Events

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

EXHIBIT

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

GRADUATE PROGRAM IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
OPEN HOUSE FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Friday, September 28
Goldsmith Hall 2.308
Dean's Conference Room
10:00 a.m.

Registration Deadline: September 14, 2007
To register and view agenda: http://soa.utexas.edu/la/openhouse

EXHIBIT

Through October 2007
Architecture & Planning Library
Battle Hall

"Information, Technology, and the Public Library"

On display are drawings and models prepared by Professor Louise Harpman's advanced design studio (spring 2006) for the new Blanco Library in Blanco, Texas.

As part of the studio, the students presented their proposals in the typical school of architecture jury format at school, but also in a large "town hall" style meeting in Blanco. Local residents, planning officials, and journalists from Blanco, Johnson City, and San Antonio attended the session. The student projects were on display throughout the summer of 2006 at the Blanco Library and were also featured in the Blanco County News.

EXHIBIT

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

Associate Professor Danilo Udovicki-Selb was offered a position as a permanent critic/correspondent for Il Giornale dell' Architettura for the United States. The monthly journal, founded by Director Carlo Olmo in 2002, is published in Turin, Italy. Professor Udovicki's first essay, on Tadao Ando's Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth, appeared in the first issue on December 14, 2002, the day the museum opened. In the September, May, and June 2007 issues, Professor Udovicki published articles, respectively, on Daniel Libeskind's Denver Art Museum extension, Kevin Roche's latest addition to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and on the expanded Seattle Art Museum by Brad Cloepfil, principal of Allied Works Architects. Professor Udovicki-Selb is currently writing a critical essay on the recently completed competition for the Octavia Boulevard Residences in San Francisco.

On June 5-7, Assistant Professor Ming Zhang gave a talk at the International Seminar on Urban Restructuring and Sustainable Development in the City of Shenzhen, China. With an annual GDP growth rate of 28% from 1976 to 2005, Shenzhen has experienced remarkable changes from a town of 30 thousand residents in 1976 to a metropolis of 8.5 million in 2005. Concerning long-term development challenges facing the city, Shenzhen Vice Mayor Dr. Xiaopei Yan organized the seminar for a group of invited international scholars and practitioners to share their views on sustainable development. Ming Zhang’s talk focused on the role of planning standards and codes in producing contemporary urban form in the U.S. and in China. Among the presenters were Professor Tingwei Zhang (University of Illinois at Chicago and President of the International Association for China Planning), Professor Michael Hibbard (University of Oregon and President-elect of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning), Mr. Edward Garza (EDAW and former Mayor of San Antonio), Ms. Diane Sugimura (Director of Seattle City Planning Office), and others.

On June 21, the Transit Research Analysis Committee of the National Academies’ Transportation Research Board organized an expert panel discussion in Washington, D.C., on knowledge gaps and research opportunities for Transit-Oriented Development. Assistant Professor Ming Zhang was invited as one of the four panelists to participate in the discussion. The outcome of the discussion will be reported in spring 2008 to the Federal Transit Administration for the purpose of advising the agency’s development of a strategic agenda for transit research.

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI UPDATES

Gong Szeto [B.Arch. '92], whose design experience already involved corporate websites and other advanced communications technology, was the obvious choice when the CEOs of a new online options trading system wanted to come up with a new design, something much more appealing than just a "better mousetrap," for their individual investor clientele.

According to an article in the June 20 issue of Business Week (http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jun2007/id20070620_315710. htm?chan=innovation_innovation+%2B+design_top+stories), Szeto, who had moved to New Mexico from New York, was lured to the Chicago job by the challenge of designing a total trading platform that would make options trading transactions simple and rational, a site that both the experienced and less experienced investor would find understandable. Szeto told Business Week that his background in architecture helped him by allowing him to "think about systems and how different elements interrelate and interact."

He continues to refine the website to make it even more user-friendly with an interactive menu confined to two screens; he is also working with data management for Peak6, the professional trader side of the options trading firm.

"If we could clone him, we would," said Peak6 co-CEO Danny Rosenthal. "He is transforming the way we handle and analyze all the data we need in this business."

Thomas Beil [B.Arch. '84] has been promoted to principal at Goring & Straja Architects in Emeryville, California. Beil, who has been with the firm since 1995, has worked as project manager on several award-winning ecclesiastical and institutional projects, including St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Belvedere, First Unitarian Church of Oakland, and most recently the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, the Portola Valley Town Center, and the Montclair Presbyterian Church. His buildings have received design awards from the San Francisco and East Bay chapters of the American Institute of Architects, as well as the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture. His work has been published in Architectural Record, California Home & Garden, Contract, Faith & Form, Marin Independent Journal, and San Francisco Chronicle.

Prior to joining Goring & Straja, Beil worked with Gary Earl Parsons, William Turnbull, and Charles Moore. He is also an accomplished painter and has had exhibits at LIMN Gallery and the American Institute of Architects in San Francisco.

Robert Gay [M.Arch. '05] and Jack Sanders [M.Arch. '05] recently completed installation of a temporary public artwork, titled CO2LED, in downtown Arlington, Virginia. The design, a solar powered array of 600 LED lights, will be on display near the Iwo Jima Site through Labor Day. For more information, visit http://www.thoughtbarn.com/CO2LED.

Robert and Jack are also working with Leah Davis [M.Arch. '06] on an integrated artwork project along the Lance Armstrong Bikeway in Austin. The trio are currently preparing to begin the build/installation portion of the project. For more information, visit http://www.thoughtbarn.com/labstudies.pdf.

The three alumni work as independent studios but collaborate together on projects. Robert Gay is with Thoughtbarn Studio, Jack Sanders with Design Build Adventure, and Leah Davis with CR Studio Architects. (Robert was a lecturer at the UTSOA in fall 2006 with Assistant Professor Billie Faircloth and in spring 2007 with Assistant Professor Sam Randall.)

Jason Ramay AIA, LEED^TM AP, [M.Arch. '97] was recently promoted to Associate Principal for the Tacoma, Washington, based firm, Architects Rasmussen Triebelhorn, AIA/PS (ART).

The depth of his experience and the relationships he has built with ART clients, combined with his ethics and approach to architecture prompted Principals Peter Rasmussen, FAIA, and Kenn Triebelhorn, AIA, to announce the promotion. "This move allows the firm to continue its proud tradition of quality architecture for a long, long time to come."

Ramay, a LEED^TM Accredited Professional with more than 10 years of architecture experience, is the Project Manager for a multi-phase Thurston County Customer Service Center project, as well as the new Police Station for the City of Lakewood. Architects Rasmussen Triebelhorn specializes in municipal/civic architecture, including criminal justice, city hall, public safety, education, commercial, and residential projects. For more information, visit http://www.a-rt.org/.

IN MEMORIAM

Ronnye L. Perkins [B.Arch '65], 66, passed away Monday, June 18, 2007, in Fort Worth, Texas. Ronnye was born in Houston and graduated from Brewer High School. He was preceded in death by his wife of 37 years, Virginia, and is survived by sons, Chuck Fair and wife, Diana, and Clint Perkins and wife, Samantha; grandchildren, Robert, Travis and Carson Fair and Morgan Perkins; sister, Cynthia Dennis; and brother, Mark Perkins and wife, Jan.

In the last issue of eNews, we sadly announced the death of Emeritus Professor Martin S. Kermacy (http://soa.utexas.edu/news/archive/ 061507/#kermacy), who passed away on June 8, 2007. In honor of Professor Kermacy, we invite you to share your memories of our dear friend and colleague at: http://soa.utexas.edu/news/kermacy/.

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!

INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENT WINS
ODEGARD COMPETITION

The top three winners of the 2007 Odegard Award for Excellence in Rug Design Awards were announced on June 28 at a gala awards ceremony in New York. Interior design student Beth Taylor received the Bronze, a $1500 cash prize.

Industry luminaries Dr. Barbara Bloemink, Sherri Donghia, Matilda McQuaid, Jack Lenor Larsen, and Stephanie Odegard juried over 930 student submissions and were on hand to present the awards. The competition was created to show student designers how combining modern designs with traditional hand knotting techniques can increase awareness and respect for the legacy of textile and carpet weaving.

All three students were awarded complimentary roundtrip airfare and two nights at the Waldorf Astoria to attend the awards ceremony at the New York School of Interior Design. View Beth's winning entry, along with all the Odegard Award winners and photos of the awards ceremony at: http://www.odegardinc.com/flash/design_competition/winners/winners2.html#.

SUMMER ACADEMY IN ARCHITECTURE

UTSOA's Summer Academy in Architecture just completed it's 26th year of operation. The Academy provides a unique insight to its students on an architectural education and the architectural profession. The Academy enables high school students, college students, people pondering a career change, and people returning to work after a hiatus to answer the question: Should I pursue an education in architecture?

The five-week course focuses on a series of individual design projects that introduce students to many of the important aspects of architecture and encourage personal exploration. The identity of a place--what it feels like and what it means to us--arises from qualities that are both visual and non-visual. Under this premise, the Academy encourages design solutions that are grounded in an investigation of experience and perception.

Academy students are provided individual studio space in which to work. Particular attention is paid to introducing and developing skills in drawing and modeling designs, and students are encouraged to explore other means of representation such as photographic processes, painting, writing, and full-scale constructions.

Professor Kevin Alter returned this year as Program Director, with Christine Wong as Program Coordinator. Studio Instructors and Teaching Assistants are recent graduates or students in advanced standing in the School’s post-professional degree programs. The Studio Instructors and Teaching Assistants for the Summer Academy 2007 included: Ann Armstrong, Thomas Cox, Bradley Deal, Allison Hsiao Gaskins, Frank Jacobus, Mark Leveno, and Peter Raab. This year's Academy ran from June 4 to July 6.

In recent years, student populations have hailed primarily from Texas; however, the 2007 program is host to students ranging in age from 16 to 44, from as far south as Mexico and as far north as New York, New Jersey, and Alaska.

FRIENDS OF ARCHITECTURE

Friends of Architecture (FOA) members are a diverse group of current and former architectural, planning, and design students, practitioners, and aficionados with a shared commitment to increasing knowledge and awareness of the superior architecture and design that surrounds us. Our members' devotion includes not only the desire to advance their own personal understanding and appreciation, but also a dedication to fostering up-and-coming generations of planners and designers.

Funds raised by FOA are used to enhance, enrich, and expand programs within the School of Architecture, and no one knows that better than Sarah McEwen and Dilan Walpola. The two seventeen-year-old students recently completed the School's 2007 Summer Academy, an intensive five-week introductory course in architecture aimed at helping high school students, college students, and individuals pondering a career change discover whether or not they should pursue an education in architecture. This year, FOA was pleased to provide scholarship support for Sarah (a student from River Ridge, Louisiana, whose personal experience of being displaced by Hurricane Katrina and witnessing its evolving effect on design and landscape have inspired an interest in architecture) and Dilan (an aspiring architect and budding artist who needed a helping hand in order to participate in the summer program).

In addition to touching the lives of aspiring designers, members are invited to broaden their own knowledge of our built environment through FOA's exclusive offerings of local, national, and international tours. Most recently, FOA members participated in "Re-New Orleans," a weekend with architectural consultant and commentator and Dean of the Tulane University School of Architecture, Reed Kroloff [M.Arch. '86]. Reed opened the doors to some of the city's most impressive private spaces (including his own home) and offered participants an up-close and personal opportunity to see a resilient City of Blues through the eyes of notable designers. To view the "Re-New Orleans" and other tour photo albums, visit http://www.friendsofarchitecture.org/previous.

DEAN'S JOURNAL

Two interesting trips abroad bookended some challenging budgetary times in Austin. Because of the University's budget shortfall, all units are preparing plans for a 2 percent reduction. In addition to this reallocation, colleges and schools are expected to contribute up to 1 percent of the 3-percent faculty merit pool. The good news is that there will be some budget relief through the Compact process this summer, but most of the positive consequences will occur in the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

The first of the international bookends involved a trip to The Netherlands, where I was the co-promoter of a dissertation defense at Wageningen University. The author of the dissertation is Ingrid Duchhart, a Wageningen landscape architecture faculty member. Designing Sustainable Landscapes from Experience to Theory is a reflective account of Dr. Duchhart's 27 years of work in Kenya, where she contributed much to the nation's environmental and urban planning system. She advocates that landscape is a platform for the designer or planner to assist people to create future communities and environments.

While at Wageningen, I gave a lecture and participated in a master's thesis review. I also spent a day with Associate Professor Dean Almy's class. We visited the Alterra Building at Wageningen University designed by Behnisch Architects, Hoge Veluwe, the Kröller-Müller Museum, and the Jachthuis St. Hubertus designed by Hendrik Berlage.

The second trip was to Italy. I departed on June 30, gave a lecture at Milan Polytechnic on July 2, then took a few days vacation. The principal purpose of my trip was to participate in "Innovations for an Urban World: A Global Urban Summit" organized by the Rockefeller Foundation at its Bellagio Center on Lake Como.

I participated in the America 2050 portion of the summit, led by the Regional Plan Association, from July 8 to 13. We prepared a plan for the future of the United States. With RPA President Bob Yaro, I wrote a briefing paper on land and resource conservation agenda for the nation.

—Fritz Steiner

SUPPORT UTSOA

The BLOOMhouse is UT-Austin's entry to the 2007 national Solar Decathlon, a competition in which teams of college and university students compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient solar powered house.

This month, the UT Solar Decathlon Team got a real boost in the form of a $25,000 sponsorship from Applied Materials. CEO Mike Splinter traveled to Austin to present the check at the award ceremony and was just as excited to make the generous gift as our hard-working SolarD team was to receive it.

Applied Materials recently launched a new campaign to position themselves as an industry leader in solar power. Their goal is to help lower the overall cost of solar energy and energy-producing equipment to make solar power a more cost effective option for the global energy supply. Industry experts estimate that solar power will become less expensive than conventional electricity within the next ten years.

The company has demonstrated its commitment to improving solar technology through leading by example. They have acted to reduce greenhouse emissions, conserve resources, and to minimize their carbon footprint by designing environmentally-friendly products and development processes. Their award-winning initiatives have been internationally recognized, and they hope their strong investment will motivate others to follow suit.

The UT-Austin Team still need funds to help us send the BLOOMhouse to Washington, D.C., to compete with other universities on the National Mall this September. You can make a donation online and learn more about "living life with solar" at http://www.ar.utexas.edu/utsolard/.

If you are interested in supporting the UT Solar Decathlon Team or other UTSOA programs, 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.

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
http://soa.utexas.edu/matlab, 512.232.5969

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
1 University Station B7500
Austin, TX 78712-0222