School of Architecture Promotes Sustainable Design in Core Curriculum with Meadows Foundation Grant

Faculty in the School of Architecture will soon have the opportunity to incorporate principles of sustainable design into core curriculum due to a $240,000 grant from the Meadows Foundation.

The three-year grant will be disbursed via a competitive process in which faculty can submit proposals to compete for four $20,000 awards each fall, beginning in fall 2008. Faculty will be asked to submit proposals outlining their strategy to incorporate more explicit attention to energy use and other aspects of environmental sustainability into their coursework.

"UT Austin consistently ranks as one of the top 10 schools of architecture in the United States," said Elizabeth Mueller, director of the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD). "Our students are actively recruited by some of the best design and planning firms in the nation and this grant will allow them to be even more competitive in entering the workforce upon graduation."

Faculty from all areas of the school, including architecture, landscape architecture, community and regional planning, interior design, urban design, sustainable design, and historic preservation, can compete for the grants.

Proposals from the various fields of study will likely emphasize diverse areas of sustainability, including the relationship between design and energy efficiency, materials and resource use, site design, land use and transportation planning, and landscape ecology.

The school has historically been a leader in the field, establishing one of the first graduate programs in sustainable design (originally called "design with climate") in 1973.

More than ever before, leading firms are looking to recent graduates to help them provide the environmentally sensitive designs increasingly in demand," said Mueller. "Since LEED certification is an increasingly valued credential for designers, being able to incorporate these cutting edge concepts and tools into core classes for our students is a tremendous asset."

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, created by the U.S. Green Building Council, encourages sustainable design. Practitioners can receive LEED certification by demonstrating a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles, and LEED buildings receive a plaque recognizing them as an environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy place to live and work.

The Meadows Foundation, one of the most recognized philanthropic institutions in the country, was established in 1948 by Algur H. and Virginia Meadows to benefit the people of Texas. The foundation's mission is to assist the people and institutions of Texas to improve the quality and circumstances of life for themselves and future generations.

UTSOA faculty may contact Elizabeth Mueller at ejmueller@mail.utexas.edu or 512.471.1151 for more information.

SUPPORT UTSOA

TWO NEW ENDOWMENTS ESTABLISHED

We are proud to announce the creation of two new endowments to support students at the School of Architecture: the Claude M. Pendley, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund (for Graduate Fellowships) and the Excellence Fund for Topics in Sustainable Development.

The Claude M. Pendley, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund (for Graduate Fellowships) was established through a $51,000 bequest from the estate of Novella M. and Albert McKinney [M.B.A. '56] in honor of their friend Claude Pendley. [B.Arch. '59]. Former dean Hal Box counts Claude Pendley as one of his personal heroes. Says Box, "He graduated the year before me, and I thought he was brilliant... I often followed him to afternoon coffee at the Cactus Cafe to listen to his stories and watch him sketch on napkins." In the early 1950s, Claude formed partnerships with fellow alums and former faculty members Eugene George [B.Arch. '49] and Fred Day [B.Arch. '50] before going on to create his own firm.

The team of students who participated in and won the Austin Energy National Research Competition last year dedicated $175,000 in prize winnings to the School of Architecture to establish the Excellence Fund for Topics in Sustainable Development. The Center for Sustainable Development will administer this endowment, and funds will be used primarily to facilitate student projects, research, symposia, and multidisciplinary endeavors relating to principles of sustainabililty.

CREATING A LEGACY

During their careers, architects leave a legacy to the world through their imprint on our built environment. Architect and alumnus Lexa Acker, AIA Emeritus [B.Arch, '63], has created a legacy for the School of Architecture through the establishment of a $25,000 charitable gift annuity that will ultimately benefit a new Dean's Excellence Fund.

Lex retired from The University of Texas System Office of Facilities Planning and Construction in 1999, with 30 years of service. During that period as architect, planning advisor, and project manager, he represented UT Austin and UT San Antonio on projects of various functional character and scope.

He states that for more than four decades he has observed with increasing pride the steady emergence of the School of Architecture to national and international prominence under the administrations of six deans. He firmly believes that to achieve and maintain such standards, the responsible leader of a public entity must possess some range of fiscal flexibility assured through discretionary funds, as the Dean's Excellence Fund will support.

All of us at the School of Architecture wish to thank Lex for his generosity in establishing this gift annuity for the benefit of his alma mater.

WHAT IS A GIFT ANNUITY?

Naming the school as a beneficiary in your estate plans has allowed many alumni and friends to leave a legacy at the School of Architecture. A low interest rate environment has influenced a number of donors to establish income-producing gifts, such as charitable gift annuities, which benefit them during their lifetimes with up-front income tax savings and a lifetime annuity payment while ultimately supporting The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture.

The university has assembled a top-notch team of planned giving experts, all available to assist alumni and friends of the university with their gift planning goals. If you are interested in exploring such opportunities, we encourage you to contact Assistant Dean for Development Julie Hooper directly, at jhooper@austin.utexas.edu or 512-471-6114, so that she may assist you with your plans.

Curious to see how a gift annuity would impact your estate? Click here to explore an easy-to-use gift calculator.

FRIENDS OF ARCHITECTURE

What You Missed in Seattle ...

The weather was spectacular, the sites were breathtaking, and the speakers - award-winning architects, planners, and educators - gave us a fascinating look into Seattle's public spaces.

Our tour began with a welcome reception and cocktails at the firm GGLO, where we heard about their latest exciting Norman Foster project, Seattle's Civic Square. This ten-year civic masterplan, designed to be a mix of residential, commercial, cultural, civic, and retail uses, will create a lively destination in downtown Seattle for people to live, work, and play.

We moved from cocktails to dinner at the acclaimed Dahlia Lounge, where we heard from former city council member, architect, and community activist Peter Steinbrueck. A life-long Seattle resident, Peter shared his own experiences and recounted fascinating stories of his father, Victor, an activist who participated in salvaging historic Seattle landmarks such as Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square from developers in the late sixties and early seventies.

Our walking tour began the next day, as Professor Larry Speck led us through downtown Seattle and the surrounding area. Our group was accompanied by UTSOA alumna Stephanie Bower [B.Arch. '81], who moved to Seattle in 1995. She added great perspective, since she has worked for the city, the Seattle Aquarium, the Woodland Park Zoo, and the Experience Music Project.

We braved the hilly downtown Seattle landscape as we walked, talked, and toured. We explored sustainability at City Hall, community unity through gardening in Belltown, industrial conversion to green space at Olympic Sculpture Park, controversial postmodernism (and a close-up, private tour of the car used in the movie Bladerunner) at the Experience Music Project, and the use of colored light for spiritual and architectural innovation at St. Ignatius Chapel.

Thank you to all who made this tour such a success!

If you missed the opportunity to join this exclusive tour, you'll want to pre-register as soon as possible for the February 2009 San Antonio trip. Details will be presented soon, but this tour is sure to sell out. Tours are available only to Friends of Architecture members, so visit our web site to get more information and become a member today!

Support FOA and the School of Architecture by becoming a member today or log on to our giving page and make a gift directly to the School (select Friends of Architecture from the drop down menu).

Friends of Architecture would like to thank our Corporate Silver members and supporters Curtis & Windham Architects and Lucifer Lighting Company.

SUMMER ACADEMY IN ARCHITECTURE

Students from all over Texas, and as far away as Singapore and Costa Rica, made UTSOA their home for 3 to 5 weeks this June and July, as the School of Architecture hosted the largest-ever Summer Academy in Architecture. From June 9 to July 11, approximately 135 students attended one of two concurrent sessions. Students aged 18 and above participated in the academy's 5-week Introduction to the Profession session, while students aged 15-17 attended the 3-week Young Scholars Program.

The aim of this year's split-program was to more closely tailor the academy curriculum to the various ages of attendees and to accommodate a larger enrollment. Under the direction of Program Director Kevin Alter and Program Coordinator Christine Wong, current UTSOA students and recent graduates, as well as two practicing professionals who are also alumni, made up an exceptional team of 11 studio instructors and 5 teaching assistants to lead this year's academy. The team included Allison Gaskins and Tom Cox as Principal Instructors; Brian Anderson, Joshua Bailey, and Caitlin Coffey as Teaching/Resident Assistants; Brian Bedrosian, Gian Calaci, Hillary Collins, Dan Gruber, Jason Haskins, Daniel Hernandez, Kevin Moore, Lynn Petermann, Michael Smith, and Dawson Williams as Instructors; and Alex Goldberg and Jeff McKnight as Teaching Assistants.

Academy attendees left the program with a new appreciation for architecture and its professional study. As academy attendee, Dustin Adams, remarked, "The program helped me to begin to develop a sensitivity and emotional connection toward certain spaces and their features, which will be an indispensable tool for design, analysis, and appreciation. Architecture seems much more difficult to put into words after the Summer Academy. Perhaps this means I have learned."

Planning is underway for the 2009 Summer Academy in Architecture, which could face changes as demand for the program continues to rise. Program information for 2009 will be made available on the Summer Academy web site.

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP AND AWARDS

Austin-based Black + Vernooy Architecture has launched an urban design and planning division, Placemaking Studio, which will emphasize a full-service, collaborative approach to designing beautiful cities, districts, neighborhoods, spaces, and buildings. The Studio focuses on creating active, mixed-use, and walkable places that have become increasingly important in today's environment of rising energy prices. The Studio's principal, Professor Sinclair Black, is best known for his visionary work in downtown Austin, including the first Downtown AMLI residential development that served as the catalyst for the revitalization of 2nd Street, the Central Park/Central Market Master Plan, and the Downtown Austin Great Streets Master Plan. Sinclair's involvement in Central Texas has resulted in creative private investment, successful mixed-use developments, active public spaces, and a vibrant civic culture.

Placemaking Studio works collaboratively with developers, consultants, and municipalities to facilitate community development, envision possibilities, and implement urban revitalization master plans to create places that attract growing industries and encourage sustainable residential, retail, and commercial growth. The Studio assembles an appropriate team for each individual project, consisting of consultants that specialize in the realms of:

• Urban Planning and Design
• Architecture
• Landscape Architecture
• Economic Development
• Policy and Code Implementation
• Environmental Planning
• Conservation Development
• Green Building Practices

"We have founded this Studio based on the idea that the art of placemaking bridges the realm between planning and architecture and the public and private sectors," said Sinclair Black. "Placemaking Studio's success is built upon both the process of imagining what could be with a pragmatic understanding of the realistic steps and stamina needed to get there."

For additional information on Placemaking Studio, please contact Marisa Ballas at 512.381.1023 or view the Studio's web site.

The Dallas Museum of Art hosted an awards luncheon on July 10 to give Anthony Alofsin, Roland Roessner Centennial Professor, the Vasari medal for the best book in art history by a Texas author in 2007. The book, When Buildings Speak: Architecture as Language in the Habsburg Empire and its Aftermath, 1867-1933, has been critically aclaimed and will appear in a new paperback edition in October 2008. Guests attending the luncheon included Diane Cheatham, Emily Summers, Reggie Graham, Edward Baum, and Don Gatzke. This is the second time Dr. Alofsin has won the prestigious award.

A new article by Dr. Steven Moore, Bartlett Cocke Regents Professor of Architecture and Planning, and Andrew Karvonen, Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Candidate, will appear in a special fall issue of the international peer-reviewed journal, Science Studies, which is devoted to the built environment. The article, "Sustainable Architecture in Context: STS and Design Thinking" uses the analytic tools of Science and Technology Studies (STS) to examine how our "design dispositions" embody distinct assumptions and attitudes about how to improve social and material conditions of the built environment. The authors argue that just as architects can learn from the analytic methods of social science, so social scientists can learn from design thinking. Karvonen successfully defended his dissertation, "Botonizing the Asphalt: Politics of Urban Drainage," on June 27 and will formally receive his degree in August.

Dean Fritz Steiner and Laurel McSherry, Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Landscape Architecture Program at the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center of Virginia Tech, received an Honorable Mention for their entry in the 2008 International Conceptual Design Competition for 5*12 Sichuan Earthquake Memorial Landscape.

Eight prize winners and seven honorable mentions were selected from 120 entries from China, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Canada, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the U.K., and the United States. This competition launched by Landscape Architecture Journal is intended to honor the earthquake victims and explore the relationship between human beings and nature. All the winning designs will be featured in the August 2008 issue of Landscape Architecture Journal.

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI UPDATES

F&S Partners Incorporated, a Dallas-based architecture, interior design, and planning firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of two UTSOA alumni to its ownership team.

Robert L. Shaw, Jr., AIA, was elected president of the firm. Mr. Shaw earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1977 from the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked for F&S Partners for 30 years.

Michael D. Voit, AIA, LEED AP, was promoted to principal. Mr. Voit earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1991 from the University of Texas at Austin. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from University of Dallas in 2007. He has worked at F&S Partners for 16 years and will lead the firm's religious studio.

Founded in 1962, F&S Partners specialize in educational, religious, and recreational facilities for institutions and municipalities across Texas.

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

We want you to stay involved and connected to the school, so join us for one of our many upcoming alumni events:

• Houston Alumni Reception at The Grove Restaurant - Thursday, October 9, 2008
• TSA Alumni Reception at the Petroleum Club of Fort Worth - Thursday, October 23, 2008
• AIA Alumni Reception in San Francisco - Thursday, April 30, 2009

More details will become available on the School of Architecture alumni web page as the events approach, or if you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Stacy Manning at smanning@austin.utexas.edu or 512.471.0617.

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!

Stay in touch with former classmates--update your records and contact preferences by logging on to the university's online alumni directory.

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

BLOOMHOUSE IN THE NEWS

The BLOOMhouse is still making headlines. The University of Texas at Austin's entry into the 2007 Solar Decathlon, BLOOMhouse, was the front page story in The Big Bend Sentinel's July 24 edition.

Last spring, the BLOOMhouse traveled to McDonald Observatory, where students from the SolarD team worked with the locals to reconstruct the award-winning, solar-powered house on the Mount Locke site of the decommissioned Millimeter Wave Telescope. Observatory Superintendent David Lambert, who had learned of the BLOOMhouse, realized it presented multiple opportunities, including relief for one of the observatory's chronic challenges: onsite housing for staff.

Rex Barrick, the observatory's physical plant manager, plans to live in the house four to five days a week after a few tweaks are made, such as changing the outer skin of the house to clay tile, since its original polycarbonate cladding will not fare well against the 100mph winds that occasionally buffet the mountain.

The BLOOMhouse experience has been rich for the students involved and will continue to be a resource for students in the future.

Professor Michael Garrison states in the article that the BLOOMhouse has "empowered [the students]. They designed, modeled, engineered, and built it. Now, we'll monitor it and run a series of scientific experiments. Eventually, we'll make a display for the observatory's Visitors' Center that shows Texas school children how you can build a house that's off the grid."

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 not only to share your stories, but also to keep us up-to-date on your contact information so that we can share our stories with you. Alumni, please send your news and contact updates to our new Associate Director of Constituent and Alumni Relations, Stacy Manning at smanning@austin.utexas.edu. Students, faculty, and staff may send updates to eNews editor Pamela Peters at p.peters@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
teresacarr@mail.utexas.edu, 512.475.7995

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

Associate Director of Constituent and Alumni Relations,
Stacy Manning, smanning@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.0617

Director, Career Services Center
Carrie O'Malley, carrie.omalley@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.1333

Publications Editor
Pamela Peters, p.peters@mail.utexas.edu, 512.471.0154

Events Coordinator
Barbara Terrell, bdt@mail.utexas.edu, 512.471.8187

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

Visual Resources Collection
http://soa.utexas.edu/vrc/, 512.471.0143

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 University of Texas at Austin
School of Architecture
1 University Station B7500
Austin, TX 78712-0222