Dean's Journal
On Friday, March 24, I was invited by UT President Bill Powers to address the Texas Leadership Society Luncheon. This society is comprised of individuals who have made planned gifts to the University. In addition to Assistant Dean Kris Vetter, alumni Bill Booziotis [B.Arch. '57], Susan Benz [B.Arch. '84], and Howard Parker [B.Arch. '53] and his wife Rosalyn, as well as Martha Leipziger-Pearce and emeritus faculty member Bob Renfro attended.
President Powers asked me to discuss the impact of the Henry M. Rockwell Chair on our School. This chair is consistent with recommendations by The Commission of 125 (http://www.utexas.edu/com125/index.html) to focus future endowments on strategic, programmatic support. I used Benjamin Franklin's observation to explain the Rockwell impact: "An investment in knowledge always gives the best return."
On Saturday, March 25, our National Architecture Accreditation Board (NAAB) site visitor team, chaired by University of Cincinnati Professor Patricia Kucker, arrived. The NAAB team also included North Carolina State Dean of the College of Design Marvin Malecha (representing the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, ACSA), Kevin Jensen (representing the American Institute of Architects), architect Philip Gerou (representing the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, NCARB), and University of Maryland graduate student Jessica Leonard (representing AIAS). They met with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and University administrators. At their exit presentations on Wednesday, March 29, they made constructive recommendations regarding our curricula and resources.
United States Courthouse project, Austin, Texas. Image courtesy of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects.
While we hosted NAAB, several other activities occurred in the School. For example, on Monday, March 27, Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam, of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects (http://www.msmearch.com), unveiled their design for the new United States Courthouse in Austin. They described their collaboration with federal judges and the General Services Administration. A LEED silver rating is being sought for the courthouse. Other design team members include PageSoutherlandPage, the Architectural Engineers Collaborative, the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, and Hargreaves Associates.
In addition, we hosted a very successful "CareerAlliance '06". Forty-four employers participated, many of whom braved an Austin spring monsoon to make it in on opening day. Over 250 students in the School participated, with more than 700 student interviews scheduled. We received great feedback from employers. Many noted that the students were very poised, well prepared, and qualified.
Fred W. Clarke.
On Tuesday evening, Kris Vetter and I attended the Endowed Presidential Scholarship dinner honoring newly created and University-wide Endowed Presidential Scholarships. The University of Texas Development Board established the Endowed Presidential Scholarship program in 1973 to provide merit-based scholarship support to outstanding UT-Austin students. In 2005, the School was most fortunate to have Fred W. Clarke and Laura Weir Clarke endow two new scholarships in honor of former School of Architecture dean Alan Y. Taniguchi and former Professor Carl Bergquist. Professor Bergquist's widow, Kate, and son, Bill, joined the dinner recognition. This month, their story is featured on the University's website at: http://www.utexas.edu/supportut/news_pub/ yg_clarke_scholarships.html. (See Alumnus Honors Mentors with New Scholarships section below for more information.)
After the NAAB team departed, I flew to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the International Interior Design Educator's Council Conference. Janine James, founder of The Moderns, gave the opening keynote talk. She focused on the emerging importance and visability of design and visual arts education. She noted that "the MFA is becoming the new MBA" and that "the 'D School' is becoming the new 'B School.'" Ms. James presented examples of The Moderns's work to illustrate the growing value corporate and government clients are placing on design.
Her talk was followed by a panel of IDEC Fellows who addressed the body of knowledge in interior design. I also attended paper sessions on cradle-to-cradle design education and environmentally sensitive interior design practice. Professor Nancy Kwallek and Associate Professor Carl Matthews also participated in the IDEC Annual Conference, which will be in Austin in 2007.
On Friday, I flew to the ACSA Conference in Salt Lake City. The Design Deans' Collaborative at Public Research Universities met Friday afternoon. On Saturday, I attended a design build panel, moderated by University of Arizona Professor Mary Hardin [B.Arch. '79, M.Arch. '83]. Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Louise Harpman presented the Design>Build>Texas project. She focused on collaboration, logistics, sustainability, and site responsiveness. Other panelists from the University of Kansas and the University of Utah showed design build projects in New Orleans and for the Navajo people.
Afterwards, I participated in the ACSA administrators lunch. The keynote speaker was Cameron Sinclair, who spoke about social justice and design. He focused on his Architecture for Humanity's post-Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina work (http://www.architectureforhumanity.org/). His lecture was followed by a reception at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Architecture and Planning Library Head Librarian Janine Henri and Materials Lab Director Tara Carlisle also attended and gave presentations at the ACSA meetings.
On Sunday, April 2, I returned to Austin with the second edition of the student-generated publication ISSUE: to read on the plane. The eleven student editors and their faculty advisors are to be congratulated on a stimulating and comprehensive review of student design work in the School. Many thanks also to the groups and individuals who made it possible to publish this important work including the School of Architecture Advisory Council, the Lawrence W. Speck Excellence Fund, the University Co-op, the William E. Lake, Jr. Excellence Fund for Architecture, Friends of Architecture, Jane and Brian Greig, David Heymann (Martin S. Kermacy Centennial Fellow), the Professional Residency Program, and Career Services Director Sheila Balog. (For information about how to obtain a copy of ISSUE:, write to: ISSUE@uts.cc.utexas.edu.)
This busy week ended with the wonderful news that the University Co-op board approved a generous $62,000 grant to remodel the student lounge space set aside on the southeast corner of Sutton Hall, as well as a $1000 prize for the winner of a planned student competition to redesign the space. In addition, the board granted a Platinum level ($25,000) sponsorship of the 2007 Solar Decathlon team. With this support, as well as the U.S. Department of Education $100,000 grant awarded to the selected teams, we are off to a good start to ensure the SolarD 2007 project is our most successful entry yet! (See http://www.ar.utexas.edu/utsolard/team/home.html for information and updates on the SolarD team's progress.)
Yesterday, I was in Dallas meeting with alumni and friends of the School with Associate Professor Dean Almy and Kris Vetter. We participated in the Littlefield Society and President's Associates Reception at the Crescent Club last night.
—Fritz Steiner
Events
Texas Hillel, The Topfer Center for Jewish Life, designed by alterstudio.
SYMPOSIUM
Friday, April 7
"BOOKS & BUILDINGS" SYMPOSIUM: ALTERSTUDIO
Texas Hillel, The Topfer Center for Jewish Life
Texas Hillel, 2105 San Antonio Street, Austin
1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Please join us on April 7, 2006, when the "Books & Buildings" Symposium Series takes a look at the new Texas Hillel Topfer Center for Jewish Life--a new building by alterstudio architects, LLP. The symposium, one in a series initiated in the fall of 2001 by Dean Fritz Steiner, will be an extraordinary event as three internationally renowned practitioners of architecture gather to discuss a building that, despite being designed for a modest budget, is grand in its aspiration to accommodate a powerful and challenging program on a busy campus site.
Esteemed guest critics Merrill Elam, Carlos Jimenez, and Stanley Saitowitz will lend their expertise to a discussion about the building and its implications for its constituent communities and beyond, with a response by Kevin Alter, principal of alterstudio architects, LLP.
Reservations are not required. Please plan to arrive early to ensure a seat.
Visit the "Books & Buildings" website at: http://www.soa.utexas.edu/events/books/ or alterstudio at http://www.alterstudio.net/ for additional photos and more information about the symposium and guest critics.
LECTURE
Monday, April 17
Mario Schjetnan
Grupo de Diseno Urbano
Mexico City, Mexico
Ruth Carter Stevenson Chair
Goldsmith 2.308, 5 p.m.
Reconfigured vision of the UT-Austin School of Architecture complex (Sutton, Battle, and Goldsmith Halls). Image provided by Barbara Hoidn, Wilfried Wang, and David Heymann.
EXHIBIT
April 12-28
2x2: Hoidn Wang Partner and David Heymann Architect
Mebane Gallery, Goldsmith Hall
Gallery Talk, Wednesday, April 19,
5 p.m.
For this exhibition, Professors Barbara Hoidn, Wilfried Wang, and David Heymann looked at how the architecture of the extraordinary complex of buildings that make up the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin might be reconfigured. Giving specific consideration to questions of access, public interface, and teaching needs, they have proposed a fundamental reorganization of how one moves through the School, how one finds public opportunities, and what defines the identifiable space of the School.
UT SolarD SNAP House.
EXHIBIT
Through May 20
Get into the SNAP House:
the 2005 UT SolarD 'super nifty action package'
Architecture & Planning Library
Battle Hall 200
"Get into the SNAP House: the 2005 UTsolarD 'super nifty action package'" is now on view in the Architecture & Planning Library through the end of the spring semester. This exhibit, featuring information panels, models, and a documentary video, was prepared by the 2005 School of Architecture Solar Decathlon Team, with Michael Garrison, Elizabeth Alford, and Samantha Randall as faculty advisors. The Architecture & Planning Library hours are listed at: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/about/hours/apl.html.
CENTER FORUMS
The Center for American Architecture and Design hosts a Friday Forum Series from 12:00 to 1:30 in the Center's Battle Hall Conference Room (room 101).
Throughout the fall and spring semesters, faculty, visitors, and graduate students at the School of Architecture offer their latest work up for freewheeling discussion and debate, with subjects varying from architectural practice, design, design theory, to the arts, planning, and the politics and economics of development.
The idea is for faculty and students to meet in an informal atmosphere to debate and freely discuss topics "hot" on the minds of the speakers. Visit the Center website (http://www.utexas.edu/architecture/center/lunch_forums) for updates. The remaining spring 2006 schedule includes:
- April 21, Nicole Wiedemann, "TBA"
- April 28, Lois Weinthal, "FLYSPACE: An Interdisciplinary Collaborative"
The Friday Forum is also webcast live from http://www.utexas.edu/architecture/center/lunch_forums, and you are invited to call in live with questions or comments during the discussion at 512-471-9890.
CITY FORUMS
The Community and Regional Planning Program hosts a "City Forum Speaker Series," where urban planners and design professionals discuss aspects of contemporary urban development from national and local perspectives. The events are held on selected Fridays from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Texas Union, Board of Directors' Room, 4.118 (on Guadalupe Street between 22nd and 24th Streets). Upcoming City Forums for spring 2006 include:
- April 7, Byung Su Kang, Ph.D., "Technology as Regional Development: Austin and Korea"
More and more, cities are looking to target the high tech industry as a key strategy of their economic development policies, and the Austin area in particular has been very successful in promoting and encouraging the growth of technology-based businesses in the region. Dr. Kang will examine the role that technology can play in regional economic development.
Dr. Kang received his Master of Urban Planning from Seoul National University and his P.h.D. from the Department of Urban Planning at Michigan State University. He is a professor in the Department of Local Government Administration at Chungnam National University in Korea and is currently a Fulbright Visiting Professor.
A complete City Forum schedule is available at: http://www.utcityforum.org. For more information on the City Forum Speaker Series or to be added to the email list, contact Michelle Marx at mmarx@mail.utexas.edu.
STUDENT FORUMS
Student Forum is a gathering and online platform, where students of the Community and Regional Planning Program present and host dialogue on topics of their choice. The Forum offers students the space to share their experiences, ideas, research, and learning with the greater CRP-UTSOA community.
During spring 2006, "live" forums will take place on selected Fridays, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m., in Sutton Hall, Room 2.114. The remaining spring 2006 schedule includes:
- April 7, Peter Coltman, "The Early Years: Reflections of a CRP Student, Class of '62"
- April 14, Mapping CRP, "Reviewing the Current Organization of the CRP Program & Planning for the Future"
- April 21, Exit Interview - Class of May 2006, "Informal Focus Group Session with Graduating CRP Students"
A complete Student Forum schedule is available at: https://webspace.utexas.edu/tirpakma/CRPSF/CRPSF06.htm. For more information on the Student Forum Speaker Series or to be added to the email list, contact Mark Tirpak at marktirpak@mail.utexas.edu.
Anthony Maddaloni, untitled, 2006, Cyanotype.
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.
Envisioning Dallas Symposium
May 2, 2006, Dallas Arboretum
The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture will host its third annual "Future of Texas City-Regions Symposium," Envisioning Dallas: From Triangle to Trinity on Tuesday, May 2, 2006, at the Dallas Arboretum. This year, we will gather together local civic leaders as well as local, regional, and national experts in three key areas—transportation, open space/recreation, and livability—to discuss the implications of future growth on this important Texas city-region. Key speakers will include Gail Thomas, representing the Trinity Trust; Karl Zavitkovsky, Director, Economic Development, City of Dallas; and Robert Decherd, Belo Corporation.
The Envisioning Dallas symposium is part of an exciting new initiative to establish the Dallas Urban Laboratory, a UT-Austin led urban design workshop in Dallas in the spring of 2007. The Dallas Urban Laboratory will bring the University's faculty and students to Dallas each spring and summer to conduct design explorations and local research into such large urban design issues as the relationship between our health and the built environment, affordable housing, and expanding mass transit. Students in the spring studio will also have the opportunity to co-op half-time with local partner firms.
Register now for the Envisioning Dallas Symposium and learn more about the Dallas Urban Laboratory, or how you can become a partner firm, at our website: http://www.utexas.edu/architecture/events/envisioningdallas/.
Symposium attendees may receive four AIA Health, Safety and Welfare Continuing Education credits for attendance.
Alumnus Honors Mentors with New Scholarships
Following is an article by Jamey Smith on the School of Architecture's two newly created, University-wide Endowed Presidential Scholarships that appears on the University website at: http://www.utexas.edu/supportut/news_pub/ yg_clarke_scholarships.html.
Drawing by Carl O. Bergquist.
Fred W. Clarke, a 1970 graduate of the School of Architecture and a principal in the renowned firm Pelli Clarke Pelli, has contributed to the design of exceptional buildings throughout the world. Now he has made another contribution to the field of architecture that will endure, like his buildings, long into the future. It's a gift to UT to endow two student scholarships. The endowments are in honor of former professors, both of whom Clarke says "embodied the passion and social commitment necessary in architecture."
Clarke and his wife, Laura Weir Clarke, named the scholarships for Carl Bergquist, who died in 1994, and Alan Y. Taniguchi, who died in 1998. "Carl was an early influence as a drawing teacher," Clarke says, "with great sensitivity to freshman students who had little knowledge or sophistication. He was patient, supportive, and highly talented, and esteemed among us all." Laura also fondly remembers him as a neighbor and friend to her family.
Alan Y. Taniguchi.
Of Taniguchi, who served as the school's dean from 1969 to 1972, Clarke says, "Alan was adamant that we understand the social responsibilities of architects. From him we learned that architects are entrusted with societal resources and must discharge our responsibilities with care and vision."
Formerly known as Cesar Pelli and Associates, the New Haven, Connecticut-based Pelli Clarke Pelli recently updated its name to more accurately reflect the standing of Clarke, who co-founded the firm with Cesar Pelli in 1977. Clarke was still a student at UT when he first met Pelli, who had come to Austin for a year-end design review. "We had several good talks and he saw my work," he recalls. "Then, to my great surprise, I was offered a job in the design department he was starting at Gruen Associates in Los Angeles in 1970."
In 1976, both men left Gruen -- Pelli to become the architecture dean at Yale and Clarke to teach at Rice. Their firm was born when they were chosen for the renovation and expansion of New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1977. Today, Pelli Clarke Pelli is an 80-person operation that works with corporate, government, and private clients to design buildings and public spaces of all types. In 1989 the firm earned the American Institute of Architects' Firm Award in recognition of standard-setting work in architectural design. Clarke, an AIA Fellow since 1992, has been on the faculty of UCLA in addition to Rice and has also served as visiting critic at Yale. He continues as guest critic at several major universities, including UT.
"I love all aspects of what I do, but particularly the diversity in building type and location of our projects," he says. "Another rewarding aspect is the opportunity to work in my office with extraordinary people -- colleagues, friends, and former students -- and to see them grow and become successful in their own right."
The Clarkes have two sons, one a graduate of Rice and the Rhode Island School of Design who works in the film industry, and the other a biology/pre-med freshman at Georgetown University. In addition to their UT gifts, the couple has endowed scholarships at Yale and given extensively to Rice and to New Haven's Choate Rosemary Hall preparatory school. This gift will increase the School of Architecture's roster of prestigious Endowed Presidential Scholarships from three to five, significantly enhancing its ability to reward some of its most talented and deserving students.
"I strongly believe that one of the most important periods in a person's life is the time spent in college or university," Clarke says. "We are imprinted in powerful ways affecting our view of the world, our sense of mission in life, and our lasting relationships with other people. Giving to these institutions that give so much to us is a direct recognition of the powerful role of education."
Faculty Scholarship and Awards
The National Building Museum will present a comprehensive exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the completion of Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper--the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, 1956. "Prairie Skyscraper: Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower," curated by Anthony Alofsin, Roland Roessner Centennial Professor, opens June 17 and will examine the evolution of Wright's concept of the modern office building, from the Larkin Building in Buffalo, New York, and the Johnson Wax Administration Building and Research Tower in Racine, Wisconsin, to the Price Tower itself, which is hailed by architect Tadao Ando as "one of the most important buildings of the 20th century." The Price Tower won the American Institute of Architect's 25-Year Award for its enduring architectural design and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The exhibition will be on view through September 17, 2006.
"Prairie Skyscraper: Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower" is a traveling exhibition organized by Price Tower Arts Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, in cooperation with The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Alofsin was assisted by former Price Tower Arts Center curator Monica Ramirez-Montagut, now assistant curator at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, and Richard P. Townsend, executive director and CEO of Price Tower Arts Center. Accompanying the exhibition is an illustrated catalog, published by Rizzoli International Publications and edited by Dr. Alofsin. The large-format, 176-page book features 150 color illustrations, plus major essays by Dr. Alofsin.
For the second consecutive year, Senior Lecturer Stephen Ross has been selected to be honored in Who's Who Among America's Teachers http://www.whoswho-teachers.com. According to Jeffrey J. Fix, Vice President for Student Programs, "Only 5% of our nation's teachers are included in Who's Who and less than 2% are ever included in more than one edition as a Multiple Year Honoree. Your students are clearly sending you a message of how special you are, a tribute bestowed on very few teachers. The only students invited to submit nominations are those who have distinguished themselves by being recognized for excellence in either The National Dean's List for undergraduate students or The Chancellor's List for graduate students."
Associate Dean Louise Harpman presented the work of the Design>Build>Texas studio at the national ACSA conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, April 1. Her presentation was part of a Special Focus Session titled "Design-Build: Logistics, Liability, and Recent Success Stories."
Alumni Events & Updates
APA NETWORKING RECEPTION
This year's national American Planning Association convention will be held in San Antonio. Even if you are not attending the APA convention, you are invited to attend a reception at Aldaco's restaurant on Monday, April 24. The reception will bring University of Texas at Austin alumni, faculty, and students together with local friends and distinguished planners. The event is a fantastic opportunity to catch up with old friends, meet potential interns, employees, and fellow planners, and hear about the amazing progress of the UT-Austin Community and Regional Planning Program from Dean Steiner and members of the CRP faculty.
The networking reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., and complimentary trolley service to the event will be available at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel beginning at 5:15 p.m. If you would like to RSVP or have questions regarding the event, please contact Stephanie Palmer at 512-471-0617 or stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu.
CLASS OF 1956 REUNION
On Thursday, April 27, and Friday, April 28, the Class of 1956 will reunite on The University of Texas at Austin campus to celebrate a 50-year class reunion. The Texas Exes have planned two days of events and tributes, including a visit to the School of Architecture for our alumni on Thursday, April 27. Following lunch at the Texas Union, alumni from the Class of 1956 will be welcomed at Goldsmith Hall for tours of the School of Architecture's facilities, including the Materials and Preservation Labs; a special display at the Alexander Architectural Archives; and a talk by Alex Caragonne about the School of Architecture's Texas Rangers era.
If you have questions about the reunion, please contact Stephanie Palmer at 512-471-0617 or stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu. For details regarding the entire schedule of events, visit the Texas Exes website at http://www.texasexes.org, or contact Erin Campbell at 1-800-594-3938.
A semester-long investigation of the relationship between projected images and architecture by UT-Austin Radio-TV-Film faculty member Dr. Samantha Krukowski [M.Arch. '97, Ph.D. Art Hist. '99] will culminate in "LUMINOCITY" on Saturday, April 29, from sunset to midnight. Professor Krukowski teaches experimental media in the production area of the R-T-F Department.
Students from multiple disciplines at UT-Austin will use the three buildings, plaza, and surrounds of the Jesse H. Jones Communication Complex as sites for the projection of still and moving imagery and for related installations.
The College of Communication complex at The University of Texas at Austin has long been a monolithic landmark occupying the corner of 26th Street and Guadalupe. The three buildings house numerous operations and academic departments, including The Daily Texan, Austin City Limits, KUT and KVRX Radio, KVR-TV, as well as the Advertising, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Communication Studies, Journalism, and Radio-TV-Film Departments.
For more information, contact Samantha Krukowski at samantha@rasa.net.
We encourage all alumni to share news with us by submitting updates to alumni coordinator 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 those alums to contact her.
Friends of Architecture
With the generous planning support of Advisory Council member Gilbert Mathews and his wife Suzanne Mathews, Friends of Architecture presented a sold out "Contemporary San Antonio" tour March 25-26. The tour included visits to the home of Jack and Rosemary Leon with a guided tour by architect and Advisory Council member Ken Bentley (AC), Ken Bentley and Associates; the home of architect David Lake [B.S.A.S. '77] of Lake/Flato Architects and his wife, Ellen; the Linda Pace residence and gallery with a guided tour by Patrick Ousey [B.Arch. '86] of FAB Architecture and Jim Poteet, Jim Poteet Architect; and the Tom Wright residence, guided by Irby Hightower [B.Arch. '77] of Alamo Architects. In addition, we visited the new offices and factory of Lucifer Lighting Company, designed by Jackson & Ryan and Gensler. The tour included a sustainability discussion by Heather Dalton of 3D/I, who is directing Lucifer Lighting's efforts to become the only LEED-certified commercial building in San Antonio.
On Saturday evening, Gilbert and Suzanne Mathews hosted the group for dinner in their lovely home by S.I. Morris and Lake/Flato Architects, and the tour ended on Sunday with a private tour of the San Antonio Museum of Art Retratos Exhibit with museum director Marion Oettinger. Friends of Architecture would like to thank all who participated in the "Contemporary San Antonio" tour.
Friends of Architecture members gather at the front steps of Tom Wright's home to hear about Alamo Architect's transformation of this original O'Neil Ford residence. Photograph by Stephanie Palmer.
Advisory Council member Helen Thompson, Chuck and (Advisory Council member) Diane Cheatham at the offices of Lucifer Lighting Company. Photograph by Stephanie Palmer.
The guest house of Tom Wright's residence by Alamo Architects, clad with fascinating artwork. Photograph by Stephanie Palmer.
Jorge Menedez and Susan Vanderlin (left) and Suzanne and Gilbert Mathews admire the lush grounds and colorful sculpture of the Tom Wright residence. Photograph by Stephanie Palmer.
If you missed FOA in San Antonio, you'll want to be sure to join our "Modernist's Tour of France and Switzerland," June 21-July 1, or travel with us to Michoacán, Mexico, August 9-16. For information on these tours or Friends of Architecture membership, contact contact FOA Director Stephanie Palmer at 512-471-0617 or stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu, or visit us online at http://web.austin.utexas.edu/architecture/outreach/foa/main.html.
Student Award
Graduate student Dylan Siegler.
Dylan Siegler, a graduate student in the Sustainable Design Program, recently received a "macaroni scholarship." In her words, "As some of you know, I am the proud recipient of a scholarship from Annie's macaroni and cheese--yes, the one on the back of the box... Not only did I get a check, but they sent me a huge box containing a selection of macaroni products, which have kept me alive as I single-mindedly finish my thesis. (Wisconsin cheddar, surprisingly, beat out Original as my new favorite flavor.)"
Ms. Siegler received an Environmental Studies Scholarship from Annie's Homegrown (http://www.annies.com/), which has a stated commitment to "be a good corporate citizen" and "treat the Earth and Earth's citizens with respect." Annie's offers the $1,000 scholarships to students pursuing a degree in the environmental studies field.
Here is an excerpt from Ms. Siegler's winning essay:
"When people ask me why at age 28 I left a career in journalism to study sustainable design, I tell them about the time about five years ago when, washing dishes, I read on my bottle of eco-friendly dish soap: 'If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of petroleum-based dishwashing liquid with a vegetable-based product, we would save enough oil to heat and cool 6,800 U.S. homes for one year.' Meant to be encouraging, the statement stunned me. Even if the more than 100 million households in America--9 million of which are below the poverty line--bought this $6 dish detergent, we'd still conserve only enough to temporarily fuel fewer than one hundredth of one percent of those homes. It struck me at that moment that like many well-intentioned Americans who respect the environment, I had been trying to be earth-friendly by using expensive soap--and suddenly, for me it was no longer enough."
You can read her the winning essay in full at: http://www.annies.com/programs/scholarship_winners_2005/Rachel_Siegler.htm.
LEED Workshop offered at UT-Austin
LEED certified project case study: Interface Showroom and Offices, Atlanta, Georgia, 2004. Photograph by Gittel Price.
Attention alumni! The UT-Austin School of Architecture Materials Lab and Career Service Office are offering a special invitation to alumni to return to the UT-Austin campus on April 24 to attend a full-day technical review workshop for LEED accreditation. We are providing advanced notice because spots will fill up quickly.
This intensive, full-day workshop will deliver an in-depth review of the technical requirements of the LEED-New Building rating system and the tools and information needed to incorporate green building practices into your projects. This course will provide case studies of successful strategies for earning LEED credits and achieving project certification. The Technical Review Workshops are highly recommended for those preparing for the LEED Professional Accreditation Exam (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=69&).
For more information, please contact Materials Lab Director Tara Carlisle at 512-232-5915 or Stephanie Palmer at 512-471-0617 or stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu.
Contacts
UT-Austin School of Architecture website, arch.utexas.edu
Architecture and Planning Student Council + AIA Students website, http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/apscaias/
(area code 512)
Dean's Office, 471-1922, fax 471-0716
Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Jeanne Crawford, 471-0109, jcraw@mail.utexas.edu
Assistant Dean for Development, Kris Muñoz Vetter, 471-6114, kmvetter@mail.utexas.edu
Graduate Program Coordinator, Rosemin Gopaul, 471-0134, gopaul@mail.utexas.edu
Center for American Architecture and Design, 471-9890, christinewong@mail.utexas.edu
Center for Sustainable Development, 475-8013, utcsd@mail.utexas.edu
Publications Editor, Pamela Peters, 471-0154, p.peters@mail.utexas.edu
Friends of Architecture Director and Alumni Coordinator, Stephanie Palmer, 471-0617, stephanie.palmer@mail.utexas.edu
Director of Photography, Charlotte Pickett, c.pickett@mail.utexas.edu
Architecture and Planning Library, http://www.lib.utexas.edu/apl/index.html, 495-4620
Mailing Address
The School of Architecture
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station B7500
Austin, TX 78712-0222