in the CRP program and had tremendous success with his students and classes. A native of Norway, he has traveled and worked throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Current research projects include regional studies of indigenous populations in Venezuela and Brazil and a study of social justice issues facing communities in east Austin.

STUDENT WINS PRESIDENTIAL FELLOW AWARD

Ryan Sullivan, a graduating Community and Regional Planning Program masters student, was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF). These are highly competitive and prestigious fellowships that involve a two-year management assignment in a federal agency. He will be assigned as a PMF within the Office of Community Planning and Development at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He will operate primarily out of HUD's San Francisco Regional Office, but will also work on rotation at HUD headquarters in Washington, D.C.

CRP STUDENTS RECEIVE NATIONAL AWARD

Ten students in the "Geographic Information Systems" class traveled to San Francisco with Assistant Professor Bjorn Sletto last month to present their award-winning project at the Association of American Geographers (AAG) conference. Their studio project in Sletto's class won the national award, "My Community, Our Earth," given by a jury of the AAG. The presenters were students Monica Bosques, Jasmin Moore, and Zachary Stern, who did a wonderful job explaining their relationship-building with community groups in east Austin, the GIS mapping and production of data of children's perceptions of environmental hazards, and the children's representation of findings to policy makers, community members, and scholars.

While in San Francisco, the students held a special workshop with environmental justice and GIS scholars, attended conference sessions, and enjoyed an extended meeting with the national environmental justice advocacy group, the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment. Their work was well received by both scholars and activists. Here in Austin, they have been presenting their findings to community groups and city planners. They presented at a conference on campus last week, organized by the Department of Anthropology.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PROGRAM NEWS

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) - Texas Chapter has awarded landscape architecture graduate student Steve Shelton the 1st Prize Award in the 2007 Student Design Competition for his design of a small-scaled (pocket) park in the Cesar Chavez neighborhood in Austin. Lecturer Lynn Osgood's studio helped form the foundation for this winning design. You can view his design here: http://www.texanlandscape.com/asla_shelton_left.jpg and http://www.texanlandscape.com/asla_shelton_right.jpg.

MEADOWS FOUNDATION AWARDS $262,000 GRANT TO CREATE STANDARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES

The Meadows Foundation of Dallas has awarded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center of The University of Texas at Austin (http://www.wildflower.org/) a $262,000 grant to aid its effort to create standards for sustainable landscapes in partnership with the American Society of Landscape Architects and the U.S. Botanic Garden, both of Washington, D.C.

At a time when concern about climate change and resource conservation is growing, there are no standards for large-scale landscapes similar to the green building standards that have successfully motivated many builders to reduce energy consumption and environmental damage.

"This grant from The Meadows Foundation will play a critical role in jump-starting this initiative," said Susan Rieff, executive director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. "There is enormous interest in improving the way landscapes are designed, built and maintained, but we've lacked the guidelines and incentives."

DEAN'S JOURNAL

On Thursday evening, April 19, I participated in a Hill Country Conservancy Board Meeting. We discussed strategies to implement the "Walk for a Day" Concept that will enable hikers to trek from Town Lake out to the Hill Country via a system of interconnected trails.

The next morning the "Space + Mind" Symposium began in the Mebane Gallery. Organized by Assistant Professor Elizabeth Danze and Professor Michael Benedikt, the symposium brought together psychoanalysts with architects. Professor Esther de Costa Meyer of Princeton University was the first speaker. She discussed the 19th century transformation of Paris and how Baron Haussman repressed the topographies of the city and destroyed memories in the process.

Professor Meyer was followed by psychoanalyst Dr. Stephen Sonnerberg. He discussed the urban archaeology of Berlin and his personal reactions to recent buildings and memorials by leading architects such as Daniel Libeskind and Peter Eisenmann.

As the symposium continued, the student-organized Pie-a-Prof event occurred in the Goldsmith courtyard. Auctioneer and Associate Professor Carl Matthews accepted bids from students to pie their favorite professors. Mathews himself, as well as Professor David Heymann, Associate Dean Louise Harpman, and Assistant Professor Uli Dangel attracted especially high bids. Later in the day, I met with student leaders before attending dinner with the "Space + Mind" Symposium participants at the Charles Moore Center.

The "Space + Mind" Symposium resumed on Saturday morning, April 21. The first speaker was University of Pennsylvania Paul Philip Cret Professor Emeritus Joseph Rykwert, who observed "architecture mediates between the body and the world." He also said "the easiest way to forget a person is to put them on a monument" and "much of our current urban pattern is determined by drainage."

The next speaker was historian and analyst Peter Loewenberg of UCLA. He used the work of Walter Gropius, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Louis Kahn to illustrate how architecture is "the realization of mental space."

I left the symposium to participate in the Gus Garcia Park Competition Jury at the AIA Austin headquarters. The ideas competition was directed toward students and young professionals. Gus Garcia Park is 47 acres of parkland owned by the City of Austin that is currently undeveloped and situated in the rapidly growing residential area in the northwest portion of the city. We selected several noteworthy entries for first, second, and third place prizes and an honorable mention.

That evening, I stopped by a surprise party for the release of Associate Professor Chris Long's new book, Paul T. Frankl and Modern American Design. The Arthouse at Jones Center party was well attended by Chris' family, friends, and colleagues.

On Sunday, April 22, I attended the University Co-Op George H. Mitchell Awards for Academic Excellence dinner. Our student, Brett Wolfe, received a $5,000 award for his work on the Blanco County Library. He was nominated by his mentor, Louise Harpman, who also attended the dinner.

I spent all day Monday and Tuesday morning with the Sustainable Sites Product Development Committee (PDC) at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. We continue our work on a LEED-like or LEED-endorsed system for sites.

After the PDC meeting, I met my Environmental Readings class, where we discussed Cormac McCarthy's gripping The Road. I then attended a seminar by Dr. Talia McCray of the University of Rhode Island. She presented case studies from South Africa, Quebec, and Providence, Rhode Island, that analyzed transportation through the lens of accessibility. Afterwards, she and I were joined by Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement Greg Vincent, Social Work Dean Barbara White, and Associate Dean Kent Butler for dinner.

The highlights of Wednesday, April 25, include a lecture by Eric DeLony and the retirement party for three cherished School faculty. Eric DeLony is recently retired from the Historic American Engineering Record and focused his career on bridge design. He introduced a typology of bridge design and reviewed the importance of Associate Professor Richard Cleary's new Bridges.

We celebrated the retirement of Dan Leary, Gerlinde Leiding, and Richard Swallow at the Charles Moore Center. Richard Swallow began teaching at UT in 1957, Dan Leary in 1966, and Gerlinde Leiding in 1968. They have a combined record of 130 years of service to the School. In addition, Dan was an architectural engineering student at UT from 1956 to 1962, before he went to the University of Pennsylvania to pursue his M.Arch.

The next day I had lunch and dinner with the class of 1957. Bill Booziotis [B.Arch. '57] and Pat Holden [B.Arch. '57] organized the reunion, which brought alumni Owen Hooten, Joe Hoover, Hans (Clint) Jensen, Earl Nesbitt, William Odum, Jay Powell, Jim Scoggins, and Magdalena (Leyendecker) Zuniga back to class. In addition, Bill invited George Cape [B.Arch. '58], Duane Landry, and Jane (Lorenz) Landry to the reunion. The Landrys had begun with the UT class of 1957, but transferred to Yale before eventually completing their architecture studies at Penn.

I met the Executive Committee of the School's Advisory Council the next morning at the Flawn Academic Center, where plans for Speedway Boulevard, the East Mall and the new University Hotel and Conference Center were on display. We were joined by the full Advisory Council at lunch. Much of our meeting focused on the School's budget and fundraising priorities. Associate Professor Dean Almy provided an update on the Dallas Urban Lab, then Associate Professor Michael Holleran and Research Fellow Fran Gale described activities of the Historic Preservation Program.

Later in the afternoon, I took a break from the Advisory Council to meet with UT-Austin President Bill Powers, Vice President for Development Rick Eason, and Vice Provost Fred Heath about Battle Hall. Fred Heath and I described the opportunities provided by the coming 100th anniversary of Battle Hall in 2011.

Afterwards, I attended a lecture by Overland Partners founders Rick Archer [B.Arch. '79], Tim Blonkvist [B.Arch. '81], and Madison Smith [B.Arch. '80]. The focus of their talk was "building relationships," and they described their relationships from UT, through the founding of Overland Partners, on to the present. They illustrated their design philosophy through examples of their work.

The Overland lecture was followed by dinner at the Moore Center with members of the Advisory Council, the 50th reunion class, and several School faculty. Dean Almy and Michael Benedikt presented the recent edition of CENTER 14 on landscape urbanism and summarized its key contributions. (CENTER is the award-winning book series produced by the School's Center for American Architecture and Design.)

The Advisory Council continued to meet on Saturday morning. After we adjourned, several Council members toured a new project by Professor David Heymann currently under construction.

On Sunday, I flew to Dallas-Fort Worth, where I met with North Central Texas Council of Government officials and fellow jurors for a development awards competition. I chaired the "Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence" jury the next day. We selected exemplary new development, redevelopment, and special developments projects, as well as public planning and policy projects. I returned to Austin Monday evening.

On Wednesday, I chaired the Envision Central Texas Board meeting. Our meetings include a presentation on an issue of interest. Joe Gieselman, executive manager of the Travis County Transportation and Natural Resources Department, provided an overview of the county's groundbreaking Conservation Development Subdivision Ordinance. The first such ordinance in Central Texas, the measure permits landowners to preserve environmentally sensitive areas while developing more suitable places. The new ordinance garnered considerable interest from the Envision Central Texas Board of Directors.

Yesterday, Assistant Dean Julie Hooper, Alumni Relations Director Stephanie Palmer, Career Services Director Carrie O'Malley, and I went to the AIA Alumni Reception in San Antonio hosted by Gilbert and Suzanne Mathews of Lucifer Lighting.

—Fritz Steiner

SUPPORT UTSOA

Private support for the School of Architecture is a crucial component of our ability to recruit and retain the highest caliber faculty and students. It's easier than ever to support the School of Architecture and our many programs and centers. Please visit our secure online giving page at: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/nlogon/vip/ogp.WBX?menu=AT.

For more information, contact Assistant Dean for Development Julie Hooper at jhooper@austin.utexas.edu or 512-471-6114.

ERRATUM

The editors of eNews wish to correct an error in the "Alumni News" section of the April 19 edition. Greg Papay received an M.Arch. in 1993 and is a partner with Lake|Flato Architects (http://www.lakeflato.com/). In recognition of his notable contributions to the advancement of the profession of architecture, Greg will be invested into the American Institute of Architects' College of Fellows. The ceremony will be held in front of the Alamo during the AIA National Convention in San Antonio, May 3-5. Greg is one of only six Texas architects (and one of three UTSOA alumni) to receive the honor this year.

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 to tell us your story. Students, faculty, and staff may send updates to eNews editor Pamela Peters at p.peters@mail.utexas.edu. Alumni, please send your news and contact updates to Alumni Relations Director Stephanie Palmer at stephanie.palmer@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
utcsd@mail.utexas.edu, 512-475-8013

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

Publications Editor
Pamela Peters, p.peters@mail.utexas.edu, 512-471-0154

Director Friends of Architecture and Alumni Relations
Stephanie Palmer, stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu, 512-471-0617

Career Placement Director
Carrie O'Malley, carrie.omalley@austin.utexas.edu, 512-471-1333

Materials Lab
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Architecture and Planning Library
www.lib.utexas.edu/apl/, 512-495-4620

Director of Photography
Charlotte Pickett, c.pickett@mail.utexas.edu

Webmaster
Christopher Rankin, crankin@mail.utexas.edu, 512-495-4620

UTSOA Mailing Address
The University of Texas at Austin
School of Architecture
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