Mission & Vision

Sutton Hall ceiling mosaic
MISSION & VISION

The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture has a long and historic legacy in providing next-generation leadership for design and planning education. Always aware of our role as stewards of the built environment, we meld principle and practice to foster innovation while remaining always grounded in serving our communities.
 
Our disciplines play a key role in addressing complex local, regional, national, and global issues while advancing a better quality of life for all of society's members. A diverse learning environment that welcomes a variety of perspectives and backgrounds is crucial to addressing these collective concerns.
 
Located in Austin, Texas, one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. – and one that is widely recognized for its creative community and entrepreneurial spirit – School of Architecture students are uniquely positioned to gain first-hand experience with a rapidly growing and changing built environment. As part of one of the world’s leading public research universities with over 170 fields of study, students and faculty have access to a dynamic range of expertise available on the UT Austin campus. While we engage with our campus and community, we also extend our influence globally through studios and seminars that develop projects in Mexico, South America, Europe, and Asia, and through an extensive network of alumni leaders worldwide.

AT A GLANCE, UTSOA IS:

  • A diverse and vibrant community with a broad range of expertise and interest in the built environment.
  • Shaped by award-winning faculty experienced in both academic and professional realms.
  • Grounded in the Austin region and the state of Texas, with international reach and consequence.
  • Committed to interdisciplinary teaching and research, both within the School of Architecture and across the university.
  • Addressing important societal issues facing the built environment, urbanization, energy and resource consumption, transportation, healthy living, diversity, and equity.
  • Instagram Post
    This fall, work by Associate Professor @phoebelickwar and landscape architecture students was displayed at the 2024 International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) exhibition, “Nature of Hope.” <br>
    @utsoa

    This fall, work by Associate Professor @phoebelickwar and landscape architecture students was displayed at the 2024 International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) exhibition, “Nature of Hope.”

  • Instagram Post
    “It Takes a Village: A Cooperative Housing Project Through Aggregation” by Olivia Bowness @olivia_bowness for Martin Hättasch’s Horizontal Studio // 2023-2024 Design Excellence winner<br>
    @utsoa

    “It Takes a Village: A Cooperative Housing Project Through Aggregation” by Olivia Bowness @olivia_bowness for Martin Hättasch’s Horizontal Studio // 2023-2024 Design Excellence winner

  • Instagram Post
    If you’re interested in environmental planning, green infrastructure planning, or water resources planning, meet Associate Professor Katherine Lieberknecht.<br>
    @utsoa

    If you’re interested in environmental planning, green infrastructure planning, or water resources planning, meet Associate Professor Katherine Lieberknecht.

  • Instagram Post
    In response to Austin’s density initiative and in consideration of the city’s rich natural resources,&nbsp; students in Danelle Briscoe’s (@danellebriscoe) “Other Nature” studio are proposing habitations for both human and non-human species to counter the effects of development that put fauna at risk.<br>
    @utsoa

    In response to Austin’s density initiative and in consideration of the city’s rich natural resources,  students in Danelle Briscoe’s (@danellebriscoe) “Other Nature” studio are proposing habitations for both human and non-human species to counter the effects of development that put fauna at risk.

  • Instagram Post
    Looking for something to do this weekend? Kory Bieg’s (@kory_bieg) and Clay Odom’s (@studiomodo) latest public art collaboration is on display this week at the Waterloo Greenway for the 2024 Creekshow.<br>
    @utsoa

    Looking for something to do this weekend? Kory Bieg’s (@kory_bieg) and Clay Odom’s (@studiomodo) latest public art collaboration is on display this week at the Waterloo Greenway for the 2024 Creekshow.

  • Instagram Post
    Join an interdisciplinary community of designers, planners, and scholars committed to creative exploration, ambitious scholarship, and critical practice.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;
    @utsoa

    Join an interdisciplinary community of designers, planners, and scholars committed to creative exploration, ambitious scholarship, and critical practice. 
     

  • Instagram Post
    Congratulations to Assistant Professor Tara Dudley, Lecturer Mark Wolfe, and the Hogg Memorial Auditorium renovation team on their 2024 Preservation Austin Merit Awards!
    @utsoa

    Congratulations to Assistant Professor Tara Dudley, Lecturer Mark Wolfe, and the Hogg Memorial Auditorium renovation team on their 2024 Preservation Austin Merit Awards!

  • Instagram Post
    One of our favorite days every year: Masonry Day. With the help from local contractors and suppliers, students get to work hands-on with building materials and construction practices that will be essential to any future project.
    @utsoa

    One of our favorite days every year: Masonry Day. With the help from local contractors and suppliers, students get to work hands-on with building materials and construction practices that will be essential to any future project.

  • Instagram Post
    Tomorrow, Master of Historic Preservation student Elizabeth Edwards (@ribo.flavin) is taking over our Instagram to share what she’s learning about material conservation during a site visit from Izabella Nuckels' (@IzNuckels) Lab Methods course.<br>
    @utsoa

    Tomorrow, Master of Historic Preservation student Elizabeth Edwards (@ribo.flavin) is taking over our Instagram to share what she’s learning about material conservation during a site visit from Izabella Nuckels' (@IzNuckels) Lab Methods course.