Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Unites with UTSOA and College of Natural Sciences

University of Texas System regents have authorized the union of UT-Austin and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Plans are under way to make the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center a component of UT-Austin, which will provide the center with new opportunities for interdisciplinary work with University faculty and students on sustainable development projects, landscape restoration research, community engagement programs, and completion of its Garden Master Plan.

Discussions have been under way for some time about a mutually beneficial union between the University and the nonprofit center. The plan is for the center, with its native plant education, research, outreach and demonstration programs, to become an Organized Research and Outreach Unit of the University, integrated into the College of Natural Sciences and the School of Architecture. The center includes more than 283 acres of landscapes, botanical gardens, and architecturally compelling buildings in Southwest Austin.

A Memorandum of Intent approved by the UT System Board of Regents on June 20 authorizes the University and the center to finalize a permanent agreement that would transfer the center's assets to the University. This includes its acreage, facilities, and substantially all of the center's endowment, valued at $8.5 million.

"Such a union would be a proud and happy one for me, and, I believe, in the best interests of the center and the University," said Lady Bird Johnson, who founded the center in 1982. "My devotion to both is complete. The University opened the doors of the universe to me. By the time I had earned two degrees, I realized that education was the beginning of a quest that lasts, and it enabled in me a greater capacity to enjoy the world. These qualities emboldened me to establish the center."

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Drawing by Overland Partners.

University of Texas at Austin President William Powers Jr., said, "The Wildflower Center was founded as a site for research and education and has become not only one of the nation's most beautiful botanical gardens, but a leader in promoting the environmental, economic, and aesthetic benefits of native plants. We see this union as one that will benefit both the University and the center."

Susan Rieff, executive director of the Wildflower Center, noted that while the Wildflower Center has numerous celebrated gardens, its Garden Master Plan is a roadmap for developing a "truly great" botanic garden, such as those at Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania. The center's gardens would be devoted exclusively to Texas native plants.

"The connection to the School of Architecture and its excellent landscape architecture program makes this especially exciting," Rieff said.

The center will complement resources in place at the University, including courses in botany and landscape architecture and the Environmental Science Institute. It will extend research opportunities for faculty and students through the Environmental Studies Institute and the Center for Sustainable Development.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Designed by Overland Partners.

Examples include the center's work on plant conservation, expanding the application of "green building" standards to large-scale landscapes, and examining the water and energy-saving performance of green roofs developed with native plants. These initiatives are aimed at harmonizing environmental needs with human needs, using native plants to address environmental problems. The merger provides another venue and opportunity for interdisciplinary work on sustainable development, according to Rieff.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for us to continue the legacy of Lady Bird Johnson and the Johnson family's contributions to education in Texas and the nation," said James R. Huffines, chairman of the Board of Regents. "We are deeply appreciative of this generous gift and are committed to making the Wildflower Center broadly available to students, scholars, and members of the public."

Mrs. Johnson served as a member of the University of Texas System Board of Regents from 1971 to 1977.

The center was founded in 1982 by Mrs. Johnson and actress Helen Hayes as the National Wildflower Research Center. It was originally located in a small house on an undeveloped 60-acre plot of land off Route 973 east of Austin. In 1995, the center moved to its present site, then totaling 43 acres, and opened a complex of facilities designed as a model of total resource conservation by Overland Partners of San Antonio. In subsequent years, the center acquired an additional 236 adjoining acres. Its mission is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants, and landscapes. Overland Partners includes UTSOA alumni Rick Archer [B.Arch. '79], Bob Shemwell (M.Arch. '86], Tim Blonkvist [B.Arch. '81], Madison Smith [B.Arch. '80], and Robert Schmidt and Becky Rathburn.

For more information, see: http://www.utexas.edu/opa/ic/oncampus/ 2006/june/wildflower.html.

Events

SYMPOSIUM

"EXPLORATION"
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Austin, Texas
Friday, September 8, 1:30-5:30 and 6:30-9:00
Saturday, September 9, 8:30-1:30

On September 8-9, the School of Architecture will present "Exploration," the fourth in a series of annual continuing education mini-symposia designed to provide learning opportunities to alumni and design professionals. The mini-symposium will bring together a small audience of 25-30 participants to address a single topic from the perspective of a variety of disciplines. This year's symposium, "Exploration," will feature eight presentations and a summary presentation by Dean Fritz Steiner. All presenters are encouraged to participate throughout, and the result is a stimulating series of conversations and thought-provoking, open dialogue.

Past topics have included Chaos, Ornament, and Leadership. This year's topic addresses the idea that for all of us, exploration is a never-ending activity, impacting many aspects of our lives. Whether it's exploring the bounds of the universe, the possibilities of new technology, or how to reframe a challenge, we are all Explorers. For registration details, including a list of speakers, visit: http://soa.utexas.edu/events/exploration.

EXHIBIT

February 1 - August 4
Into the Light:
A Sampler of Alternative
Photographic Processes
Visual Resources Collection
Sutton 3.128 (Monday-Friday, 8-5)

The exhibit "Into the Light: A Sampler of Alternative Photographic Processes" presents work produced by way of alternative means in the Photo Union Darkroom, a facility available to all currently enrolled architecture students for a nominal fee. Pinhole, Cyanotypes, and Polaroid transfer prints represented in this exhibit serve to illustrate that in this age of digital perfection, there is a growing body of individuals returning to historical methods to hand-craft photographic images. Alternative photographic processes, such as the ones represented in this exhibit, result in unique and compelling images.

Studio News: Information, Technology and the Public Library

Students in Professor Louise Harpman's advanced design studio, "Information, Technology and the Public Library," recently completed designs for a new public library in Blanco, Texas. Each student presented his or her project within the traditional architectural jury format in the School of Architecture, and also to the Blanco community at a "town hall" style meeting and exhibition at the end of the semester. The students' designs are currently on display at the Blanco Library in Blanco, Texas. During the summer, one project is featured in the library and is also published in the Blanco newspaper.

"Information, Technology, and the Public Library" project designed by Kelly Weger [M.Arch. '06].

This studio was a funded research project and design studio, during which Professor Harpman and the School of Architecture worked closely with the Blanco Library and its Boards of Directors, who provided the research funds. Funding enabled the students to perform in-depth research concerning library precedents, library programming, site opportunities, sustainable design strategies, and high-performance building systems. The studio also traveled to Seattle, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona, to visit these cities' main and branch libraries.

Students included Adel Bagli, David Bench, Justin Cochran, Matthew Dungan, Rebecca Emmons, Michael Hensley, Ashley Parvin, Nick Shipes, Scott Vandever, Kelly Weger, Brett Wolfe, and Erik Wood.

Texas Society of Architects Awards 2006

On June 28, the 2006 Texas Society of Architects Design Awards were announced. UTSOA's alumni, faculty, and students were strongly represented among this year's winners.

Jurors for the annual competition were Rodolfo Machado, Associate AIA, of Machado and Silvetti Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Victor "Trey" Trahan, FAIA, of Trahan Architects in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Frederic Schwartz, FAIA, of Schwartz Architects in New York City.

Projects from UTSOA alumni and faculty selected for Design Awards (in alphabetical order):

• Addison Arts and Events District Pavilion (Addison) by Gary Cunningham, FAIA [B.Arch. '76], of Cunningham Architects in Dallas
• Austin City Lofts (Austin) by Professor Lawrence W. Speck, FAIA, of Page Southerland Page in Austin
• Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center (Corinth, Miss.) by Robert L. Shemwell, FAIA [M.Arch. '86], of Overland Partners Architects in San Antonio
• Cup City (Austin) by former Lecturer Murray Legge, AIA, of Legge Lewis Legge in Austin
• Government Canyon Visitor Center (Helotes) by Robert Harris, AIA [M.Arch. '92], of Lake/Flato Architects in San Antonio
• Headquarters Building (San Antonio) by Geoffrey S. Edwards, AIA [M.Arch. '92], of Kell Muñoz Architects in San Antonio
• Lake Tahoe Residence (Lake Tahoe) by David Lake, FAIA [B.S.A.S. '77], of Lake/Flato Architects in San Antonio
• Pedestrian Bridge (Austin) by Miró Rivera Architects (Associate Professor Juan Miró, principal) in Austin
• Rocking F Ranch (Fayette County) by Mell Lawrence, FAIA [B.Arch. '81], of Mell Lawrence Architects in Austin
• School of Nursing and Student Community Center (Houston) by Greg Papay, AIA [M.Arch. '93], of Lake/Flato Architects in San Antonio in collaboration with BNIM Architects in Houston
• Stonehedge Residence (Austin) by Miró Rivera Architects (Associate Professor Juan Miró, principal) in Austin
• Texas A&M University Bonfire Memorial (College Station) by Robert L. Shemwell, FAIA [M.Arch. '86], of Overland Partners Architects in San Antonio
• Texas Hillel-The Topfer Center for Jewish Life (Austin) Ernesto Cragnolino, AIA [B.Arch. & B.Arch.Eng. '97], of Alterstudio Architects in Austin
• World Birding Center (Mission) by Robert Harris, AIA [M.Arch. '92], of Lake/Flato Architects in San Antonio

Projects from UTSOA alumni, faculty, and students selected for Studio Awards (in alphabetical order):

• Design>Build>Texas by students at The University of Texas at Austin's School of Architecture
• Square of Circles by Jay Smith [B.Arch. '01], AIA, in Dallas

Selected projects will be featured in the September/October edition of Texas Architect, and awards will be presented during the TSA convention scheduled for November 2-4 in Dallas.

Faculty Scholarship

"Modern Barn" project by Specht Harpman. Photograph by Michael Moran.

The work of Specht Harpman is featured in the July 2006 issue of Architectural Record. The 4,500-square-foot "Modern Barn" was recently completed in Wilton, Connecticut, and serves as a weekend retreat for two New York-based arts professionals. Says partner Louise Harpman, "The big idea for the project was to restore the traditional shell of the barn so that a new, modern design idiom could be played out within the interior."

The article states, "Engaging the landscape, creating a new entry, and reenvisioning the main barn guided the architects as they developed their design. The house also needed to accommodate two large elderly black Labrador retrievers, very much a part of the family."

View the full article at: http://archrecord.construction. com/projects/residential/archives/0607connHouse.

Assistant Professor Ming Zhang co-organized, with Professor Robert Cervero of UC Berkeley, a workshop on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in Shanghai, China, May 26-28. Over 60 Chinese mayors or vice-mayors, planning directors, bankers, and private developers attended the workshop. Scholars and practitioners from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Seoul, and the U.S. shared their knowledge and practice of TOD in their cities. The workshop has had a timely important influence, as many Chinese cities are set for major investments in rail and bus transit.

After the workshop, Professor Zhang presented his paper, "The Chinese Edition of TOD," at a planning conference in Beijing. The conference was co-organized by the Chinese Ministry of Construction and the MIT China Planning Network. At the end of the conference, faculty members from 23 universities from the U.S., United Kingdom, Japan, the Netherlands, and Korea held an open house for Chinese students who are interested in studying abroad. Professor Zhang gave a brief slide-show presentation about the UT-Austin School of Architecture.

Alumni Updates

Peter L. Pfeiffer, FAIA [M.Arch. '83] was listed in Residential Architect Magazine's 10th Anniversary Edition (June 2006) as one of "ten architects making a difference." Mr. Pfeiffer is a principal of Barley + Pfeiffer Architects and has spent the past 29 years advancing green building practices throughout the United States and Canada. To read more on how Mr. Pfeiffer has inspired positive changes in North American architecture, visit http://www.residentialarchitect.com/industry-news.asp?sectionID=282&articleID=319425.

Cover, Design Like You Give a Damn, by Cameron Sinclair, Kate Stohr, and Architecture for Humanity.

Nathaniel Corum's [M.Arch. '01] Hopi Elder Housing project is featured in Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises (Metropolis Books, May 2006). The work of Visiting Associate Professor Sergio Palleroni is also featured.

Edited by Architecture for Humanity, Design Like You Give a Damn is a compendium of innovative projects from around the world that demonstrate the power of design to improve lives. The first book to bring the best of humanitarian architecture and design to the printed page, Design Like You Give a Damn offers a history of the movement toward socially conscious design and showcases more than 80 contemporary solutions to such urgent needs as basic shelter, health care, education, and access to clean water, energy, and sanitation.

Frank C. Moffett, architect; Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers; [B. Arch. '58], has served as Base Architect at Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California, since February 2002. After six years' progressive internship with various firms in the Seattle area, Mr. Moffett practiced architecture in the state of Washington as a principal in the firms of Heideman & Moffett, AIA Architects, Seattle; and T.A.A., Incorporated, AIA Architects, Olympia, for a total of 21 years; and as Chief Architect of the State of Washington Department of Highways and Transportation for 16 years.

Mr. Moffett received licensure as a Registered Architect in the state of Washington in 1962, in Alaska in 1965, and in California in 1971. He was licensed as a Professional Engineer (Civil) in the state of Washington in 1973. He served as member and/or chairman of the Planning Commission of the City of Mountlake Terrace, Washington, from 1960 to 1967; and served on the System Appearance Committee of the association of Public Utilities Districts in the state of Washington from 1972 to 1976.

He was instrumental in the writing of the state of Washington regulations for design for people with disabilities beginning in 1976, culminating in their publication in 1978; and was publisher/co-author of revised editions in 1985, 1987, 1989, 1992, and 1995. He testified before the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board in hearings preparatory to their amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) for Buildings and Facilities. His testimony resulted in constructive revisions to the proposed guidelines. Mr. Moffett also served as arbitrator or expert witness on numerous architectural design and construction disputes and litigations, with values totaling several millions of dollars.

We encourage all alumni to share news with us by submitting updates to Stephanie Palmer at stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu. In addition, if you know of other alumni who may not be receiving this or other SOA publications, please forward their information to Stephanie or encourage them to contact her.

Friends of Architecture

Michoacán, Mexico
August 8-14, 2006

Purépecha girl in Nurio, Michoacán, Mexico. Photograph by Nathan Schneider.

Only a few reservations remain for Friends of Architecture's summer tour, "Michoacán--Soul of Mexico." You won't want to miss this exclusive tour! Nestled in the beautiful mountains of central Mexico, Michoacán is often referred to as the "soul of Mexico." During the tour, FOA member Cyndy Severson will host participants, along with expert local guides, on a journey through 17th and 18th century chapels, breathtaking private residences, and local artisan studios and markets. We will explore the rich cultural history and beautiful colonial architecture in the cities of Pátzcuaro and Morelia, staying at luxurious hotels and savoring Mexico's amazing cuisine along the way. You'll also enjoy ample leisure time, traversing charming cobblestone streets and historic plazas or enjoying a long siesta. Space on the tour is limited and only a few spots remain.

For additional details on this tour or Friends of Architecture membership, visit us online at soa.utexas.edu/foa/intro.

Staff News

Jeff Evelyn, a UT-Austin graduate, will join the staff on July 17 as our new Assistant Dean for Administration. Mr. Evelyn has over 10 years of experience at UT in positions that have afforded him valuable management and administrative experience. He currently works for the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts as Administrative Services Officer, managing faculty and staff services. Prior to that, he worked in the Dean's Office in the College of Natural Sciences and as an Executive Assistant and Department Administrator in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

He is well versed in budget preparation, accounts administration, staff supervision, and faculty review and promotion processes; he is also a certified Professional in Human Resources.

Dean's Journal

I spent about half of the past month in Bejing at Tsinghua University. Their fine School of Architecture created a new graduate program in landscape architecture, and I have been serving as a visiting professor. As with our new landscape architecture program, Tsinghua recently graduated its first class. During my time at Tsinghua, I met with faculty and students. I reviewed student work and gave a series of lectures about Italian landscapes, the Flight 93 Memorial competition, and our Gulf Coast mapping efforts.

On Saturday, June 24, I participated in a field trip to the Cuan Di Xia village and to the Tan Zhe Temple. The rural village is located about three hours west of Beijing and features well-preserved traditional Chinese quadrangle-courtyard housing from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The large Tan Zhe Temple features some of the largest ancient Buddhist architecture in the Beijing metropolitan area. Located in the mountains on Beijing's western fringes, the temple has a 1,700-year history.

My stay coincided with one by Assistant Professor Ming Zhang, an alumnus of Tsinghua's School of Architecture. Together, we visited the four-story Bejing Planning Exhibition Hall, which occupies a prominent mid-town location, just east of the old Beijing Railway Station in Qianmen. It features a large bronze model of the city in 1949 and a 1:750 model of the city in 2008 that consumes much of the third floor. One can view the 302-square-meter wood model from the fourth floor or walk around its edges on the third. Nearly 1,000 lit glass floor panels over aerial photographs of the outer edges of the city form the walking platform. Sections of the city are removed for rebuilding, a constant undertaking.

The city's new central business district, an architects-gone-wild area east of the Forbidden City, has its own, separate wood model, as does the Olympic 2008 village. The shear scale of the current urban expansion astounds and numbs the senses for its audacity and ambition. The historic core with its monuments and hutongs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong) is encircled by high-rises that dwarf the once mighty walls that defined the city.

The exhibition hall includes many galleries, which featured during my visit a dream Zaha Hadid apartment for the future in Beijing's SOHO, sculpture and other artworks for past and future Olympics, and a review of twenty years of cooperation between Tsinghua and MIT. Kevin Lynch began visiting Beijing in the early 1980s and conceived an urban design exchange. After Lynch's death, Gary Hack and the venerable Tsinghua professor, Wu Liangyong, implemented the studio in 1985, which continues to the present. Reviewing the wisdom and insight of these studios, I was left longing to see more of this type of sensitive place-making implemented by city officials and developers.

From the exhibition hall, I visited the amazing five-story Pearl Market, then the New World Complex on Jianguomenwai Dajie. The high-rises that line Jianguomenwai Dajie are topped with faux Chinese roofs, a concept of a former mayor. Traveling west through Tian-anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Mao's Mausoleum, as well as the Great Hall of the People and the Bank of China building, designed by I.M. Pei's sons, one encounters the big, egg-shaped, new national theater designed by the French architect Paul Andreu. Our taxi driver called it "a big tomb for the important dead ones."

Also during the past month, we hired our new Assistant Dean for Administration. Jeff Evelyn joins us from the College of Liberal Arts, where he served as Administrative Services Officer, managing faculty and staff services. Prior to that, he worked in the Dean's Office in the College of Natural Sciences.

During the month, I helped organize our Venice Biennale exhibition on the future of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The Biennale will open on September 6.

On July 5, Lecturer Dason Whitsett [B.Arch. '95, M.S.A.S. '05], Associate Professor Dan Leary, Associate Dean Kent Butler, and I met about the sundial competition to honor the late Professor Paco Arumí. We will announce details about the competition before the beginning of the fall semester.

On Friday, July 7, Assistant Dean for Development and External Affairs Kris Vetter and I had a series of meetings in Dallas. With our new Career Services Director, Carrie O'Malley, we met with Tary Arterburn, Paul Freeland, and Tres Fromme of The MESA Design Group about support of the Dallas Urban Laboratory and placement of our graduates. We also met with Advisory Council member Ken Hughes and three UT-Dallas colleagues about the Lab (Arts and Humanities Dean Dennis Kratz, Professor Rick Brettell, and Sally Drews).

Also in Dallas, we had lunch with John Greene Taylor and Edward Oglesby. Edward is the son of Bud Oglesby. We discussed this year's Oglesby Prize recipient, David Bench [B.Arch. candidate '06], who will use the award to study Brazilian architecture. John Greene Taylor has been generous to the School through The John Green Taylor Endowment for Collections Enhancement. He is now creating the John Greene Taylor Family Graduate Fellowship in Architectural History.

John also organized a visit to the new J. Lindsay Embrey Engineering Building at Southern Methodist University. The Embrey Building will open in September and is the first LEED-certified building on the SMU campus. Engineering Dean Geoffrey Orsak, SMU architect and project manager Raynard Kearbey, and Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford principal Robert Ayers [B.Arch. '66] gave us a tour of the building, highlighting the features that they hope will help them achieve Gold LEED status.

During the month, I participated in several Envision Central Texas and Hill Country Conservancy meetings and activities.

With the School's administrative team, I prepared for my Compact meeting with Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Designate Steve Monti (http://www.utexas.edu/provost/planning/compact/index.html). Provost Sheldon Ekland-Olson resigned in June, and we will miss his strong support for our School. This year's Compact addressed faculty positions, flat-rate tuition, academic program and facilities integration, program teaching load credits, and capital compaign priorities. I met with Interim Provost Monti on Monday, July 10, to discuss these topics.

—Fritz Steiner

Contacts

UT-Austin School of Architecture
soa.utexas.edu

Architecture and Planning Student Council + AIA Students
studentorgs.utexas.edu/apscaias/

Dean's Office
512-471-1922, fax 512-471-0716

Center for American Architecture and Design
512-471-9890, christinewong@mail.utexas.edu

Center for Sustainable Development
512-475-8013, utcsd@mail.utexas.edu

Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Jeanne Crawford, 512-471-0109, jcraw@mail.utexas.edu

Assistant Dean for Development and External Relations
Kris Muñoz Vetter, 512-471-6114, kmvetter@mail.utexas.edu

Graduate Program Coordinator
Rosemin Gopaul, 512-471-0134, gopaul@mail.utexas.edu

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

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

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

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

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

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

UTSOA Mailing Address
The School of Architecture
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station B7500
Austin, TX 78712-0222