IN MEMORIAM:
PROFESSOR EMERITUS MARTIN S. KERMACY

Martin S. Kermacy. Photograph by Debbe Sharpe.

Martin S. Kermacy was born in southern Hungary on April 6, 1915. He died in Austin, Texas, on June 8, 2007. He taught at the UT-Austin School of Architecture from 1947 to 1983, retiring as Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Planning.

His professional education was at the University of Pennsylvania( B.Arch '38, M.Arch '39). In 1954, he was elected president of the Austin Chapter, American Institute of Architects.

During his lifetime, he established two endowments at the School of Architecture, the Martin S. and Evelyn S. Kermacy Collection Endowment and the Martin S. Kermacy Centennial Professorship in Architecture.

Professor David Heymann, current holder of the Martin S. Kermacy Centennial Professorship in Architecture, reflected, "One of the honors arising from holding the Martin S. Kermacy Professorship has been seeing Martin for lunch. He had an unbridled and open enthusiasm for architecture, and extraordinary stories, beginning with his life in Europe, his travels, and his work in Cret's office. I will miss him, and remain grateful for his generosity."

Research for Dr. Anthony Alofsin's most recent book, When Buildings Speak: Architecture as Language in the Habsburg Empire and its Aftermath, 1867-1933 (2006), was supported by the Kermacy Professorship, while Alofsin held the professorship. The Kermacy Collection Endowment supported final research and publication of the book.

The Martin S. and Evelyn S. Kermacy Collection in the Alexander Architectural Archive (AAA) represents a lifetime of collecting by Professor Kermacy. It is a voluminous collection of architectural drawings, photographs, slides, maps, art and architectural books covering the core subjects of European architecture of the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly the Austrian Secession and the German Jugendstil. Kermacy started collecting during his tenure as a Fulbright Lecturer at the Technische Hochschule Wien during 1955 and 1956. The collection holds many of the most important monographs on these early modernists, principally Wagner, Hoffmann, Olbrich, and Loos. But more importantly, the Kermacy Collection contains many of the most important and rare theoretical documents for the Austrian Secessionists, which are richly illustrated by the architectural drawings and photographic materials. View the collection inventory at the AAA website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utaaa/00030/aaa-00030.html.

Martin Kermacy was preceded in death by Evelyn G. Stein, of York, Pennsylvania, his wife of 57 years. Since her death, her friend and his, Jayne L. Klein, of Austin, has been a loving companion.

CAMPUS PRESERVATION PLAN GETS UNDERWAY
WITH $175,000 GRANT FROM THE GETTY FOUNDATION

1933 Plan of Development for The University of Texas at Austin, by Paul Cret. In his design--based on timeless elements of beauty, flexibility, comfort, balance and symmetry--Cret created a strong central identity point (the UT Tower) surrounded by four treed quadrangles, extending in the four cardinal directions from the Main Building, bringing a sense of order to the campus. In the years that followed, Cret designed a number of additional buildings on campus, all patterned to enhance the inviting urban design already in place. Paul Phillipe Cret Collection, Alexander Architectural Archive, UT-Austin.

The University of Texas at Austin has received a grant of $175,000 from the Getty Foundation in Los Angeles to help develop a preservation plan for the University's historic core, widely and traditionally referred to as the "Forty Acres."

The two-year project, part of the Getty Foundation's Campus Heritage initiative, will enable the University to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the campus.

"The University of Texas at Austin is home to some of the nation's finest academic architecture and designed landscapes," said Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation. "We are pleased to support the planning that will ensure the long-term preservation of these important historic resources."

The Preservation Plan, which includes graduate instruction, continuing education workshops, an interpretation of campus history and establishment of a long-term material collection and test site monitoring protocol will be broken down into four components:

• a cultural resource survey to determine eligibility of the campus to the National Register of Historic Places;
• a cultural landscape inventory which will include a management plan for the historic landscape;
• an architectural plan based on a comprehensive survey of conditions of the exteriors of buildings;
• an in-depth investigation, including laboratory and field testings of conservation methods for a representative set of buildings.

Through the educational component of the award, students will take part in the development of the preservation plan and will have the opportunity to work with experts from Volz & Associates, an award-winning architectural firm that has provided previous preservation consulting for the University.

"It's important for preservation students to work on real projects," said Michael Holleran, director of UTSOA's graduate program in historic preservation in the School of Architecture and project supervisor. "Our students will be working on one of the most significant projects in the country."

The University's preservation program includes the unique Architectural Conservation Laboratory, a facility staffed with a full-time conservation scientist, allowing large parts of the conservation plan to be done in house, rather than being sent to outside consultants.

"We are delighted the Getty Foundation has decided to collaborate with us in preserving the historic buildings and landscapes of The University of Texas at Austin," said Pat Clubb, Vice President for Employee and Campus Services. "The historic fabric of our campus is a vital part of this institution's identity, and the Getty Foundation's generous gift will help us preserve the University's architectural legacy so the state of Texas and the world can benefit from the remarkable beauty of our campus."

Events

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

EXHIBIT

This map considers institutional viability in relation to post-Katrina demographic shifts. Produced by UTSOA's Biennale exhibition team: Jason Sowell, Nichole Wiedemann (faculty), Rachel Brown, Clayton Fry, Frank Jacobus, Brett Koenig, Edward Kopelson, Jimmy Luu, Lindsey Moyer, Lynn Petermann, Agustina Rodriguez, Emily Scarfe, Andrea Schelly, Lee Ulmer, Aimee Weber, and Kristine Stiphany Weimer (students).

June 11 through September 2007
Mebane Gallery
Goldsmith Hall

"Resilient Foundations:
The Gulf Coast after Katrina"

Following the successful showing at the 10th Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, September-November 2006, the exhibition, "Resilient Foundations: The Gulf Coast after Katrina," will now be shown here in our Mebane Gallery at the School of Architecture. Special thanks to Larry Doll for curating this exhibition.

The exhibition sets out the resilient foundations for the region's development. The term resilience refers to the ability for an urban area to rebound after disaster and arises from the disciplines of ecology and planning. In order to suggest responsible scenarios for the Gulf Coast, The University of Texas at Austin has gathered neither infallible science nor a singular answer, but rather the most reliable information about the region's natural hazards, important production areas, ecologically significant lands, and valuable cultural resources.

Ecological understanding can be advanced through mapping and design, but such generative prospects are part of a larger concept about people's interrelation with land and water. Katrina's lessons will reduce the loss of life and property only if we reduce the impact of that which nature will reclaim regardless of our permission. Marc Morial, former New Orleans mayor, notes that the challenge we face "is not only about rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, it is about rebuilding a culture, a human system."

A symposium and design invitation, "counterMEASURES," will be held this fall at the School, which will examine the role of design at the scale of architecture, landscape, and urbanism as a means of achieving resilience in the face of extreme environmental conditions. With a series of panels focusing on ecology, economy, and technology, the speakers will consider the possible future scenarios for the Crescent City.

Special thanks to:

Exhibition Underwriter
The Howard E. Rachofsky Foundation

Symposium Underwriters
Edward W. Rose III Family Fund of the Dallas Foundation
McCall Design Group
Andersson·Wise Architects
Urban Edge Developers, Ltd.
Boone Powell, FAIA
Gay Kokernot Ratliff
Dick Clark Architecture
Charles E. Lawrence
Laura Toups
Helen Thompson
Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA

EXHIBIT

Tempe, Arizona, September 2001. Photograph by Fritz Steiner.

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.

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Dean Fritz Steiner, FASLA, is being awarded the 2007 Community Service Award by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Steiner is being recognized for his sustained pro bono service to the community, offering his time and expertise in environmental planning, design excellence, and sustainable design to organizations and communities across the country.

Steiner chairs the five-county Envision Central Texas project, a non-profit organization focused on addressing growth sensibly with the interests of the region's citizens in mind. He has served on its board of directors and executive committee since it was established in 2002.

Austin Mayor Will Wynn appointed Steiner to the City of Austin Bond Election Advisory Committee in 2005. Steiner was selected in 2002 to serve on the Site/Landscape Design Committee for the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. From 2002 to 2006, he served on the board for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. He has also held many leadership positions with the Landscape Architecture Foundation since 1995, including serving as president and as vice president for research and education.

In nominating Steiner for the award, F. Christopher Dimond, chairman of planning services for HNTB Corporation, an internationally noted firm serving transportation, architecture, and federal projects, said, "By recognizing Fritz with the ASLA Community Service Award, we will be honoring an individual who can serve as an inspiration to landscape architecture professionals far and wide as an extraordinary model of community service." The award will be presented in October at the annual ASLA meeting in San Francisco.

The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects. The ASLA has more than 16,200 members and 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, United States territories and 42 countries. ASLA promotes the landscape architecture profession and advances the practice through advocacy, education, communication and fellowship.

Award-winning 2007 Cleveland Design Competition entry by Hope Hasbrouck and Jason Sowell.

Hope Hasbrouck and Jason Sowell, Assistant Professors in the Graduate Program of Landscape Architecture, were awarded second place in the 2007 Cleveland Design Competition. The international ideas competition focused on the redevelopment of Irishtown Bend, an unstable hillside situated along the west bank of the Cuyahoga River that was formerly occupied by a squatters community and industrial buildings. Their entry, titled seedBANK, set up a working landscape, whereby sloped terraces and topographic folds structured a nursery of interwoven "seed crop" fields. Organized along a central path, the landscape provides a resource for rebuilding the region's plant communities; establishes a physical connection from the city to the river; and integrates a constant productive system with transitional public open space programs and recreational threads.

The work of Associate Professor Juan Miró's firm, Miró Rivera Architects, has been published recently in one national and several international publications. New Sustainable Homes, a book published by HarperDesign, includes the Snyder Residence as an example of a new generation of sustainable houses by leading U.S. architects and firms, such as Pugh Scarpa. Water In Architecture, a book published in English, Spanish, and Italian, explores how architects around the world incorporate water in their designs. It includes three projects from Miró Rivera (Boat House, Pedestrian Bridge, and Guest House). Pools Design Source, by Lof Publications, is a comprehensive guide of pool designs from architects and landscape architects throughout the world. It includes three pools from Miró Rivera (Garza House, Pool House, and the Snyder House). Two magazines, Diseno Interior, from Madrid, and CA casamica, from Milan, published the Pedestrian Bridge in their last issues. The work of the firm was also recently featured in two periodicals from Puerto Rico, El Nuevo Dia and El Vocero.

Professor Miró is also featured in the April issue of Plan, the premier architectural magazine in Ireland, discussing the work of Felix Candela and Luis Barragan.

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI UPDATE

Bercy Chen Studio LP (principals Thomas Bercy [B.Arch./B.Arch.Eng. '00] and Calvin Chen [B.Arch. '98]) will be part of the "Young Americans: New Architecture in the USA" exhibition at the German Architecture Museum (DAM) in Frankfurt beginning June 26, 2007. The exhibition is based on a new book of the same title by Beate Engelhorn (DOM publishers, Berlin). In addition, several of their projects have been recognized in a variety of international publications, including the New York Times; Vision Magazine, a cutting edge design/culture magazine published in Beijing, China; Best Private Plot in the World Award catalog; and Sustainable Environments, a new book by Yenna Chan (published by Rockport). For a full listing of the firm's recent recognitions, visit http://www.bcarc.com/Publications.

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

The School of Architecture is continuing its effort to find (and maintain) the most accurate contact information for all of our alumni. From young alumni receptions to 50-year reunions, and everything in between, we hope you will stay in touch. Would you like to mentor a student? Do you need to hire a fellow Longhorn? Looking for networking or continuing education opportunities? We can help, but we need to know how to reach you!

Alumni may update their records, contact preferences, and search for fellow graduates by logging on to the University's online alumni directory at http://www.texasexes.org/online/update_address.asp. Or, you may always contact Stephanie Palmer, Alumni Relations Director at stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu or 512-471-0617.

Thanks for helping us improve our relationship with you. We look forward to hearing from you!

FRIENDS OF ARCHITECTURE

Bridge over Town Lake, Austin, Texas. © Kevin Keim.

Friends of Architecture is proud to announce our final schedule of exclusive architectural tours for 2007-2008. The calendar includes:

• Austin, Texas - November 3, 2007
• Modernist Palm Springs - February 9-11, 2008
• Seattle, Washington - July 2008
• San Antonio, Texas - November 2008

We hope you will join us for a look inside some of today's newest and most remarkable private spaces. Whether you are seeking continuing education credits or are looking to advance your personal architectural appreciation and knowledge, you won't want to miss FOA's next adventure. All tours are carefully crafted by expert guides and always include exclusive access to amazing residences and other notable private designs.

Friends of Architecture tours sell out quickly, so you'll want to reserve your space today. Our web site is currently being updated to reflect the final schedule listed above, but tour registrations and membership information are always available at http://www.friendsofarchitecture.org.

ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY PROGRAM NEWS

Timothy Parker, doctoral student in architectural history, has received a 2007-2008 Livingston Fellowship. The William S. Livingston Graduate Fellowship is one of the largest awards given annually by the Graduate School at the University. This is the third year in a row a doctoral student in architectural history and theory has received the award. Vladimir Kulic is currently on a Livingston Fellowship, and Timothy received a Livingston the previous year. The fellowship will support completion of Timothy's dissertation, "The Modern Church in Rome: Architecture, Theology, and Community, 1945-80," which examines the struggle to reconcile religious tradition with modern identity.

DEAN'S JOURNAL

On Sunday morning, May 20, following graduation ceremonies the day before, I flew to Beijing where I am a visiting professor at Tsinghua University's School of Architecture. I gave five lectures, including a school-wide talk; participated in studios; and met with faculty and students. As with our Master of Landscape Architecture degree, Tsinghua's landscape architecture is a relatively new graduate program within a well-established School of Architecture. We compared notes about the progress of our programs. In addition, I met with Tsinghua faculty concerning a future joint studio with Professor Wilfried Wang in 2008.

Two field trips during my stay were especially noteworthy. The first was to Olympic Forest Park with Tsinghua Associate Professor Hu Jie and fellow visiting professor Ron Henderson of L+A Landscape Architects, Providence, Rhode Island. Hu Jie is the chief designer and project manager for the Olympic Forest Park, the largest public green space ever to be built in Beijing. Twice as large as Central Park, the 6-8 square-kilometer park will create a "green lung" for the city of 14 million (which is projected to grow to 16 million).

The main entertainment area for the athletes of the 29th Olympic Games, the landscape plan constructs a combination of new small mountains, water bodies, and woodlands. The water system reclaims and purifies water through a series of constructed wetlands. In addition to improving water quality, the wetlands and lakes, combined with extensive plantations, create new habitat for animals, especially birds and fish. The park will also be a welcome new green space for Beijing residents after the Olympic athletes return home after the 2008 games.

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests within the Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China. Photograph by Fritz Steiner.

The second excursion was to the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) with Tsinghua Professor Yang Rui and Ron Henderson. Yang Rui is responsible for the new plan for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. A popular destination, the Temple of Heaven attracts 16 million visitors annually, 11 million of whom are Beijingers. One of Yang Rui's challenges is to balance the preservation goals of a heritage site with the many recreational uses of local residents who use it to sing, dance, exercise, walk, and meditate.

Our visit coincided with that of a UNESCO delegation. The main "Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest" has been recently restored, resulting in some controversy among preservationists. The main issue concerns the target time of the conservation. As a series of wood structures, the Temple of Heaven evolved constantly since it was established in 1420. Different emperors redesigned it for their own purposes, lighting destroyed buildings, and wood deteriorated. We watched a thorough presentation of the restoration efforts at the music hall and also were entertained by a performance of traditional Chinese music.

I also visited less historic, more vernacular, but equally interesting places such as the giant flea market (Panjiayuan) and the arts supply district (Liulich'ang). The shops of the Liulich'ang feature brushes of all sizes, many varieties of inkwells, papers, and other implements for painting and calligraphy.

Detail from a shop in the Beijing arts district of Liulich'ang. Photograph by Fritz Steiner.

I returned to Austin and was greeted by unfortunate budget news. The University was unsuccessful in the recent legislative session to expand resources. The state's contribution to the University's overall budget has now dropped to less than 16 percent. As a result, the School will need to make around a 2 percent budget cut for the coming year. I spent time on the budget as well as on hiring new faculty.

In better news, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by a unanimous voice vote the Green Energy Education Act on June 6 (H.R. 1716). Sponsored by Texas Congressman Michael McCaul, the bill will allow the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation to provide grants to colleges and universities to improve engineering and architecture education related to the design and construction of high performance buildings. The bill calls for improving the ability of engineers, architects, landscape architects, and planners to collaborate. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate.

On Thursday, June 7, I flew to Miami Beach to participate in the EDAW Principals Meeting. I am helping EDAW edit a forthcoming monograph about their work, tentatively titled Landscapes in Dialogue, to be published by Edizioni Press. At the Miami Beach meeting, we were able to address several final editorial details.

In addition, I participated in two strategic path panels. The panels addressed eight themes including water resources, ecological restoration, urban regeneration, government, resorts and tourism, sustainable communities, education and health care, and the public realm. Three topics receiving considerable attention include the global growth of EDAW, recruitment, and retention. EDAW's offices in China, the United Kingdom, and Australia are growing. As with other firms, the demand for landscape architects, architects, and planners is greater than the current supply. As a result, EDAW is reinforcing its recruitment and retention programs. Its well-established summer internship program is especially popular with students.

While in Miami Beach, I learned about the death of Professor Emeritus Martin Kermacy from Professor Anthony Alofsin.

—Fritz Steiner

SUPPORT UTSOA

Raquel Elizondo. Photograph by Charlotte Pickett.

Last summer, Raquel Elizondo, one of the School of Architecture's most dedicated staff members and a good friend, retired. Raquel had served the School for 14 years, acting as Assistant Dean for Administration to two deans. Previously, Raquel had worked in office of the Vice President for Development and University Relations. She is known and loved across campus, but nowhere more so than in the School of Architecture.

During Raquel's tenure at the School, she was an advocate for the creation of a Staff Excellence Fund to provide resources for professional development, thereby improving staff performance and thus the position and function of the School. Currently, there is no such funding available, and staff members who wish to grow in their positions must seek such opportunities at their own expense.

The tremendous regard we all share for Raquel inspired us to initiate this campaign to create the Raquel Elizondo Staff Excellence Fund. To date, faculty and staff have come together and raised $6,000 in seed money for this endeavor; our campaign goal is $25,000.

We invite you to join the momentum of this campaign by contributing to the Raquel Elizondo Staff Excellence Fund as a permanent endowment for the benefit of the School of Architecture.

If you are interested in supporting this campaign, please contact Assistant Dean for Development Julie Hooper at jhooper@austin.utexas.edu or 512.471.6114.

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.

ERRATUM

The editors of eNews wish to correct an error in the "Student, Faculty, and Staff Awards, 2006-07" section of the May 24 edition. Scott Biehle was inadvertantly omitted from the list of Excellence in Design Award recipients. The awards were presented at the School's commencement ceremony on May 19.

Excellence in Design Awards--Awarded each year to graduating students for achieving excellence in design degree programs.

Dessislava L. Boneva, Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
Caroline Fickett, Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
Melissa Ann Simon, Bachelor of Science in Interior Design
Will H. Fox, Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies
Scott Petrie Vandever, Master of Architecture
Scott Eric Biehle, Master of Landscape Architecture
I-Ping Yang, Master of Landscape Architecture
Adel Shahrokh Bagli, Master of Architecture
Brianne Bayley Page, Master of Architecture

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
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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

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Charlotte Pickett, c.pickett@mail.utexas.edu

Webmaster
Christopher Rankin, crankin@mail.utexas.edu, 512.495.4620

UTSOA Mailing Address
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