ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

ALUMNI UPDATES

Various Architects wins a Spark! award with their Mobile Performance Venue! After 12 years at Snøhetta in Oslo, Norway, Jim Dodson [B.Arch. '95] started Various Architects together with fellow Snøhetta veteran Ibrahim ElHayawan in January of 2008. The new office's first assignment recently won a Spark! Award, an international multidisciplinary award for design and architecture, announced at a ceremony at the Autodesk Design Gallery in San Francisco, California.

The award-winning Mobile Performance Venue is a 42,000-square-foot movable installation designed around "ID-Identity of the Soul," a five-screen cinematic performance based on poems by Henrik Ibsen and Mahmoud Darwish. Associative images of the poem, interspersed with filmed images of an actor presenting it are projected in the central space that holds a standing audience of 3500 people. The project features a unique, lightweight, and 100% recyclable inflatable skin that dramatically reduces the shipping weight and setup time for a structure of this size. The entire construction can be transported in 30 standard 40-foot shipping containers (20 without the optional roof) and can be installed in two weeks. The project will be completed and begin touring in 2009.

More information, visit Various Architects' web site. About the performance: http://www.identityofthesoul.com.

Jonathan Chertok [M.Arch. '98] presented the results of his research project, "Artifacts of Research: On Singularities," at Siggraph (the Association for Computing Manufacturing's Special Interest Group for Graphics and Interactive Techniques Conference) in Los Angeles this past August.

Siggraph, the premier event for computer graphics and modeling, has had a large component of architectural work presented in recent years. This year, rapid prototyping models from some of the world's leading architecture firms were presented, at various scales, in the computational design section. Additionally, there were a number of papers presented in a new field of mathematics called "architectural geometry."

Jonathan's project, which was an accepted juried work in the New Technologies section, was originally made possible with the support of the Mike and Maxine K. Mebane Endowed Traveling Scholarship in Architecture after he completed his internship with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in France. Jonathan runs Universal Joint, the design-build firm in Austin, Texas. More information on Jonathan's project can be found on the Universal Joint web site.

In spring 2002, Cameron Cooper [M.Arch. '03] was able to work at the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Genoa, Italy, through the school's Professional Residency Program. During that time, he worked on the initial design phase for the new California Academy of Sciences located in San Francisco, California. After receiving his M.Arch. degree, he relocated to San Francisco and continued working on the Academy of Sciences project by joining the local architecture firm of Chong Partners Architecture. His involvement in the project has continued for the past five years in all phases until the building was completed and opened to the public in September 2008.

The California Academy of Sciences will house 38,000 live animals and is on track to receive Platinum LEED certification. It is currently the only institution in the world to feature an aquarium, a natural history museum, a living rainforest, a planetarium, and world-class research and education programs -- all housed under a 2.5-acre green roof.

Cameron expressed his desire to "thank UTSOA for providing such great opportunities to its students. The chance to work for Renzo Piano through the Residency Program started me down this path."

The Governor's Commission for Women has chosen Carolyn Peterson, FAIA, a principal at Ford, Powell & Carson, San Antonio, Texas, as an inductee into the 2008 Texas Women's Hall of Fame. She will join a select group of past recipients to be so honored since the Hall of Fame was founded in 1982. Peterson attended UTSOA in 1957.

Capping a forty-year career in historic presesrvation, Peterson's work includes the Spanish Colonial Missions of San Antonio, The Alamo, nineteenth century buildings in the Strand area of Galveston, and several Texas courthouses. She was principal-in-charge of the six-year restoration of the Texas State Capitol, one of the nation's most ambitious rehabilitation efforts. In addition to restoration and adaptive reuse design, Peterson has produced master plans and historic structures reports for sites in Texas, Arizona, and Florida.

Peterson's formal installation took place at Texas Woman's University in Denton on October 7.

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

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

• TSA Alumni Reception at the Petroleum Club of Fort Worth - Thursday, October 23, 2008 - R.S.V.P. online
• Houston Alumni & Friends Reception at The Grove Restaurant - Wednesday, February 11, 2009
• Community and Regional Planning at 50 Alumni Gathering - February 27-28, 2009
• Class of 1959 Reunion - April 30 - May 1, 2009
• AIA Alumni Reception in San Francisco - Thursday, April 30, 2009
• School of Architecture 100th Anniversary Celebration - Sunday, October 10, 2010

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 the events approach. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Stacy Manning at smanning@austin.utexas.edu or 512.471.0617.

Events

For the latest updates, check out the online UTSOA Calendar.

LECTURE

Monday, October 13
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.
The Materials Lab will host a reception
following the lecture in West Mall Building 3.102.

Michelle Addington, Ph.D.
Yale School of Architecture, New Haven
Sponsored by the Edwin A. Schneider Centennial Lectureship

"Smart Materials & Technologies"

Today, architects and designers are beginning to look toward developments in new "smart" or "intelligent" materials and technologies for solutions to long-standing problems in building design. Michelle Addington will present materials by describing their fundamental characteristics, and go on to identify and suggest how these same characteristics can be exploited by professionals to achieve their design goals.

Michelle Addington is trained as both an architect and an engineer whose teaching and research explore the re-conceptualization of the human thermal environment. She serves as an adviser on energy and sustainability for many organizations, including the U.S. Department of Energy and the AIA. Her chapters and articles on energy, environmental systems, lighting, and materials have appeared in many books and journals, and she recently co-authored Smart Materials and Technologies for the Architecture and Design Professions.

Prior to teaching at Yale, Ms. Addington taught at Harvard, Temple University, and Philadelphia University. Her background includes work at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, where she developed structural data for composite materials and designed components for unmanned spacecraft. Ms. Addington then spent a decade as a process design and power plant engineer as well as a manufacturing supervisor at DuPont, and after studying architecture, she was an architectural associate at a firm based in Philadelphia.

"Issues on Sustainability" Lecture Series

EXHIBIT

September 22 through October 12
Mebane Gallery
Goldsmith Hall

"Posters from the Soviet Revolution: 1917-1929"

Curated by Danilo Udovicki-Selb, the posters presented in this exhibit encompass, over a period of ten years, diverse events of one of the most tumultuous and fateful occurrences of the Twentieth Century: The October Revolution; the invasion of the young Republic from the four corners of the world by Japan, the United States, England, Poland, and France; and three years of civil war after the country had already endured three years of World War I.

Besides referring to the various moments of the war and the Revolution, the posters reflect the ongoing political, cultural, and ideological battles in the country, while embracing such diverse topics as the emancipation of women, the struggle against anti-Semitism ("Anti-Semitism is counter-revolutionary," "Anti-Semitism is our class enemy"), appeals for help during the catastrophic famine of 1921, the campaigns for alphabetization of a largely illiterate nation, and the cultural enlightenment and modernization of the country in general.

These posters, a vivid and immediate reflection of the events, have the capacity to speak for themselves, using a language that is among the most vivid and immediate such medium can offer.

The best artists of the country participated in the elaboration of these posters, including El Lissitzky, D.S. Moor, Rodchenko, the poet Mayakovsky, and others, as well as many who remain anonymous. The posters are from Udovicki's personal collection.

LECTURE

Wednesday, October 15
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.
Reception following lecture.

Julius Shulman
Sponsored by The Wolf and Janet Jessen Centennial Lectureship

"Canonical Photographs"

EXHIBIT

October 15 through October 31
Mebane Gallery
Goldsmith Hall

"MODERNISM FOR THE BORDERLAND:
The Mid-Century Houses of Robert Garland and David Hilles"

Organized by the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts of the University of Texas at El Paso and curated by William Palmore, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, New York Institute of Technology, this exhibit features photographs, models, and drawings of the mid-century houses of Robert Garland and David Hilles.

From the exhibition catalog, "During the period between 1952 and 1964, Robert Garland and David Hilles designed an astonishing number of modern houses for El Paso clients. Of these, the exhibition focuses on seven. [...T]hese were the best buildings produced in El Paso in that period, and the architects were certainly two of the most talented architects practicing in the Southwest at the time."

Featuring photographs by Julius Shulman, the exhibit also includes photographs, models, and drawings created by Palmore and students from the New York Institute of Technology.

Note: The film, "Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman," directed by Eric Bricker and narrated by Dustin Hoffman, is scheduled for two showings during the upcoming Austin Film Festival. Check the festival web site for more information on dates, cost, and locations.

CITY FORUM SERIES

City Forum is a planning and urban issues speaker series hosted by the Community and Regional Planning Student Organization (CRPSO) and the Community and Regional Planning Program (CRP) at The University of Texas at Austin. The bi-weekly speakers series is intended to broaden the curriculum in the CRP Program by presenting the experiences, perspectives, and insights of scholars, community leaders, practicing planners, and policy makers who engage in timely issues.

Topics of discussion are relevant, contemporary issues ranging from the local and regional to international. City Forum provides a space for open, critical dialogue among faculty members, students, community members, planning practitioners, and policy-makers regarding crucial planning-related issues in Austin and elsewhere. The speaker series is intended to encourage discussion of diversity, multiple publics, and social change.

During the fall of 2008, the program will be held on selected Fridays from 12:00 noon until 1:30 p.m. in the Texas Union Board of Directors Room, 4.118 (on Guadalupe Street between 22nd & 24th Streets). City Forum events are free and open to students and professionals interested in planning. Upcoming speakers include:

• October 17, Panel on Homelessness: "Perspectives from Research, Providers and Policy Development," moderated by Dr. Sarah Dooling, Assistant Professor, UT Austin School of Architecture
  
  Homelessness has recently gained more attention in media and planning efforts. This is partially a result of the federal agency Housing and Urban Development requiring the development of plans to end homelessness in order maintain federal funding for homeless services; it is also related to the scale of displacement experienced by people who survived Hurricane Katrina.
  
  Panel participants include: Beth Bruinsma, postdoctoral fellow at the UT Austin Center for Social Work Research; Sarah Dooling, UT Austin School of Architecture; Frank Fernandez, Executive Director of the Austin-based non-profit organization Community Partnership for the Homeless; and John Nyfeler, Austin-based architect and principle in charge at the firm Aguirre Roden and a board member of Ending Community Homelessness Organization.


• October 24, Beijing Studio

For questions, comments, or suggestions related to City Forum, contact Jenni Minner or Dr. Bjorn Sletto.

LECTURE

Monday, October 20
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.
Reception following lecture.

Jie Hu
Tsinghua University
Sponsored by The Wolf and Janet Jessen Centennial Lectureship

"Beijing Studio/Olympics Planning"

LECTURE

Monday, October 27
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.

Christian Werthmann
Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
Sponsored by the Edwin A. Schneider Centennial Lectureship

"Green Architecture: Plants and Landscaping
as Part of Sustainable Building"

"Issues on Sustainability" Lecture Series

LECTURE

Wednesday, October 29
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.

Nico Kienzl, D.Des.
atelier ten, New York
Sponsored by the Edwin A. Schneider Centennial Lectureship

"Advanced Tools for Building Simulation:
Energy/Light"

"Issues on Sustainability" Lecture Series

LECTURE

Wednesday, November 5
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.

Jean-Luis Cohen
New York University
Sponsored by the Herbert M. Greene Centennial Lectureship

LECTURE

Monday, November 10
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.

Michael Cadwell
Ohio State University, Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture
Sponsored by the Herbert M. Greene Centennial Lectureship

"Faxes from the Future"

LECTURE

Wednesday, November 12
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.

Michael Kubo
Visiting Lecturer, The University of Texas at Austin

"Strategic Architectures and Cold War Environments"

LECTURE

Monday, November 17
Goldsmith Hall 3.120, 5:00 p.m.

William Storrer
Visiting Lecturer, The University of Texas at Austin

"The Rediscovering Wright Project"

CENTER LUNCH FORUM SERIES

The Center for American Architecture and Design hosts a Friday Lunch Forum Series from 12:00 to 1:30 in the Battle Hall Conference Room (room 101).

The aim of the series is for faculty and students to meet in an informal atmosphere to debate topics and to share ideas about history, practice, theory, and new directions for architecture. Forum topics/titles are confirmed a week prior to each forum date. Visit the Center web site for updates. Remaining forums on the fall 2008 schedule include:

• October 24, Michael Oden, "Local Economic Growth and Quality of Life"
• November 7, Bob Paterson, "Local Sustainability - Keys to Succeed?"
• November 14, Anna Klingmann, Title TBA
• November 21, Ulrich Dangel, "Sustainable Timber Construction in Vorarlberg"

The Friday Forum is also webcast live (visit the Center's web site), and you are invited to call in live with questions or comments during the discussion at 512.471.9890.

EXHIBIT

September 15, 2008, through January 16, 2009
Visual Resources Collection
Sutton Hall 3.128 (Monday-Friday, 8-5)

"Architecture in Mongolia Through the Ages"

In 2006, recent graduate Michael Bricker [M.Arch. '08] received a School of Architecture Mebane Endowed Traveling Scholarship to visit Mongolia to design an energy-efficient home for a family in the community of Yeroo. Michael invited fellow student Ami Mehta [M.Arch. '08] to assist with the research and design of the proposed home. Together, Michael and Ami decided to expand the scope of the project to include two independent study courses to research Mongolian architectural history--specifically the ger, Chinese Buddhist temples, and Soviet civic buildings--and to investigate the architectural consequences of a newly democratic, modern Mongolia. During their stay in Mongolia, Michael, Ami, and Peace Corps colleague Jacob Knight documented the built environment. They have contributed almost four hundred digital images, along with descriptive metadata, to the SOA Visual Resources Collection. The images in this exhibit represent a small sampling of images selected from the group that are available for use by the university community as part of the VRC's online Image Collection.

EXHIBIT

November 5 through November 26
Mebane Gallery
Goldsmith Hall

"31 SWISS SCHOOLS: Umberto Dindo"

SUPPORT UTSOA

Dick Clark Student Travel Fund Established

Inspired by his worldwide travels as a student and architect, UT Austin alum Dick Clark III, AIA [B.Arch, B.B.A. '69] has generously pledged $25,000 to the School of Architecture for the creation of the Dick Clark Student Travel Fund. Funds distributed from this permanent endowment will provide travel support to students in the bachelor of architecture and master of architecture programs, with preference given to students with demonstrated financial need.

We extend our sincere thanks to Dick for his generous, ongoing support of the School of Architecture and the establishment of this new endowed travel fund to address a critical need within the school.

RAQUEL ELIZONDO STAFF EXCELLENCE FUND

Raquel Elizondo, one of the School of Architecture's most dedicated staff members and a good friend, retired in August 2006. The tremendous regard we all share for Raquel inspired us to initiate this campaign to create the Raquel Elizondo Staff Excellence Fund.

To date, faculty and staff have come together and raised $21,225 in seed money for this endeavor; thank you to everyone who has contributed thus far!

It's not too late to join the campaign. Our goal is to reach $25,000 by December 31. If you would like to help us meet our goal, please contact Development Associate Amy Martin at amartin@austin.utexas.edu or 512-471-6029.

IS IT TIME TO REVIEW YOUR WILL?

An outdated will may be as bad as, or worse than, not having a will at all. Many things can change to make the terms of an old will very different from current intentions. It may no longer reflect your wishes and circumstances.

Remember, your will isn't carved in stone. If your objectives have changed, check to see whether your will needs to change, too. If it has been more than three or four years since you've reviewed your will, give it another look, even if you think it's OK. You may see the opportunity to do more for your loved ones.

A birth, marriage, or divorce in the family; a move to another state; a change in tax laws; a change in the status of dependent children; impending retirement; or a change in personal circumstances or needs should trigger a will update by a qualified attorney.

If you're planning to create a deferred gift to the School of Architecture or would like more information on how to do so, we would be happy to work with you and your professional advisors to help you achieve your personal, financial, and philanthropic goals.

Contact Julie Hooper, Assistant Dean for Development, at 512.471.6114, or contact The University of Texas Office of Gift Planning at 866-4UTEXAS, or via e-mail at giving@www.utexas.edu, for more information.

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 web site to join online, learn about member benefits, and get information about upcoming tours and events.

Tours in the Works:
San Antonio with Associate Dean Kevin Alter - February 21-22, 2009

We are busy finalizing the details of our next tour to San Antonio, where we will see both contemporary and historic art and architecture in this landmark Texas city. Members will have the opportunity to tour residential projects and have exclusive behind-the-scenes access to stunning public and private spaces. FOA tours are for members only, and space is limited, so visit our web site to become a member, renew your membership, or pre-register for San Antonio.

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

THE "SNAP HOUSE" IN THE NEWS

The "SNAP" House," UT Austin's 2005 entry in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon competition in Washington, D.C., is making headlines again.

An October 5, 2008, article in Austin American-Statesman states, "It's billed 'The World's Weirdest Duplex,' and it lives up to the name. The home connects a cutting-edge solar house, built with the most modern sustainable materials, to a rehabilitated 1930s bungalow [the Harden house]. And it's a symbol of new cooperation between two traditional enemies: the Blackland Community Development Corporation and the University of Texas. Called the SNAP house because of its modular design, the solar house was donated by the university to the Blackland CDC after it was designed by UT students who were competing in the U.S. DOE's Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. [...] The SNAP house was built using reclaimed, recycled, and sustainable materials, including structural integrated panels, wooden shipping pallets, and even aluminum plates from newspaper presses."

"Once both the SNAP and Harden houses were moved into place in 2006, volunteers came together for two years of 'Blackland Work Saturdays' in order to rebuild and repair each home, room by room. Blackland estimates that more than 3,000 volunteer hours [...] went into the project. One regular volunteer was Stephanie Perrone-Freeborg, a graduate student in the UT School of Architecture. She and two other students organized a group to encourage fellow architecture students to volunteer once a month with nonprofit affordable-housing organizations to connect 'designers and builders to how housing impacts a community.'"

"What Blackland, and other similar organizations, do for affordable housing is really important for the overall community of Austin," says Perrone-Freeborg. Stephanie and her husband, Adam Freeborg, will be the solar SNAP unit's first residents. Over the next year, Stephanie will record the duplex's daily energy and water consumption and tinker with the energy production systems to make it as efficient as possible. Her goal is to create an owner's tool kit and operating guide for the next tenant.

View the entire Austin American-Statesman article here. And, view a September 12, 2008, article in the The Austin Chronicle here.

ALPHA RHO CHI HOSTS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Alpha Rho Chi, the national co-ed social-professional fraternity for architecture and the allied arts, hosted the fraternity's 11th annual national Leadership Convention the weekend of October 3-5. Held throughout UTSOA buildings, the convention allowed brothers from across the country to come together and strengthen their ties to each other and the organization. The weekend consisted of several sessions of leadership-building activities, panel discussions, and a wonderful lecture given by our own Professor Larry Speck. The weekend was a great success, fostering active brotherhood and leadership. For more information on the local chapter of Alpha Rho Chi, Dinocrates, and their upcoming projects, visit their web site.

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