COMMENCEMENT WELCOME BY DEAN FRITZ STEINER

The UT Austin School of Architecture held the 2009 commencement ceremonies on Saturday afternoon, May 23. Dean Fritz Steiner welcomed all those in attendance at the ceremony in Hogg Auditorium with the following remarks and introduced our guest speaker, the Honorable Will Wynn (City of Austin Mayor, June 20, 2006, through June 20, 2009):

"Welcome graduates, friends and family, faculty and staff.

"Congratulations, class of 2009!

"Graduation is a challenging time. Our graduates here today face one of the biggest crossroads in their lives. Although this moment in time has been highly anticipated, the future promises not only great transformation, but formidable challenges.

"I'm not going to pretend that the dour economy hasn't affected our school and our graduates. It has. There is not a school or college on this campus or on any other that is immune to the economic failings that surround us.

"A year ago, the employment situation for our graduates was very strong. The economy prospered at the time, offering ample career prospects to our graduates that were both diverse and extensive. As our cities grew, so did employment options.

"Today we face a different, somewhat uncertain future. But in that uncertainty lies opportunity.

"As designers and planners, our graduates face a world in which their expertise is more marketable than ever. In which their skills are more essential than ever. And in which their knowledge is not only indispensible, but crucial to the advancement of the society in which we live.

"Let me share with you where today's graduates can make a difference.

1. Green-building design. We've been on the forefront of the green movement and continually address issues of sustainability in our work. This movement is long-term--meaning jobs in this area will multiply in the coming years.
2. The preservation of our built heritage. The building we're in, and the campus that surrounds us, have long and colorful histories. The renovation of existing buildings and landscapes will continue to provide opportunities for innovative practice.
3. Improved transportation and infrastructure development. This is a crucial issue in today's world, which our planning and urban design students tackle daily with determination and dedication. In this realm, too, opportunities are growing to design everything from commuter rail stations to regional transportation policy.
4. Energy conservation. This area of study will allow our graduates to collaborate with fellow scholars and practitioners from the colleges of engineering and natural sciences in holistic problem-solving approaches to one of the critical issues facing our planet.
5. Environmental and social impacts of rapid urbanization. In our Dallas Urban Lab Initiative, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design students work with city planners and professional design firms to shape the growth and quality of life in a growing city. It is my hope that we can continue cultivating symbiotic relationships like this in the future with other cities around the world.

"Graduates, today you join the ranks of our highly respected alumni. This gives you a competitive advantage in ANY economy. Our architecture graduates have scored higher on the Architecture Registration Examination than any other program in the nation for the past three years. That's an amazing, and significant, accomplishment. Another noteworthy achievement is that our Master of Landscape Architecture degree program -- this is only the fourth class to graduate -- is already ranked 11th in the nation by Design Intelligence.

"Graduates, today you join the ranks of our highly respected alumni. This gives you a competitive advantage in ANY economy. Our architecture graduates have scored higher on the Architecture Registration Examination than any other program in the nation for the past three years. That's an amazing, and significant, accomplishment.

"We don't just talk about high achievement. We prove it. And you should remember that as you move into the next stage of your life where competition is fierce. You graduated from an excellent school. Be proud of this significant accomplishment.

"Graduating in challenging times, such as these, present an opportunity to think differently and to pursue nontraditional careers. I know several of you will be engaged in public service in the coming months. Using your design and planning skills to benefit the public is a worthwhile activity, one I would urge you to pursue in prosperous economic times as well.

"Design is a political activity. Planning is a political activity. However, too few architects, landscape architects, interior designers, planners, and preservationists are engaged in politics beyond a community or neighborhood level. I will introduce an exception to that rule in a moment. I'd like you to consider closely the path he took. Your knowledge and experience is significant in various realms of the society in which we live.

"Before I make my introduction, let me point out that only one architect and only one landscape architect served in the U.S. Congress in the 20th century. A couple of planners also served during that time. What seems odd to me is that, by comparison, 12 morticians served in the U.S. Congress during the same time. While one might rightly argue that there are some similarities in our business, I can't help but think that our graduates could bring more lively conversation and ideas to the political table. As those of us who have lived in studios, the boisterous, colorful conversations would more likely raise the dead than let them lie in peace.

"Lawyers currently lead the professions in the U.S. Senate, followed by public service and business.

"In the 110th Congress in 2008, there were 13 medical doctors, two dentists, three nurses, two veterinarians, one psychologist, an optometrist, one pharmacist, six ministers, two talk show hosts, one river boat captain, and a hotel bellhop.

"Surely, the U.S. Congress, as well as the Texas Legislature, would benefit from the talents of today's School of Architecture graduates.

"Undoubtedly, our graduates have skills and a knowledge base that is critical to solving some of the pressing issues faced by society today. Yes, these are challenging times. But as I said earlier, challenge can create opportunity. Think of your degree as a creative tool. Decide how best to put it to use.

"It is now my pleasure to introduce an architecture graduate who is a successful politician. Mayor Will Wynn graduated from Texas A&M's College of Architecture. He served as Austin's mayor from 2003-2009. During that time, Mayor Wynn has championed urban and regional planning, downtown development, and enlightened energy policy and climate protection. He has also been a great friend of our school. Please join me in welcoming Will Wynn."

2008-2009 STUDENT, FACULTY, AND STAFF AWARDS

The UT Austin School of Architecture recognized the following award-winning students, faculty, and staff at the May 23 commencement ceremony. Congratulations to all.

American Institute of Architects Awards (presented by Stephen Oliver, AIA, President, Austin Chapter AIA)--Awarded for scholarship and professional promise to graduating students in first-professional degree programs.

First Award: The Henry Adams Medal
Kimberly Felicia Tseng, Bachelor of Architecture
Brian Charles Bedrosian, Master of Architecture

Second Award: The Henry Adams Certificate
Amber Leigh Czapski, Bachelor of Architecture
Jeremy Paul Olbrys, Master of Architecture

American Society of Landscape Architects Awards (presented by Zach Hunter, Texas ASLA respresentative)--Awarded for scholarship and professional promise to graduating students in landscape architecture.

Award of Honor
Cameron Saunders Campbell, Master of Landscape Architecture

Award of Merit
Regina Nicole Ramos, Master of Landscape

The Read & Pate Foundation Awards (presented by Russell Stanley, Trustee, The Read & Pate Foundation)--Awarded for scholarship and professional promise to graduating students in interior design.

Certificate of Honor
Kendra Lea Horn, Bachelor of Science in Interior Design

Certificate of Merit
Brittany D. Cooper, Bachelor of Science in Interior Design

Alpha Rho Chi Medal--Awarded to a graduating student in Architecture who has shown ability for leadership, performed willing service for the School, and has promise of professional merit.

Kevin Hadsell Moore, Master of Architecture

Oglesby Prize--Travel fellowship awarded each year to a professional degree candidate in Architecture for distinction in architectural design.

Brian Charles Bedrosian, Master of Architecture

Certificates of Achievement--Awarded to degree candidates in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement (4.0 grade point average in all coursework leading to a degree).

Vladimir Kulic, Ph.D. in Architecture
Kevin Hadsell Moore, Master of Architecture
Kimberly Felicia Tseng, Bachelor of Architecture

American Society of Landscape Architects Awards

Outstanding Service in Landscape Architecture
Cameron Saunders Campbell, Master of Landscape Architecture

Academic Excellence in Landscape Architecture
Erin Leigh Bernstein, Master of Landscape

Outstanding Professional Report/Thesis/Dissertation/ Master's Design Study Awards--Awarded to graduating students whose terminal research project deserves special commendation.

Sara Marie Hammerschmidt, Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning
Meghan D. Feran Kleon, Master of Science in Sustainable Design
Vladimir Kulic, Ph.D. in Architectural History
Kevin Hadsell Moore, Master of Architecture
Erin Renee Tyson, Master of Science in Historic Preservation
Chang Yi, Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning

Community and Regional Planning Outstanding Student Awards--Awarded to graduating students in Planning who have exhibited the best overall achievement in the classroom and in service to the school.

Tamar Greenspan, Master of Science in Community and Regional Planning
Jenna Lee Tighe, Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning

School of Architecture Outstanding Teacher Award (studio)--Francisco Gomes

School of Architecture Outstanding Teacher Award (lecture)--Christopher Long

School of Architecture Outstanding Service Award--Richard Cleary

School of Architecture Outstanding Scholarship Award--Anthony Alofsin

School of Architecture Outstanding Lab Assistant Award--Benjamin Thomas Mengdan

Graduate Research Assistant Award--Meghan D. Feran Kleon

School of Architecture Outstanding Teaching Assistant Awards--William Olmsted Antozzi and Alex Gordon Gilliam III

School of Architecture Outstanding Staff Award--Christine Wong

SPRING 2009 SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE STUDENT DESIGN EXCELLENCE AWARDS

On behalf of the UTSOA awards committee, Lecturer Nik Nikolov announced the winners of the spring 2009 School of Architecture Student Design Excellence Awards.

Each instructor teaching a studio was asked to submit one project from their studio to be considered for a Student Design Excellence Award. Each nomination could be for an individual student or for a team of students' work from a specific project or the entire semester. All nominated projects were juried on Tuesday, May 19, in Mebane Gallery. The jury included Dean Almy, Simon Atkinson, Judith Birdsong, Larry Doll, Russell Krepart, Carl Matthews, Nik Nikolov, Fritz Steiner, and Danilo Udivicki-Selb. Non-voting committee members Erika Huddleston and Daniel Morrison were also present. It is the unanimous opinion of the jury that the work was of high quality and substance and represents the wide range of disciplinary discourse present at our school.

Congratulations to all winners and nominees!

Spring 2009 UTSOA Student Design Excellence Awards winners:

Megan Marvin, Design II (Instructor: Elizabeth Danze)
Chelsea Larson, Landscape Architecture II (Instructor: Kira Appelhans)
Jeff Watson, Design IV (Instructor: Nik Nikolov)
Don Xu, Landscape Architecture IV (Instructor: Jason Sowell)
Stephanie Griffith, Design VI (Instructor: Ernesto Cragnolino)
Kim Cole, Design VI - I.D. (Instructor: Carl Matthews)
Matt Leach, Vertical Studio (Instructor: Larry Doll)
Lin Wei, Ling Zhong, Advanced Design (Instructor: Michael Garrison)
Jordan Kessler, Advanced Design (Instructor: Barbara Hoidn)

Spring 2009 UTSOA Student Design Excellence Awards nominees:

Design II
Danze - Megan Marvin
Gaskins - Amanda Mote
Weinthal/Gay - Russell Bomont
Marsh - Emily Thigpin
Snyder - Jennifer Keto

Design IV
Birdsong - Brian Andersen
Lewis - Amanda Cambre
Nikolov - Jeff Watson
Wiedemann - Kayla Wengler
Furlong - ID - Alix Bulleit

Design VI
Blood - none
Cragnolino - Stephanie Griffith
Dangel - Katherine Tucker
Kreishman - Josh Jow
Matthews - ID - Kim Cole

Vertical and Landscape
Benedikt - Jake Gelfand
Doll - Matt Leach
Milovanovic - Whitney Cooper
O'Brien - Joe Boyle
Rosner - Andrew Bell
Appelhans - LA II - Chelsea Larson
Sowell - LA IV - Don Xu

Advanced
Almy - Chris Emens
Beaman - Everett Hollander
Black - none
Frank - LA - Entire Class
Gale/Lucas/Pavelka - Kendra Horn, Chauncey Robinson
Garrison - Lin Wei, Ling Zhong
Gomes/Krepart/Levy - Jeremy Olbrys, Kevin Johnson
Hoidn - Jordan Kessler
Miro - David Branch, Brooks Wehner
Moore - Erin Holdenreid, Carina Oliveira
Ryker - Gene Cheng

The winners will be awarded Excellence in Design certificates. All the winning and nominated projects from spring 2009 are included in the annual Student Design Excellence Exhibit in Mebane Gallery (May-August 2009).

DEAN'S JOURNAL -- BRAZIL

Following graduation, I joined a delegation of UT Austin colleagues, led by President Bill Powers, on a visit to Brazil. We sought to build on existing relationships and to forge new ones by meeting with academic, civic, and business leaders.

Our first official gathering was a reception on Wednesday, June 10, at the Instituto de Direito (a legal organization) in Brasilia, where prominent members of the legal community, including Gilmar Mendes (the president of the Federal Supreme Court), assembled for a signing ceremony to strengthen ties between the UT School of Law and the Brazilian legal community.

I had the opportunity to explore Brasilia, which is timely, because our new faculty member Fernando Lara is organizing a symposium on the planning and design of Brasilia with the Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies (LLILAS). The new capital city will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2010.

The next day, after visiting the expansive Rio Jardin Botánico, I participated in a reception for UT alumni, friends, faculty, and students in Rio de Janeiro. The reception, hosted by President Powers and Justice of the High Court of Brazil Herman Benjamin (who is also on the School of Law faculty), coincided with the annual Latin American Studies Association Conference. Around 200 individuals attended, including the deans of business, fine arts, and liberal arts; the associate deans of the LBJ School and liberal arts; Bryan Roberts, the director of LLILAS; the directors of the McComb School's international business center and the Brazil Center; and Professor Lara.

On Friday morning, June 12, the UT delegation met with representatives of Cámara Americana de Comércio, the Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Consulate. We discussed existing UT activities in Brazil and opportunities to expand our interactions. There is especially strong interest in infrastructure development, green building design, and urban design after oil.

That afternoon, I toured Sítio Roberto Burle Marx in the rain with Professor Lara and Anna Steiner. Located beyond the rapidly growing suburb Barra da Tijuca, Roberto Burle Marx's home and garden is now an amazing national heritage reserve with around 3,500 plant species, almost all planted by Marx himself.

On Saturday, June 13, I participated in a brunch at Hotel Cesar with a group representing Brazil's academic and cultural community as well as some foundations that have expressed interest in strengthening ties with UT. Organized by the Brazil Center and the LLILAS, the group included joint School of Architecture and Latin American Studies graduate Sean McKaughan [B.A. '91; MSCRP/M.A. '96]. Sean lives in Rio, where he is the CEO of the AVINA Foundation, which is especially interested in megacities in Latin America.

That evening, I attended a Fulbright reception hosted by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars and Comissão Fulbright Brazil at the Museu do Universo. Various Fulbright opportunities were presented, including the Fulbright Ambassador Program. According to Fulbright Ambassador and University of Georgia professor Fausto Sarmiento, a goal for the program is to encourage every American faculty member to apply for a Fulbright.

In Brazil, I was asked several times if it was my first trip. It was. I hope to return to this intriguing, beautiful nation full of challenges and opportunities. On the plane and at the beaches of Rio, Salvador, and Morro de Sao Paulo, I read Jeremy Till's engaging Architecture Depends (MIT Press, 2009). Till argues "that time, and not space, should be seen as the primary context in which architecture should be conceived."

Experiencing Brasilia, Till's thesis could certainly be extended to landscape architecture and planning, and probably interior design. Arguably, how time is addressed distinguishes the education of architects from planners and landscape architects who must deal with time in their work as parks and communities are conceived for change. Certainly, time already falls in the providence of historic preservation. There is enough concrete in Brasilia and modern structures elsewhere in Brazil to keep an army of preservationists busy for several lifetimes.

Brasilia is both amazing and disheartening. One wonders what would have been the consequences if the designers of the new city--the urban planner Lúcio Costa, the architect Oscar Niemeyer, and the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx--would have given time equal attention as space.

As it is, Brasilia's spaces are frozen in a time that, although impressive in scale and ambition, creates an anachronism.

Still, Brasilia is only 50 years old, and time will indeed tell.

This is probably my bias, but I find Niemeyer's work in collaborations with Marx stronger than his projects without the innovative landscape architect. Marx constructed living elements from Brazil to Niemeyer's geometric spaces. However, Marx's more impressive works are those without all the concrete -- those, like his home, where he painted with plants. The concrete of Brazilian modernism implies frozen time, which is not possible with plants that, by their nature, grow through time.

Our faculty, students, and graduates maintain many interactions with Latin America in general, and Brazil, specifically. For instance, the Center for American Architecture and Design's recent Latitudes Conference helped connect architecture ideas from across the hemisphere, an event worth repeating. We have much to learn, and possibly to contribute, through expanding our activities in Brazil and Latin America.

—Fritz Steiner

SUPPORT UTSOA

LYNNE BRUNDRETT MADDOX SCHOLARSHIP

Ina Brundrett's parents instilled the importance of an education in her from the very beginning. As an adult, she continues to explore her interests in botany and gets great pleasure from helping students at the university with their academic pursuits. Over the last 23 years, Mrs. Ina Brundrett has established four student scholarships at UT in honor of her mother, her father, her late husband, and most recently her daughter Lynne.

Lynne remembers being a young girl and spending hours looking through magazines depicting homes with different furniture styles and color palates. When she came to UT, Lynne wanted to learn more about her hobby and pursued a major in interior design. Lynne continues to enjoy decorating her home and helping friends and family in this area. She is thrilled that her mother chose to honor her in this way and looks forward to meeting future recipients.

FRANCISCO ARUMÍ NOÉ MEMORIAL FELLOWSHIP IN SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

It is with great pleasure that we proudly announce the creation of the Francisco Arumí Noé Memorial Fellowship in Sustainable Design as a new, permanent endowment at the School of Architecture. The endowment will benefit countless generations of graduate students, and we are grateful to the many donors who contributed to this fund, raising over $50,000. We are especially appreciative of the support and efforts from Ana Maria Arumí and Peter Pfeiffer towards making this dream a reality. And it's not too late to contribute; our online memorial and donation page is still active.

Thank you to the following individuals and corporations for their generous donations: Blake Alexander, Eric Alexander, Tisha Alvarado, Ana Maria Arumí, Betsy Arumí, Barley + Pfeiffer Inc., Clare Barry, Anna Battle, Wayne Battle, Carol Boerder-Snyder & Will Snyder, Mary Bonham, Kent Butler, Hans Butzer, Rachel Carson, Tamara Chambless, Juninji Chen, Meredith Contello, Hans Czell, Signe Dinsdale, John Fleming, Michael Garrison, Barbara & Larry Good, Craig Graber, Philip Grau, Halliburton Foundation Inc., Brantley Hightower, Kristian Howard-Kicinski, Intel Foundation, Roseanne Kaysen, Alexandra Kenig, Stephen Kubenka, William Kyle, Michael Leibowitz, Katherine Liapi, Robert Martin, Kelly McAdams, Michael McCullough, Mason Miller, Vinit Mukhija, Anh Nguyen, Dena Qaddumi, Consuelo Rivera, Marcia Robers, Deedie & Rusty Rose, Ann Routh, Brian Salek, Steven Schloss, Dustin Slack, Fritz Steiner, Bob Swaffar, Mary Underhill, John Whiting, Dason Whitsett, Kristin Wiese, William Reue Architect LLC, Roxanne Williamson, Fred Wilson, David Wolff, Young Boozer Family Foundation, and John Zapf.

TERRY NORMAN FORRESTER & NANCY HOPPESS FORRESTER
DEAN'S EXCELLENCE FUND

This past spring, Terry N. Forrester [B.Arch '59] generously endowed the Terry Norman Forrester & Nancy Hoppess Forrester Dean's Excellence Fund to benefit dean's initiatives within the School of Architecture. Excellence funds are one of the most important sources of funding as they allow for strategic investment in new and creative endeavors that promote excellence among our faculty and students. Along with his wife, Nancy, Terry began plans for this gift in the fall of 2008; however, Nancy unexpectedly passed away on January 1, 2009. We extend our sincere thanks to Terry and Nancy for this wonderful gift. Nancy attended The University of Texas at Austin and was a good friend to the School of Architecture and UT. Nancy is survived by Terry, their three children, seven grandchildren, her brother, her sisters, and many nieces and nephews.

FRIENDS OF ARCHITECTURE

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 to 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.

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Associate Professor Werner Lang was quoted in an article on green construction in the June 8, 2009, edition of the Daily Texan.

Lang said the building processes of offices and homes are major environmental concerns. "Fifty percent of the world's energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions come from modern buildings, building trades and construction. [...] I think the main message everyone should get from all this is to touch the Earth lightly. Touch it in such a way that future generations can use its resources responsibly."

View the entire article, "City Launches Effort Encouraging Green Construction," on the Daily Texan web site here.

Wilfried Wang, O'Neil Ford Centennial Chair in Architecture, has an essay in the exhibition catalog to the "Green Architecture for the Future" exhibit at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which opened on May 29 and runs through September 4.

The museum is located just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. The "Green Architecture" exhibition focuses on new departures in architecture that meet the need for sustainable development. "If architecture is to be sustainable throughout, from the smallest screw to the roof of a skyscraper, it is not possible to reproduce a particular style and spread it all over the world like modernism's white cubes and quadratic spaces. The exhibition shows how some of these changes are manifested in both down-to-earth and more sophisticated projects that together fulfill the human and technological visions of society."

Dean Fritz Steiner's article, "A New National Landscape Agenda," co-authored with Regional Plan Association president Robert D. Yaro, appears in the June 2009 edition of Landscape Architecture magazine.

Steiner and Yaro explain in the article how the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, signed into law last March, was just a beginning and advocate further protection of lands and natural resources through a National Landscape Survey and by expanding the National Landscape Conservation System.

View the entire article, starting on page 70, here.

Dean Steiner and Assistant Professor Talia McCray submitted an op-ed article to the Houston Chronicle that appeared in the May 26, 2009, edition. The commentary, titled "Redesign Communities to Help Alleviate Obesity," is in response to a statement released on May 25 by the American Academy of Pediatrics linking childhood obesity to the built environment in which children live.

Steiner and McCray reason that "part of the problem of children being physically inactive is the lack of safe neighborhood design that supports walking to school, parks, recreational facilities, and walking just for the sake of exercise."

View the entire article here.

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

ALUMNI UPDATES

A bikini-clad Cottam Hargrave home is featured on the cover of the June 2009 issue of Tribeza magazine. Alums Jay Hargrave [B.Arch. '90] and Janell Cottam Hargrave [B.Arch. '90] started Cottam Hargrave Co. as a small architecture design/build firm in 1995. Today, it has grown into a small corporation and a larger office space. Designs center on creating innovative client specific solutions, with the execution of design concepts through materiality, composition, and programmatic planning. Each project is a unique response to client's needs and the site conditions.

The featured project is a 8000-square-foot home in West Lake Hills. The minimal design yields a quiet and refined backdrop for the owner's contemporary art collection. A continuous copper fascia wraps the flat-edge roof connecting pure volumes of glass and stone. The entry steps follow a curved rusted steel wall to a custom mahogany and steel pivot door that acts as the main entry to the home. A wide breezeway connects the front courtyard to a wet-edge pool patio and cabana with the rolling hills of Lake Austin beyond.

Additionally, a modern home designed and built by Cottam Hargrave was chosen by a new iPhone application, 29GPS_Architecture, to be featured as the app's launch screen on Friday, June 26, 2009.

The free iPhone application, known as 29GPS_Architecture, is a "visually stunning GPS-enabled broadband guide" that showcases selected architectural work each day, including a map that provides location and directions, say its developers.

The featured modern house designed and built by Cottam Hargrave is a 1,200-square-foot "jewel box" home that is one of the firm's favorite works.

"For the Ranch House, our approach was to draw it in the dirt and build it," said Jay Hargrave, principal of Cottam Hargrave. "By acting as the architect and constructor, we require a lot less documentation to complete the project." The goal of the Ranch House was to deliver a low maintenance structure that utilized local materials to create the client's vision of a "polemic piece of art," said Hargrave.

Images of the West Lake Residence, Ranch House, and other Cottam Hargrave projects can be viewed on their web site.

Camilo Parra [M.Arch. '94] was one of eight recipients of the 2009 AIA Young Architects Award. The prize recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made significant contricutions to the profession earlly in their careers. He was recognized at a ceremony in San Francisco during the 2009 AIA national convention, held April 30 to May 2.

Recognized widely in Houston as a designer and builder of upscale and affordable townhouse developments, Camilo Parra also conducts a studio at a design school and volunteers in his community. "One of the unique things about Camilo is that he not only has his own practice, but develops his own projects; last year alone Parra Design Group developed 70 housing units," points out Brian M. Malarkey, AIA, president of the AIA Houston chapter. Parra is a member of the Houston Minority Business Council and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. As such, he "serves as an outstanding role model for the students at our historically black university," adds Ikhlas Sabouni, dean of the Prairie View A&M University School of Architecture.

IN MEMORIAM

Andrew Thomas Seymour III, 80, adored father, friend, fisherman and cardplayer, and builder of many Fort Worth landmarks from the Kimbell, Amon Carter, and Sid Richardson museums to the Water Garden and the former Caravan of Dreams, died at home on Saturday, May 23, 2009.

Tom graduated from UT Austin in 1950 with a B.S. in Architectural Engineering. He was a Life Member of the Texas Exes and of the UT Austin School of Architecture Advisory Council and was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

As the retired president of Thos. S. Byrne Inc. general contractor, Tom leaves a list of accomplishments as tall as the downtown skyline and well-rounded as the barrel vaults of the Kimbell Art Museum, where he worked directly with architect Louis Kahn to showcase art masterpieces in an equally elegant backdrop of concrete and natural light. As a Byrne vice president beginning in 1957 and president from 1973 until 1991, he worked hand-in-hand with architect Philip Johnson to build the Amon Carter Museum and also the Fort Worth Water Garden. He blended old and new construction for the Caravan of Dreams (now Reata Restaurant), the Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art, and all of Sundance Square. The Kimbell won a prestigious "Build America" award from the Associated General Contractors of America.

ALUMNI EVENTS

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.

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.

STUDENT CONNECTIONS

Architecture Ph.D. candidate Tara Dudley [M.S.A.S. '03] received a $10,000 SRI Foundation Research Scholarship. This is the third annual scholarship awarded to Ph.D. candidates in anthropology, history, architecture, or other fields in historic preservation. The goal of this scholarship is to provide academic opportunities through which research potential of historic preservation projects and programs can be realized. Under this scholarship program, recipients are to use data, information, reports, documents, and so forth from one or more completed historic preservation projects to pursue a substantive research topic that forms the basis for a dissertation. This research will result in new knowledge about the historic properties involved in the preservation projects; new knowledge about the era, location, and people associated with these properties; and public-oriented products that can enhance knowledge and appreciation of the past.

Additionally, Tara's application for a fellowship from the Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships Program received an Honorable Mention.

Lecturer Laurie Zapalac's spring 2009 class on Management and Use of Historic Photography Collections organized an exhibit of historic photographs of Fredericksburg. The exhibit, "Framing Fredericksburg: Evolution of a Texas Landscape, Images from the Pioneer Museum," was displayed at the Austin Center for Architecture from May 16 through May 29.

ALLEY FLAT INITIATIVE

The Alley Flat Initiative (Austin Community Design and Development Center, the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation, and the UT Center for Sustainable Development) has received an Envision Central Texas 2009 Community Stewardship Award, in the Redevelopment category. Dr. Steven Moore, Bartlett Cocke Regents Professor in Architecture, accepted the award at an awards luncheon in Austin on May 8.

The initiative is an award-winning collaboration that mitigates the forces of gentrification and environmental degradation by providing affordable, sustainable housing on under-utilized urban lots. Many Austin families are finding it increasingly difficult to afford to live within the city, threatening the city's diversity and stability. Future land-use patterns must address these threats and find ways to densify without losing the character of these urban neighborhoods. The initiative proposes placing secondary dwelling units on under-utilized lots in which the existing structure covers less than 25-30% of the lot. Alley Flats are small, detached secondary residential units, accessed from Austin's extensive network of alleys, that can be built by homeowners on the back of their lots to generate additional rental income and/or house family members.

Envision Central Texas is a five-county non-profit organization that serves as a catalyst for regional cooperation and planning in order to realize a common vision for Central Texas which preserves and enhances our natural resources, economic vitality, social equity, and overall quality of living.

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

Through August 2009
Materials Lab
West Mall Office Building, room 3.102 (Monday-Friday, 8-5)

"Object Ecologies - Contemporary Land | Art Museum"
Student work from spring 2009 Vertical Studio
taught by Professor William O'Brien, Jr.

Traditionally in architecture, potential disparities between descriptions of site and conceptions of building have been reconciled through, what can be considered a descriptive and conceptual equalizer, representation. For example, Modernism was witness to "landscape as tabula rasa," reflecting an investment in buildings as synthetic, planar, structurally-gridded constructs. Applique, appropriated patterns, signs and symbols dictated an understanding of buildings during Post-Modernism, perpetuating a similarly artificial interpretation of ground. Contemporaneously, resonances between landscape and architecture are increasingly dependent on systems of organization--natural and synthetic--and their processes of formation.

"Object Ecologies" focused its research on the development of alternative reciprocities linking site and building. Temporarily eschewing common (albeit important), practice-oriented, site-defining elements--lot lines, setback requirements, zoning codes--"Object Ecologies" instead tested interpretations of site that highlight systemic attributes, life-cycles, time-based ecological processes, topological characteristics, etc. Likewise, "Object Ecologies" experimented with depictions of building as relationally-, conditionally-, and tactically-conceived formations.

Throughout the studio, students considered "composites." There are many ways to conceptualize the relationship between landscape and architecture, by choosing composites as our initial filler, students privileged the potentials of interconnectivity and reciprocity, while acknowledging the distinction between constituent parts.

Exhibition Credits: Bhujon Kang, Brian Rome, Aaron Sleator, Alexer Taganas

EXHIBIT

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 are available in ARTstor and as part of the VRC's online Image Collection.

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