Director sought for School of Architecture
The University of Arizona’s College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture seeks a leader in the field of design education to become Director of the School of Architecture. The twelve-month position will require a commitment to collaborative interdisciplinary teaching, scholarship and outreach at a school that offers accredited five-year Bachelor of Architecture and post-professional Master of Architecture degrees. Review of applications will begin on December 11, 2009; the position will start July 1, 2010. The official position announcement and instructions for applicants as well as the complete position description are posted on this website. Nominations and applications for the position should be mailed to R. Brooks Jeffery, Director, Drachman Institute and Search Committee Chair, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, The University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210075, Tucson, AZ 85721. Candidates must also complete a formal application online at www.hr.arizona.edu/ (Job #43412).
Meet the new CALA faculty
The College of Architeture and Landscape Architecture welcomes five new faculty members to its ranks: Susannah Dickinson (Assistant Professor of Architecture), Pavel Getov (Visiting Professor in Critical Practice, School of Architecture), Jason Hayter (Visiting Assistant Professor of Urban Planning), Patrick Hwang (Assistant Professor of Architecture), and Iris Patten (Visiting Assistant Professor of Urban Planning). All have begun teaching courses in the College this fall. Three additional tenure-track faculty members are being sought by the School of Architecture; see announcement above.SEED [pod] leaves Washington, D.C.
The University of Arizona's 2009 Solar Decathlon Team's project house has been disassembled and loaded back onto flatbed trailers for its return to Arizona. Although SEED [pod] placed 18th among the 20 projects competing in this year's Solar Decathlon, the UA can be proud of the extraordinary effort and dedication of the team, which learned invaluable lessons in designing, building, and interpreting the project to thousands of curious passersby in the Solar Village on the National Mall. Plans for exhibiting SEED [pod] on the UA campus and conducting additional performance tests on it are under discussion. For additional information on SEED [pod], check out the project website. Alumnus' design recognized by metalmag
The Delta Fence Industrial Building in Brentwood, CA, designed by CALA alumnus Keeth Lichtenberger (B.Arch. ’81; principal design architect with SDG Architecture + Engineering), has received Metalmag’s top architectural award in the metal buildings category for 2009. Read the story, complete with photos of the project, in the May 2009 issue of metalmag (story begins on p. 42).Three new Architecture faculty sought
The School of Architecture at The University of Arizona invites applications for three tenure-track positions. Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2009 and continue until the position are filled. For complete position descriptions and application instructions, please see the official position announcement.Alumni firm receives business award
Local design/build firm Repp Design + Construction has been recognized as a recipient of the 2009 Comerica Bank Arizona Companies to Watch Award, an honor presented by the Arizona Small Business Association, Comerica Bank and the Edward Lowe Foundation. Thirty-seven companies from Arizona will receive the award at a gala on Nov. 6 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. "Companies to Watch" is an awards program that celebrates privately held second-stage companies based in Arizona. To be eligible, applicants must employ between six and 100 FTE employees and have between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue or working capital in place. Awardees are selected for demonstrating the intent and capacity to grow based on employee or sales growth, exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, sustainable competitive advantage or other notable strengths. Repp Design + Construction in Tucson provides desert appropriate design and quality construction services with a modern flair. Since 1996 the company has specialized in site-specific solutions using durable and desert-appropriate materials that respond well to the unique local climate. Their successful design+build process allows for both architect and builder to work as a team from the onset of a project to transfer the dreams of clients into three-dimensional reality. The firm is headed by Page W. Repp, Jr., AIA, who received his B.Arch from CALA in 1998. Four other CALA graduates are employed by the company: Stacy K. Burnett, AIA (1998), Jenni Van Brocklin (1998), Rick McLain, Jr., AIA (2004), and Juan P. Castro (2005). CALA takes steps to thwart H1N1
CALA is taking proactive efforts to protect students, faculty, and staff from the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. Hand sanitizing dispensers have been placed in every classroom and laboratory, and vaccination shots will be made available for faculty and staff. If any faculty or staff members begin to feel ill with flu-like symptoms, they will be required to stay home. Students are strongly encouraged to do the same. In the event an instructor does become ill, CALA has a course of action to ensure classes will run smoothly during his/her absence. CALA would like to remind students to wash and sanitize their hands frequently throughout the day and avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth. Underwood garden attracting indigenous wildlife
CALA's Underwood Sonoran Laboratory garden has been stocked (intentionally) with fish and (surreptitiously) with abandoned pet turtles, and is now attracting local wildlife in the form of roadrunners. Quite a success for what was once part of an asphalt parking lot. Check out the proof here.Architecture School makes U.S. top 20
CALA's undergraduate program in architecture has been ranked 12th in the nation for all universities, public and private, as reported in DesignIntelligence®. The 10th annual America’s Best Architecture Schools study by the Design Futures Council ranks accredited undergraduate and graduate programs from the perspective of leading practitioners. Conducted in mid-2008, the survey tapped leaders who have direct experience in hiring recently graduated architecture and design professionals. For further information about CALA's ranking, please read the full UA press release. Subscribers to DesignIntelligence® can read James P. Cramer's analysis of the survey results, "The Cramer Report: America's World-Class Schools of Architecture" online. The 2009 survey and updates will eventually appear on the DesignIntelligence® website at www.di.net/.Arch student wins Berkeley Prize Competition
Sharayah Jimenez, a May 2009 graduate from the University of Arizona's School of Architecture, is the winner of the prestigious Berkeley Undergraduate Prize for Design Excellence, an international competition for architecture students established by the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. This year's essay topic was "Sustainable Architecture/Traditional Wisdom." Jimenez wrote her prize-winning essay, "Los Recuerdos del Barrio" ("Memories of the Barrio") over the course of the spring 2009 semester, with guidance from UA School of Architecture faculty members Laura Hollengreen and John Messina. The fifth-generation Tucsonan was inspired to write about sustainable communities, green design, and sustainable ways of living using a former downtown Tucson barrio, El Hoyo, as an example. She learned about the barrio through an oral history provided to her by her relatives. Shortly after her essay was submitted for the competition, Jimenez's grandfather, an influential source for the essay, passed away. "It's a very personal essay for me," said Jimenez, who wrote about her ancestors' social traditions in the barrio and explained how their culture could help influence sustainable designs for the future. Jimenez, who shared first place with another student studying architecture in Ranchi, India, will receive a $4,000 prize for her winning essay. She plans to use the money to travel through northern Europe, where she will explore her architectural passions, which are large scale urban planning and sustainability. "I'm interested in a holistic approach to architecture," she said. Jimenez would like to encourage other students to apply for next year's competition. Read Jimenez's essay here.CALA celebrates 50th anniversary
The UA College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 8, 2009 by honoring those who have helped create its accomplished history. Current and former faculty, friends of the College and alumni, including more that forty members of the class of 1979, joined Dean Jan Cervelli and Dean and Professor Emeritus Chuck Albanese in the Sundt Gallery, not only to celebrate the College's past but also to support its exciting future. The evening's highlight was a special tribute to the late Professor Emeritus Kirby Lockard, who taught at the College from 1962 until he retired in 1999. Lockard was an accomplished author, artist and city planner in addition to being an award-winning architect and professor. He died in 2007. Peggy Lockard, his wife of 34 years, paid tribute to her husband and spoke about their travels together in Greece in the 1990s. Colorful prints of Lockard's drawings created during those travels were offered in a silent auction at the celebration. The proceeds will benefit the W. Kirby Lockard Design and Communications Fellowship. Frank Mascia, class of 1970, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and principal for CDG Architects in Tucson, was also on hand to give a lighthearted history of the College from the perspective of a very loyal alumnus.Three alumni firms make ARCHITECT 50
Alumni from The University of Arizona College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture have a strong presence in ARCHITECT Magazine’s new annual ranking of the top U.S. firms--the ARCHITECT 50. Ranked seventh on the list is BWS Architects of Tucson. Principal David Wald-Hopkins graduated from the UA’s College of Architecture in 1977 and principal Robin Shambach graduated from the College in 1985. BWS Architects won 33 awards last year. Thirty-first on ARCHITECT’s list is Richärd+Bauer, based in Phoenix. All three of the firm’s principals are CALA graduates. James Richärd graduated from the College in 1985; Kelly Bauer graduated in 1982; and Stephen Kennedy in 1986. Their firm received 80 awards in 2008. San Francisco-based KMD Architects is ranked number 47. Partner and chief operations officer Robert Ludden graduated from UA in 1978. KMD Architects won 80 awards last year. Although not ranked in the top 50, no list of award winning firms would be complete without Leers Weinzapfel Associates. Listed number 68th in ARCHITECT’s ranking, the Boston-based firm was co-founded by Jane Weinzapfel, who in 1966 became the second woman to graduate from the College. ARCHITECT Magazine judged firms on profitability, sustainability and design quality with the aim to “promote a more well-rounded definition of success.” Nearly 750 firms were nominated for the ARCHITECT 50. firms were nominated for the ARCHITECT 50.Dean Jan Cervelli joins the faculty and alumni in congratulating these outstanding firms and the individuals whose dedication to architecture have brought accolades from their peers.CALA deans and director honored
President Robert Shelton has honored two College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture retirees as Deans Emeriti and a third retiree as Professor Emeritus of the College. Charles Albanese, who retired as Professor Emeritus last year after serving the College for 37 years as both faculty member and dean, now also holds the title of Dean Emeritus. Retiring UA Assistant Vice President Richard Eribes was bestowed the title of Dean Emeritus for serving as Dean of the College from 1993 to 2001. Professor and Drachman Institute director Charles (Corky) Poster, who will retire at the end of the month after 28 years with the College, has been awarded the title of Professor Emeritus. All were made aware of their designations through a letter from President Shelton, who thanked them for their years of dedicated service to the University. Jan Cervelli, current Dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, recommended their designations.CALA alumni named AIA Fellows
CALA alumni Frank Mascia and Thomas J. Posedly have received designation in the American Institute of Architects' College of Fellows. Their achievements reflect lifetime commitments to superior standards of the profession. This is the first time that two CALA alumni have been recognized with the honor in the same year. “We salute the achitevements of these outstanding architects," says Dean Janice Cervelli, FASLA, FCELA. "Their work inspires so many students, and it continues to bring substantial recognition to the University of Arizona College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture."Giffords visits SEED[pod]
U.S. District 8 Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) visited the UA Solar Decathlon SEED[pod] in CALA's Fred & Olga Pace Materials Laboratory on Friday, April 10. Provost Hay and local leaders from the community and Tucson City government also attended. Congresswoman Giffords reviewed progress of the UA Solar Decathlon team, its research, design, and construction of a dwelling capable of utilizing solar energy and thereby protecting the environment. The UA Solar Decathlon team is the first to represent the Southwest in the U.S. Dept. of Energy's international venue for research and development of green building technologies, set to take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during October 2009. Learn more about the SEED[pod] from its website. To view the KOLD-TV news clip of Giffords' visit, click here. Rosenbloom appointed to TRB
Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, has been appointed International Secretary of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. As TRB's international secretary, Dr. Rosenbloom will serve as the Board's official liaison with international organizations who sponsor or conduct research on a spectrum of transportation issues, in order to increase TRB's international collaboration and outreach. The ultimate goal is to improve the conduct of transportation research and increase the dissemination of research findings. TRB currently has formal memoranda of understanding with the European Conference of Transport Research Institutes (ECTRI) and the World Road Association (PIARC). Rosenbloom's responsibilities include supporting these existing collaborative arrangements and helping to develop cooperative working relationships with similar research organizations in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Africa and South America.UA team competing in Solar Decathlon
CALA students and faculty are part of a multi-disciplinary team from the University of Arizona selected to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) 2009 Solar Decathlon. The UA team is the first to represent the Southwest in this international venue for research and development of green building technologies. The Solar Decathlon is set to take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during October 2009. Work on UA's entry (an 800-square-foot solar home called SEED [pod]) is underway in the materials laboratory of CALA's East Wing. SEED [pod] stands for Solar Energy Efficient Dwelling. Learn more about SEED [pod] on the University's Solar Decathlon website.DDBC houses featured
The completion of the Drachman Design/Build Coalition's third energy-efficient house and ribbon-cutting ceremony for both of its recently-completed residential projects in Tucson's Barrio San Antonio have been featured in the Arizona Daily Star of Feb.16th, 2009. Check out the full article.Dean appointed to executive task force
CALA Dean Janice Cervelli, FASLA, FCELA, has been appointed to The University of Arizona's Executive Advisory Task Force on Environmental Science and Policy. The task force has been charged by President Shelton and Provost Hay to develop recommendations for the strategic advancement of the University as a top-10 national institution in the areas of environmental science, policy/law, business practices, sustainability, and engineering/design.ARC 401 projects noted in Tucson Citizen
The semester-end review of Tom Powers' ARC 401 student projects made front-page news in the Tucson Citizen of December 28, 2008. Reporter Teya Vitu and his photographers joined fourth year students, invited jurors, faculty, local developers, business owners, architects, City of Tucson Council members and State Representatives for the fall semester ARC 401 Studio final review in the Sundt Gallery on December 14th. Powers' students responded to the assignment of designing a new 600,000 sq. ft. facility for the Tucson Museum of Art to be located on the 1.7 acres known as Presidio Terrace, due west of the current art museum. The project mission was to build a new spot for the museum within an office/residential/commercial setting, with 1,100 underground parking spaces on the Presidio Terrace/Tucson Water block at Alameda and Granada. Per the request of TMA Director Robert Knight, Powers' students will present their ARC 401 Studio work to the museum's board of directors, with a possible future display. To view the Tucson Citizen article, click here.Val Little named to water advisory council
Janet Napolitano has appointed Val Little, director of the Drachman Instititute's Water CASA program, to the Groundwater Users Advisory Council, Tucson Active [Water] Management Area. Little's expertise will be utilized by the Council in advising the director of the Arizona Dept. of Water Resources on policy initiatives and requirements for water providers.Ron Stoltz receives ASLA honor
Prof. Ronald Stoltz, FASLA, FCELA and Director of CALA's School of Landscape Architecture, has been named Arizona's 2008 Outstanding Landscape Architect by the Arizona Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Stoltz was honored for taking on a substantial role in raising gifts for the unique water-harvesting landscape that is integrated into CALA's new addition, and for fostering relations between the landscape architecture profession and the broader community. Prof. Stoltz came to CALA in 2002 from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. During his tenure here, the School of Landscape Architecure has been named the top program in the western U.S. by the Design Futures Council. Stoltz has won numerous other awards as a top educator, and was inducted into the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture's first class of Fellows in 2006. New CALA dean selected
The University of Arizona’s College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (CALA) is pleased to announce the hiring of Janice Cervelli, FASLA, FCELA, as its new dean beginning July 1. Janice Cervelli comes to UA from Clemson University where she served seven years as dean of a multi-disciplinary college that included 10 distinct academic units, including architecture and landscape architecture. In addition to strong leadership experience to enhance CALA’s national recognition in teaching, scholarship, and community engagement, she brings a strong track record in financial resource enhancement including traditional development efforts as well as more entrepreneurial initiatives. She is well published in the field of landscape architecture and her service to that profession and the academy has garnered the highest accolade – Fellowship – in their respective organizations. While at Clemson, Dean Cervelli also developed a reputation for strong advocacy for the design professions within the university and the elected leadership at all levels, which she looks forward to applying here at The University of Arizona. Dean Cervelli, who has a BSLA from Purdue and a MLA from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, will take over from Dean Charles Albanese, FAIA, who will be retiring after a 40-year career at the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, the last three as dean. For additional information, read the UA press release announcing Dean Cervelli's appointment.CALA alum establishes $50,000 scholarship
Through a $50,000 commitment, John Cataldo '75 BArch has created the John G. Cataldo Scholarship in the College of Architecture and Landscape Archited (CALA) to assist fifth-year architecture students as well as to serve as a recruiting tool for freshmen architecture students. Read the full story.CALA schools rank at top of class
Of more than 120 accredited design school in the U.S., the Design Futures Council ranked the College's School of Landscape Architecture as the No. 1 graduate program in the western region, while the School of Architecture was rated No. 6 in the western region and 16th nationally. Read further,CALA alumni featured in Dwell
The May 2007 issue of Dwell magazine features the redesign of CALA alumni David ('00 BArch) and Sarasalin "Im" Schafer's (BArch '03) 426-square-foot loft in downtown San Diego, CA. View the full article here. Tejido Group garners multiple awards
The University of Arizona President's Showcase Award, Student Showcase Award and the American Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award have been presented to CALA's Tejido Group in recognition of excellent designs for communities in Arizona and Panama. View full article by Sarah Smith. Grad Students Win NPS Service Award
Drew Gorski and Mike Lovato, graduate students from The University of Arizona's Preservation Studies Program, were awarded the prestigious Award of Excellence in Resource Stewardship for the Intermountain Region of the National Park Service. The award recognizes the publication of guidelines to aid the Park Service in the restoration, rehabilitation and preservation efforts pertaining to historic properties and landscape features within Petrified Forest National Park, Ariz. The Park consists of two sections: Rainbow Forest, composed of 1930s "Park Service Rustic" buildings; and Painted Desert, modern "Mission 66" designs by noted architect Richard Neutra. Read the Full StoryDrachman wins AZDOH design award...
At the 2006 Governor's Housing Forum, held at the Sheraton El Conquistador in Tucson this past September, the Arizona Dept. of Housing presented a Housing Hero Sustainable Design Award to the Drachman Institute for its design for a public service complex for the Shonto Chapter of the Navajo Nation. One of five such awards presented each year, the Housing Hero award recognizes outstanding design and the use of alternative materials in affordable housing developments. The Shonto complex incorporates government offices and community multi-use spaces as well as housing units. Laura Carr was architectural designer for the project.Ron Stoltz named CELA Fellow
The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) named Ronald Stoltz, Professor and Director of the UA School of Landscape Architecture, one of its first ten Fellows during its annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia last June. The individuals in this initial "class" of inductees were selected because of their distinguished careers in teaching, research and service. The appointment recognizes a professional lifetime of meritorious service and substantial contributions to education and educational leadership in landscape architecture. "I know of so many outstanding faculty members, so this recognition is really very special,: says Stoltz. "I'm humbled and honored and thank my colleagues, Professors Margaret Livingston and Lauri Macmillan Johnson, who nominated me." Stoltz came to the UA in 2002 after spending 27 years at the University of Guelph, Ontario. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has professional practice experience in Switzerland, Germany, Canada and the U.S. He is the author of many articles on teaching and learning in higher education and his curriculum design models are used at several North American universities. Post-Katrina help from Landscape students
In the wake of last year's devastating hurricane Katrina, graduate students in the School of Landscape Architecture at The University of Arizona have completed two design projects for Gulfport, Mississippi that will help the historic city rebuild. (read press release) Grad student wins national design award
Colby Moeller (M.Arch) was recently awarded second place in the 2006 Leading Edge Student Design Competition, one of the nation's most prestigious energy design contests. The LESDC encourages and rewards excellence in architectural planning and design that integrates environmentally responsive design strategies. Moeller's advisor for the competition was Dr. Nader Chalfoun, Coordinator of the School of Architecture's Graduate Program in Design & Energy Conservation