NewZine
On the Cover:
Ecological Tectonics: Architectural Ceramic Assemblies for Climate Adaptation
BY EMILY BRANDT (B.ARCH CANDIDATE ’25) AND ZAYNAB ELTAIB (BSA ’24)
3D printed ceramic façade protypes were produced as part of the Ecological Tectonics Spring 2024 Research Studio led by Associate Professor of Architecture Adam Marcus, and in collaboration with Tulane Art Department through the new Digital Ceramics Lab partnership launched in 2024. The studio’s work links geometry and texture of the material to specific modes of ecological performance, including passive cooling, stormwater management, and bioreceptivity for plant, animal, and fungal species.
LETTER FROM THE DEAN
Dear TuSA community,
Icannot help but report yet another year of extraordinary advancements at the school. The really exciting aspect is that the progress belongs to absolutely everyone. Our shared ownership in the school’s success means no one is left behind. Every program, every student and every faculty and staff member are doing extraordinary work and we are actively working to support the entire community along the way. The school has gone from 280 students in 2020 to more than 700 majors and graduate students. This growth is the result of the success of every one of our academic programs. And the still growing interest (and therefore number) among incoming students suggest that there is still room (only figuratively!) for growth. But it is not about numbers; those are only an imperfect way of measuring something much more important: the quality of our programs and their attractiveness.
In response, the school is having the opportunity to grow faculty and staff,
“ The school is having the opportunity ... to create a vibrant, ambitious and collegial environment for everybody to thrive."
bringing extraordinary people, and to create a vibrant, ambitious and collegial environment for everybody – students, faculty and staff – to thrive and be at their best.
This year, we have made great progress also in other aspects of our mission. The students’ work continues to be outstanding, which leads to multiple great job offers and internships for our graduates and students, who are sought after by the best firms. Our research keeps increasing its impact, both at the community level through the work of the Albert & Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design and URBANbuild, and at the government level through the work with the National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine and with federal climate-related initiatives. All while continuing publishing books (check out the ultimate history of the city in Draining New Orleans), scholarly articles and awarded designs.
Our recognition as a leading school of architecture addressing the the great challenges of our time – climate change and social justice – comes not only from our peers and the students choosing us, but also from donors. Our communi-
ty of alumni and friends is extremely generous, one of the most at Tulane. Among the many efforts in supporting us, it is worthwhile to underscore the recent donation of $2.91 million for starting the Tulane Center on Climate Change and Urbanism (check out Page 8 in this NewZine).
There are many more outstanding stories, news, and that I cannot enumerate here, some of them detailed in the following pages of the issue in your hands. Enjoy getting to know the new faculty, the work of our research centers, and some of our students and alumni. If so much action seems exhausting, you are right; it is! But after such an intense 2023-24, we are back and in full force in one of the most exciting times in the school’s history, thanks to – most especially – the collegiality and the “joi de vivre” of this community.
Cheers!
IÑAKI ALDAY
Naomi
King Englar Editor
Catherine Restrepo Photography and Design
Nathan Rich (Third year architecure student) Layout and Design
LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
IAngela O’Byrne (A ‘83)
FAIA, LEED AP
Tulane School of Architecture, Dean’s Advisory Council Chair President, Perez APC
t’s an honor to be serving as the Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) at TuSA, leading a most distinguished group of alumni and friends of the school.
As an ambassador in promoting the school and its success, I’m excited to see the explosive growth in the various academic offerings, in enrollment, in scholarly work, and in the quality of students – which I’ve seen firsthand at Career Days, the school’s annual student employment event. The entire DAC has been inspired by Dean Alday’s visionary thinking about bringing the whole Tulane student body into the fold, through multiple introduction level classes. This impacts the whole university, the New Orleans community, and the world, by bringing design thinking and built environment education into the mainstream.
It’s also a historic milestone to be the DAC Chair for the re-opening of Richardson Memorial Hall in the coming months. It’s quite the accomplishment, after so many of us worked to make this renovation and addition happen for 20+ years. I’ve personally participated in the struggles for most of those years – I previously served on the DAC from 1998 to 2014 – so it’s especially gratifying to see all the efforts come to fruition now, at a criti-
cal time in the school’s growth. After COVID and operating across two campuses in temporary spaces for years, RMH’s re-opening is symbolically like a phoenix rising out of the ashes.
As DAC chair, I look forward to further supporting the vision and goals of the school. I hope to lead the DAC in personal fundraising commitments, attracting charitable giving foundations and alliances, networking and expanding the reach of TuSA, advising on school matters and the Dean’s strategies, and supporting the school’s growth and development through the DAC’s committees.
Tulane University is what brought my father’s medical career, and therefore my family, to the U.S. from Cali, Colombia, when I was 4 years old. Later, I earned my undergraduate degree at TuSA. So the connection to Tulane is deeply rooted in me and my family’s history, and I think it’s important to give back. I feel incredibly honored and humbled to serve as the school’s DAC Chair during the most exciting time in the school’s more than 100-year history.
I want to thank Dean Alday, faculty, staff, students, and my fellow DAC members for allowing me to serve as your DAC Chair.
THE 2023-2024 COUNCIL
Jamie H. Bush A ‘93 Los Angeles, CA
Michelle D. Chira NC ‘88 Winter Park, FL
James L. “Jamey” Dewar III A ‘94 Palm Springs,CA
Steve L. Dumez New Orleans, LA
Ronald J. “Ronny” Finvarb Bal Harbour, FL
Matthew D. “Matt” Frank A ‘91 New York, NY
Robert G. “Bob” Hale Jr. A ‘77 Los Angeles, CA
Jonathan B. “Jon” Halle A ‘93 Potomac, MD
Brad A. Hastings AIA, A ‘82 Bishopville,MD
Robert Adams Ivy Jr. FAIA , A ‘76 Columbus, MS
Jay M. Kaplan Houston, TX
Joanna L. Lombard AIA, A ‘75 Miami, FL
Ann Merritt Masson NC ‘74, G *92 New Orleans, LA
Jenifer Wells Megalli AIA, LEED AP, A *17 New York, NY
Brad M. Meltzer A ‘90 Miami Beach, FL
Angela O’Byrne A ‘83 New Orleans, LA
Laurie J. Petipas, RA, A ‘75 San Francisco, CA
Richardson K. “Rick” Powell A ‘76, A ‘77 Lake Wales, FL
Welling ton “Duke” J. Reiter A ‘81 Phoenix, AZ
Michelle A. Rinehart EdD, A ‘91 Atlanta, GA
Christopher M. “Chris” Roth A ‘91 Chicago, IL
Christopher A. “Chris” Sgarzi NCARB, LEED AP, A ‘86 Concord, MA
Lloyd N. “Sonny” Shields A ‘74, L *77 New Orleans, LA
Jonathan P. “BJ” Siegel A ‘92 San Francisco, CA
Gabriel A. “Gabe” Smith A ‘88 Brooklyn, NY
David C. “DT” Thompson A ‘91 Studio City,CA
J. David Waggonner III FAIA New Orleans, LA
Simcha Z. Ward A ‘11 Charlotte, NC
John C. Williams A&S ‘74, A’78 New Orleans, LA
Marcel L. Wisznia A ‘73
New Orleans, LA
Stephen J. Ortego A ‘07 Lafayette, LA L. Scott Paden AIA, NCARB A ‘81 Washington, DC
Peter M. Wolf PhD, G *63 New York, NY
School Welcomes Fifteen Permanent Faculty
BY NAOMI KING ENGLAR AND LAURA MCKNIGHT, TUSA
The Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA) is welcoming fifteen new tenure and tenure-track faculty and professors of practice, all experts from the fields of Architecture, Design, Historic Preservation, and Real Estate Development. They include two directors to lead the school's renowned academic programs in Historic Preservation and
Real Estate Development.
This round of hiring brings diverse perspectives, innovative research areas, and impressive professional experience to TuSA’s already extraordinary faculty base. It is the second push to expand the school’s faculty, an effort that began with nine permanent faculty hires in 2023.
The school has significantly grown
Directors bring visionary leadership
Eisa Esfanjary Kenari, PhD, will serve as the Christovitch Associate Professor in Preservation and the new Director of the Historic Preservation Program. With a distinguished academic background and over 15 years of teaching experience, Esfan-
John L. Renne, PhD, AICP, will serve as the Harry Shane Professor in Real Estate and the new Program Director of Real Estate Development, starting January 2025. Renne brings a wealth of global ex-
jary brings a wealth of expertise in architectural conservation, urban heritage, and historic urban landscapes. Esfanjary’s research focuses on the specialized field of architectural conservation and urban morphology, which examines the evolution of human settlements from both geographic and historical perspectives. Most notably, he recently served as Principal Investigator overseeing a team to develop the new Management Plan for the World Heritage Complex of the Meidan Imam Square in Iran.
Excited to lead Tulane’s Historic Preservation Program, Esfanjary aims
perience and a deep personal connection to New Orleans, having been involved in the city’s post-Katrina recovery efforts.
“I am thrilled to return to a city where I have invested so much,” Renne said. “This role allows me to merge local resilience with global climate strategies, positioning Tulane as a leader in sustainable urban development.”
Renne aims to elevate the Real Estate Development Program to a globally recognized leader by integrating climate resilience, urban planning,
its student population over the past four years and also expanded the breadth of academic offerings, resulting in the need for more faculty from every field of the built environment.
"Diversity of thought, experience, and background is what brings excellence in teaching and research and enriches our educational community," said Dean Iñaki Alday.
to expand its scope to include a global perspective while continuing its longstanding collaborations with local experts and integration of New Orleans’ unique cultural heritage into the curriculum. He envisions hands-on, workshop-based learning experiences that will equip students to tackle complex preservation challenges.
“I strongly believe that historic preservation programs must be taught in historic cities like New Orleans, where the city's complex past provides a rich tapestry for exploration and learning,” Esfanjary said.
and AI technology into the curriculum. His own research interests involve the use of virtual reality (VR) to engage communities in urban planning and resilience efforts.
What sets the school apart for Renne is its storied 130-year history, collaborative environment, and the vibrant, diverse culture of New Orleans. “This city is a living laboratory for real estate development, offering unique opportunities for students to engage with real-world challenges,” he added.
Accomplished permanent faculty
Bringing expertise in computational design and advanced manufacturing, Mostafa Akbari, PhD, Assistant Professor of Architecture, said he’s excited to contribute to TuSA’s innovative and sustainable architectural practices. His research focuses on autonomous manufacturing and nature-inspired design. Akbari said he’s inspired by New Orleans’ unique cultural and environmental context. As founding Director of TuSA’s new Cellular Architectures Lab, he aims to enhance architectural efficiency and sustainability while engaging students and collaborating wit h colleagues. His teaching approach integrates theoretical knowledge with practical applications to foster creativity and innovation.
Andrea Bardón de Tena returns to TuSA as an Assistant Professor of Architecture. With a focus on multidisciplinary approaches, she aims to integrate her research and teaching, emphasizing the mastery of architectural scales, from structural orders to minute details. Andrea said she values TuSA’s commitment to addressing contemporary global challenges through architecture. Her current projects involve the adaptive reuse of obsolete structures, reflecting her dedication to sustainable design. A passionate educator, she seeks to foster independent thinking in her students, balancing conceptual knowledge with practical complexities in architecture.
Patti Dunn, Professor of Practice in Design, has extensive professional experience and a passion for sustainability and social justice in textile design, along with an educational background in industrial design. Excited to join TuSA during a period of growth, Dunn said she aims to engage with the dynamic faculty and contribute to the school’s community-centered initiatives. In her private practice, Dunn plans to continue exploring sustainable material practices through her venture, Tchoup Industries, while fostering a collaborative and innovative learning environment for students in New Orleans’ unique cultural landscape.
Aarthi Janakiraman, PhD, Assistant Professor of Preservation and Urbanism, brings expertise in heritage conservation and the spatial politics of the built environment. Janakiraman's research focuses on the tensions of preserving colonial-era World Heritage sites in postcolonial societies, exploring its impacts on socio-spatial equity. She is excited to engage with Tulane’s interdisciplinary approach, aiming to adapt her doctoral dissertation into a book, Repurposing Colonialism. Janakiraman’s teaching philosophy emphasizes the socio-political dimensions of spatial design, encouraging students to consider how urban planning intersects with social justice.
Juan Medina Revilla, Professor of Practice in Architecture, has returned to TuSA as a permanent faculty member, excited to contribute to the community’s evolution. With a rich background in architecture from prestigious institutions and experience across Europe, he aims to equip students with critical thinking skills to impact the built environment positively. His teaching philosophy emphasizes sharing knowledge and fostering trust, while integrating diverse architectural concepts. He is also involved in various projects, including retrofitting historic buildings and participating in international
Building on his previous teaching roles at TuSA, Nick Perrin, Professor of Practice in Design, is excited to teach design by exploring its connections to the complexities of environments. Perrin aims to introduce courses on circular design and enhance fabrication offerings. He hopes to frame design as a way of metabolizing conditions and offering serviceable and poetic solutions that make things and experiences better. He hopes to inspire students to engage meaningfully with New Orleans' unique cultural landscape through thoughtful design.
Sergi Serrat, Professor of Practice in Architecture, said he was drawn to TuSA because of its engaged community and reputation for excellence. He aims to integrate his professional expertise into the curriculum and hopes to grow and build on existing innovative design-build programs while impacting the local community. Serrat’s teaching philosophy emphasizes dialogue, student engagement, and mutual learning. He brings a rich background in architecture from Barcelona and has taught across Europe and Asia. Currently, he’s working on an affordable housing project in Spain, focusing on sustainability and responsiveness to new regulations.
Professional leaders
CSatherine Sckerl, AIA, AICP, Professor of Practice in Architecture and Managing Director of TuSA’s new Center on Climate Change and Urbanism, said she aims to develop courses in sustainable urbanism and establish the center as a hub for climate-related knowledge, fostering networks across academic and local communities. With a background in architecture and urban studies, her teaching philosophy emphasizes interdisciplinary learning and design-thinking. Her current research focuses on the vernacular architecture and urban morphology of Oaxaca de Juárez, exploring the impacts of rapid urbanization, gentrification, and climate change.
teve Dumez, FAIA, renowned for his contributions to architectural practice through his firm EskewDumezRipple, is excited about the reciprocal learning that occurs in the studio environment in his role as a Professor of Practice. His ongoing work on a new library for Louisiana State University underscores his commitment to meaningful design that navigates real-world complexities.
In her new role as a Professor of Practice, Cynthia Dubberley, AIA, LEEP AP, TuSA alumna (M.Arch ’98), is eager to inspire students with the creative energy that initially drew her to architecture. Currently working with EskewDumezRipple on a dormitory project at Loyola University, she aims to equip students with a deep understanding of design thinking, fostering their preparedness for professional practice.
Emilie Taylor Welty (M.Arch *06) is now Associate Professor of Architecture, building on her prior faculty roles and continuing as Architecture Program Director and Design-Build Manager at the Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design. Welty is excited about this tenure-track position, which emphasizes applied research with immediate relevance to local communities, and she aims to produce a book on design-build education. Her teaching philosophy focuses on hands-on, collaborative learning that engages students with local needs. Welty’s work through her practice Colectivo and research projects reflects her commitment to community-driven architecture.
Jonathan Tate, returning to the Tulane community as a Professor of Practice, is enthusiastic about reconnecting with students and faculty. As reflected in his award-winning practice OJT, Tate’s focus on housing research will enrich the curriculum, focused on addressing contemporary urban challenges.
Liz Russell brings her expertise in adaptation planning and climate resilience, most notably through her current role as Louisiana State Director at the Environmental Defense Fund. In a new role as a Professor of Practice, she intends to challenge students to engage with pressing societal issues through innovative design, all while leveraging Tulane’s unique interdisciplinary approach.
New Center on Climate Change and Urbanism launches with $2.91 million donation
BY PATRICK J. DAVIS, TULANE UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT
Tulane School of Architecture received $2.91 million from an anonymous donor to propel the School of Architecture’s multidisciplinary efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the built environment.
The gift is the cornerstone of the Center on Climate Change and Urbanism, a new research unit that will complement the school’s emerging cohort of climate-change-focused faculty and research and existing programs in community-based collaborative design. The new center will address challenges of climate change to the natural environment and seek to understand the social and environmental opportunities of a decarbonized and sustainable built environment.
“A crisis as difficult as climate change demands a multidisciplinary effort to reduce, and respond to, the effects of extreme weather, floods, coastal erosion, and rising seas and temperatures,” said Robin Forman, senior vice president for academic affairs and the provost at Tulane. “Our donors recognize the significance and the urgency of this challenge, and their generous gift is an expression of confidence, which we all share, in the ability of our School of Architecture.”
The gift will support five years of expanded research, through grants, as well as new faculty and fellow -
ship positions, and the creation of design studios for testing new models for climate adaptation and mitigation. It will also fund increased interdisciplinary collaborations with environmental science, engineering, law, public policy, economics and public health within Tulane and across peer institutions.
“Thanks to this gift, the School of Architecture’s new Center on Climate Change and Urbanism will provide our students with hands-on learning opportunities that prepare them not only to excel as architects and design professionals but also to grapple with a crisis that will increasingly dominate the 21st century,” said School of Architecture Dean Iñaki Alday, the Richard Koch Chair in Architecture and co-director of the Yamuna River Project in New Delhi.
New Orleans and the Gulf Coast will continue to be a major focus of the school’s climate-related activities. Programmatic activities will also focus on Latin America and the Caribbean where the school has already completed or is planning significant work. To this end, the School of Architecture plans to collaborate closely with Tulane’s Roger Thayer Stone Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for Inter-American Policy and Research (CIPR).
“ A crisis as difficult as climate change demands a multidisciplinary effort to reduce and respond to the effects of extreme weather.”
— ROBIN FORMAN Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Tulane University Provost
Richardson Memorial Hall: A Timeless Renovation
STORY BY BY LAURA MCKNIGHT AND NAOMI KING ENGLAR, TULANE SCHOOL
This fall, finishing touches are being applied to the iconic Richardson Memorial Hall (RMH), home to the Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA), in the heart of the university’s historic uptown campus.
Originally built in 1908 as a medical school, RMH is undergoing a significant renovation, blending historical integrity with modern sustainability – a project that reflects the school’s growth in both its range of academic offerings and in its commitment to addressing global challenges through design excellence.
Completion is planned for Spring 2025, provided that remaining work on the building proceeds as scheduled. Work on RMH began in spring 2022 with Tulane Capital Projects leading renovation project partners Trapolin-Peer Architects and Broadmoor LLC Construction.
THE HEART OF THE CAMPUS
“Richardson Memorial Hall is one of the richest historic components of the Gibson Quad,” says Byron Mouton, Senior Professor of Practice and TuSA’s faculty coordinator for the renovation project. Its placement and materials complement the surrounding structures, which have also seen thoughtful restoration in recent years, Mouton adds. “The contrasting qualities of old and new – side by side – strengthen the values of each structure.”
The renovation, now in its home stretch, is part of an evolution for the building, which has been transformed over the years to accommodate various purposes. Project manager with Tulane Capital Projects Keith Keller explains, “We gutted the entire building down to bare brick and timbers, replacing or repairing most of the existing 50,670 square feet and adding an additional 17,655 square feet.”
A COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY
This ambitious project is more than just an aesthetic overhaul. It incorporates energy-efficient designs and modern mechanical, engineering, and plumbing systems. Jordan Stewart, director of the Office of Sustainability at Tulane, emphasizes that these enhancements are integral to the university's focus on sustainability.
“The renovations and additions to Richardson Memorial Hall are energy efficient and thus in alignment with Tulane’s climate action goals,” Stewart notes.
The building is on track to achieve LEED certification at the silver level, showcasing its commitment to green practices.
ENHANCING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
The revamped RMH is set to elevate the learning experience for students and faculty alike. With new lighting, the latest technology,
and essential facilities like fabrication and preservation labs, seminar rooms, and a gallery, the building promises to be a hub of innovation and collaboration. “This renovation demonstrates key values of our academic programs – preservation and progress,” Mouton adds, highlighting the dedication to maintaining the building’s historic essence while propelling it into the future.
Keller notes that the new spaces are vital for the university’s architectural community, enhancing both educational and practical purposes. “The recently added space and amenities will significantly improve the student, faculty, and staff experience while continuing the legacy of this remarkable historic building,” he says.
UNEARTHING HISTORY
During the renovation, intriguing discoveries were made, revealing the building’s storied past. Original double-hung sash windows were meticulously restored. Keller explains, “All windows were removed,
restored, and reinstalled, ensuring that the building retains its historical character.” Significant architectural elements, like the second-floor stairs, columns and their capitals, were preserved. The exterior and interior limestone and brick have been repaired and re-tucked.
Notably, the last significant renovations occurred in 1985 and 2004, making this current undertaking the most comprehensive update in decades.
LOOKING AHEAD
As the final touches are completed, Keller notes that the remaining work focuses on finalizing mechanical, engineering, and plumbing installations, as well as conducting life-safety checks.
As it stands ready to welcome the next generation of architects, designers, developers, preservationists, planners and more, the renovated RMH reaffirms Tulane University’s dedication to sustainability, design excellence, and the preservation of history.
Above: Renovation on the front facade neared completion as exterior scaffolding was removed in August 2024 (Photo courtesy of Tulane Capital Projects) | Opposite: Interior brick detail in May 2024 (Akhil Singh, TuSA)
CBS News covers the School of Architecture’s URBANbuild
The URBANbuild Research Studio (UB 19) were featured on CBS Morning News for embarking on a new chapter for the program: prefabricated, affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness. In Fall 2023, each student submitted a design for the home, then a team of professional architects and faculty chose one of the designs. The team moved through stages of construction of the 440-square-foot home in Spring 2024, focusing on fabricating the exterior facade, trimming windows and doors, installing cabinets, building a feature wall, and creating assembly animations. CBS News reporter David Begnaud visited the home in spring and summer, interviewing the home’s resident Benjamin Henry, as well as the studio’s students for an on-air story in early July 2024.
New Graduate Certificate in Public Interest Design launching
The Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (SISE) program at Tulane School of Architecture soft launched a new graduate Certificate in Public Interest Design in Fall 2023 with full launch expected in Fall 2024. The new certificate is designed to educate the next generation of practitioners in the field of public interest design, or the design for the
benefit of the broader public good, especially for those in historically disadvantaged and marginalized communities. Created in collaboration with the school’s Architecture program and Historic Preservation program, this new 18-credit graduate certificate is open to any students pursuing their Master of Architecture or Master of Science in Historic Preservation.
In addition to the new graduate certificate, the program continues to offer its SISE Minor open to all undergraduate students at Tulane. The SISE program is an interdisciplinary program that prepares the next generation of changemakers and innovators with skills to create a more just, sustainable, and equitable society.
UB 19 students pose outside the completed project. (Byron Mouton, TuSA)
Jesse Keenan
Favrot II Associate Professor of Sustainable Real Estate and Urban Planning
Jesse Keenan guides White House on built environment in national climate report
Jesse Keenan, PhD, Favrot II Associate Professor of Sustainable Real Estate and Urban Planning, joined senior Biden-Harris Administration and White House officials in November 2023 to announce the Fifth National Climate Assessment, an extensive federal report that evaluates climate change science, impacts and strategies to mitigate current and future risks. Keenan is the lead author of the report’s chapter about how climate change will impact the nation’s built environment.
“It is a truly humbling experience to work with top experts across the federal government and academia to evaluate not only how climate change
Adam Marcus Associate Professor of Architecture
shapes our country, but also what it is that we are doing to reduce emissions and adapt to impacts,” Keenan said. “As a Congressional mandated exercise, this is the single-most authoritative source for climate information for the United States. It is a resource for a wide variety of audiences from school children to small businesses and from local mayors to congressional policymakers.”
Keenan’s chapter outlines how the built environment contributes to climate change, how it is affected by climate change, how cities can reduce emissions and how municipalities can adapt to its impacts. It examines both the science and social impacts, Keenan said.
Faculty publishes book on applied research and design
Emerging technologies of design and production have transformed the role of drawings within the contemporary design process from that of design generators to design products. As architectural design has shifted from an analog drawing-based paradigm to that of a computational model-based paradigm, the agency of the drawing as a critical and important form of design representation has shifted. Drawing Codes: Experimental Protocols of Architectural Representation, by Andrew Kudless and Adam Marcus, Associate Professor of Architecture at Tulane School of Architecture, examines the effects of this transformation on the architectural discipline and explores how architects have critically integrated procedural thinking into their drawing process.
The book contains 96 commissioned drawings by a diverse range of
architects that investigate how rules and constraints inform the ways architects document, analyze, represent, and design the built environment. The book also features an introduction by the authors and critical essays by Ila Berman, Sarah Hearne, John McMorrough, and Amelyn Ng, offering diverse perspectives on how computational techniques and, more importantly, computational thinking, can revitalize the role of architectural drawing as a creative and critical act.
FNew Orleans Book Fest 2024 Four recent graduates present at ACSA 112th Annual Meeting
aculty from Tulane School of Architecture were the featured panelists at the New Orleans Book Festival for the session “Rising Tides: The Past and Future of Water Management in New Orleans,” moderated by Beaux Jones, President and CEO for The Water Institute.
The book, Cities & Rivers, published by Actar, details years of work from Professor Margarita Jover and Dean Iñaki Alday Dean through their practice aldayjover architecture & landscape. The book also features contributions from notable designers and critics including David Cohn, Javier Monclús, Kelly Shannon, and
more. See the book on Actar.
In Draining New Orleans: The 300Year Quest to Dewater the Crescent City, Associate Dean for Research Richard Campanella recounts the epic challenges and ingenious efforts to dewater the Crescent City. With forays into geography, public health, engineering, architecture, politics, sociology, race relations, and disaster response, he chronicles the herculean attempts to “reclaim” the city’s swamps and marshes and install subsurface drainage for massive urban expansion. The volume is the first full-length book devoted to “the world’s toughest drainage problem.”
This year’s annual conference for the Association for Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), held in March 2024, included four recent graduates of Tulane School of Architecture (TuSA). Four new alumni presented their thesis projects: Mitchell Hubbell (M.Arch *23 and former Adjunct Instructor at TuSA) presented “Adapting Boundaries: Maintaining Small Retail Strip Malls While Expanding Affordable Housing.” Megan Spoor (M.Arch *23) presented “Beyond Retreat, Occupying the Intertidal Edge.” Sean Fowler (M.Arch*23 and current Visiting Research Assistant at TuSA) presented “Water, Water Everywhere: Water challenges in New Orleans and the possibilities of distributed infrastructures.” And Ethan Lewis (B.Arch/BSRE ‘23) presented “Backyard Building: Rethinking New Orleans Single-Family Neighborhoods Through Prefabricated Accessory Dwelling Units.”
Drawing from “Beyond Retreat, Occupying the Intertidal Edge” presented by Megan Spoor (M.Arch *23)
Richard Campanella signs a copy of Draining New Orleans at the 2024 New Orleans Book Fest. (Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
Design students display creativity at Showcase + Fashion Show
The Annual Design Showcase + Fashion Show returned for its second year, featuring studio work from nine Design courses and more than 100 students from Tulane School of Architecture. Projects included graphics, typography, branding and marketing campaigns, public pavilions, wearable designs and bags, lighting sculptures, and furniture prototypes. The Lavin-Bernick Center’s second floor was packed with hundreds of students, faculty, staff,
and parents from across campus. The event exemplifies how the Design program offers students a platform to experiment and showcase their work to the world at large. A team of students and faculty hosted the showcase, led by faculty Meghan Saas, Professor of Practice and Associate Program Director of Design, and Hannah Berryhill (M.Arch *18), Lecturer of Design.
Landscape + Engineering dual degree to recruit first cohort
The school’s newest graduate offering – the Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of Science in River-Coastal Science and Engineering – is set to begin recruiting its first cohort of students in Fall 2024. The degree, abbreviated as Landscape + Engineering, was publicly launched in spring 2024 in partnership with Tulane’s School of Science and Engineering. Applicaitons open Sept. 1, 2024 and are due Jan. 15, 2025.
The dual degree creates a unique, new pathway for students interested in pursuing a career in landscape architecture and engineering, informed by both urban and architectural design and science and engineering.
The program was formalized in May 2024 through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC), and is awaiting LAAB
On the horizon for the Landscape + Engineering program are several events, such as a Fall 2024 information session and a Spring 2025 Graduate Open House. The affiliated Desired Gulf Futures Symposium, a multi-day event planned for Nov. 1-2, 2024, will convene scientists, urban planners, landscape architects, coastal experts and more. The symposium is a culminating outcome of the school’s Gulf Research Studio, funded by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
More information about the dual Master of Landscape Architecture and Engineering can be found on the program’s website at landscape-engineering.tulane.edu.
Students walk the runway at the Spring 2024 Design Showcase. (Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
Program Digest
Spring ‘24 light sculpture exhibition (Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
Architecture
Dean Iñaki Alday served as president for a national jury for the prestigious Europan Desig n Competition for architects up to 40 years old. Dean Alday also delivered one of the keynote talks at the Vienna Forum “Living Cities” during a session that also included group discussions around thought-provoking statements – like “The Right of Nature” – on why and how architecture must transform.
Dean Alday and Professor Margarita Jover accepted a 2024 FAD Award on Criticism and Thought, as part of the team of authors and curators for the “Foodscapes” exhibition at the 18th Venice Biennale. In addition to the team at aldayjover architecture and landscape, the exhibition was supported by several students.
Professor Emeritus and painter Errol Barron, FAIA, had a selection of watercolor paintings on exhibit at Octavia Gallery in New Orleans. The focus of Errol’s exhibition, titled Recent Work, was to "convey the pleasures and mysteries of curiosity, speculation, and reflection." It showed his latest series of atmospheric watercolors, mostly focused in New Orleans and Louisiana’s wet landscapes and infrastructures.
Edson Cabalfin, Associate Professor, Director of the SISE Program, and Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, authored an essay titled “Postcolonial Entanglements at the Philippine Pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair” in the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians.
The school hosted “Architecture’s Ecological Restructuring, Part II,” is a workshop-style symposium that follows the inaugural session in 2023. Participants will present an object
of study to speculate on its future impact on an ecologically centered discourse. TuSA speakers included Assistant Professor of Architecture History Rebecca Choi and was moderated by Visiting Favrot Professor Zaid Kashef Alghata (TuSA).
Ammar Eloueini, Professor of Architecture, began a new role as our Director of Graduate Architecture. In this new position, he will provide valuable leadership and support to the school’s graduate degree Master of Architecture and post-professional degree Master of Science in Architectural Research and Design.
Visiting Assistant Professor Andrew Liles was selected for the Louisiana Artists Plein Air Cohort with NOLA Artist Incubator. Andrew also had his art included in the 2023 Ogden Museum of Art’s Louisiana Contemporary 2023, featuring 31 contemporary artists from across Louisiana. He had presented his sketchbooks “Graduating Class” exhibition at the AIA New Orleans Center for Design in May 2024.
Students in the Engaged Urban Design seminar, led by Adjunct Lec-
turer Nick Jenisch, met with City of New Orleans and Planning Commission leadership, a group of business owners, and local community leaders to present design ideas for the Broad Street corridor, in partnership with Broad Community Connections. Projects addressed climate challenges, economic development, cultural preservation, and pedestrian/bike amenities.
Professor Margarita Jover led students during a new summer program in Barcelona, building upon the school’s intensive Housing Seminar with a Summer Research Studio: “The Mixed Beast.” Architecture students attended lectures, specifically created for them by top Barcelona architects including winners of the Mies van der Rohe European Union Award and the FAD Awards.
Associate Professor Adam Marcus actively engaged in presenting his ongoing research into custom-molded rammed earth components and 3D-printed architectural ceramics at various prestigious events. In September 2023, he showcased his work at two notable venues: “Material Variance,” a symposium orga-
Adam Marcus (center) demonstrates ceramic printer at annual TRICS summit.
(Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
nized by the Natural Materials Lab at Columbia GSAPP, and the annual conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design (ACADIA). Marcus’s fabrication research was also featured in the joint ACADIA/ CAADRIA exhibition “Habits of the Anthropocene” held at the University of Hong Kong in November 2023. Adam led an invited lecture at El Paso Museum of Art as part of the Texas Tech University’s Architecture program spring 2024 lecture series. The goal of his ongoing research is to integrate new technologies of customization into traditional practices of earthen construction, as an alternative to carbon-intensive cast concrete construction.
Adam Marcus and Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture Liz Camuti hosted Macalester College and Augsburg University faculty and their River Semester students for a one-day symposium on climate adaptation. The River Semester group shared their research and field work, while students from TuSA’s NASEM Gulf Climate Futures Research Studio presented in-progress design proposals for repurposing petrochemical infrastructure along the Gulf Coast.
A proposal designed by Assistant Professors Rubén García Rubio and
Sonsoles Vela, through their office studioVRA, was shortlisted in the design competition for a Heated Indoor Swimming Pool and a Gym in Casar de Caceres, Spain. This was an open call with a juried blind review process, promoted by the Casar de Caceres Municipality.
Emilie Taylor Welty, (M.Arch *06) Director of the Architecture Program and Design-Build Manager at TuSA’s Albert & Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design, was featured in Dwell Magazine’s March/April 2024 issue. The cover and inside pages feature Emilie’s 2,800-square-foot family home, designed with husband Seth Welty (M.Arch ‘08) and their New Orleans firm, Colectivo.
The school’s faculty participated in the 2nd annual Tulane Research, Innovation, and Creativity Summit (TRICS) on April 23-25, showcasing the breadth and depth of work from various disciplines, departments, units, and schools across Tulane University. Ann Yoachim, Professor of Practice and Director of the school’s Albert & Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design, shared insights from the center’s decades of projects with its presentation “Addressing Inequity in the Built Environment Through Engaged Design.” Visiting
Assistant Professor Andrew Liles showcased student sketchbook work from one of his courses titled “The Arsenal of Observation.” Associate Professor Adam Marcus conducted a live demo of Potterbots ceramic printers to accompany his research studio’s poster presentation, adding an interactive element to the event. Pre-Doctoral Teaching Fellow Maria Redondo Pérez presented her work on “Light Art and Museum’s Evolution”. Architecture thesis students also presented their work under a theme of “Towards Post-Anthropocentric Futures,” with Senior Professor of Practice Cordula Roser Gray who served as thesis advisor. The event also included a panel featuring Tulane’s Office of Research Artificial Intelligence Taskforce members, including Visiting Favrot Professor Zaid Kashef Alghata
Design
Meghan Saas, Associate Program Director of Design, received a Newcomb Institute Research Grant to work with students to produce a Sex Ed Bingo kit for local nonprofit Creative Community League, as part of the service-learning component of TuSA’s Design course Visual Communication & Advocacy. The kit aims to educate and empower young people, demystifying sexual health and history through a community-building game.
Professor of Practice Jill Stoll exhibited in several venues her work exploring themes surrounding humanity’s relationship with the natural and material environment. Her work was featured in fall 2023 at Antenna New Orleans as part of the “Proximity and Touch: Louisiana Group Show Exhibition 2023.” In spring 2024, she showcased one piece in the juried exhibition “Super Fresh: New Works Fresh Off the Studio Wall” at Jen Tough Gallery in New Mexico. Another of her pieces was included in the group
Margarita Jover accepts the Spirit of Tulane Award from Tulane President Mike Fitts.
(Photo courtesy of Tulane University)
exhibition “In Search of Blue” at Manifest Gallery in Ohio.
Landscape Architecture
Liz Camuti was selected as a ByWater Institute Fellow. The 3-year fellowship offers funding and support to Tulane faculty working on projects to develop adaptation and intervention strategies for coastal and river-delta communities. The institute promotes a collaborative process of diagnosing problems and producing, testing, and communicating solutions.
Tulane’s Research, Scholarship, and Artistic Achievement Awards recognized Professor Margarita Jover, Director of the Landscape Architecture and Engineering program, with the Spirit of Tulane Award for embodying the Tulane motto: Non sibi, sed suis, while enhancing the university’s research mission through education, creative expression, mentorship, and collaborative effort to advance knowledge.
The National Professional Awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) awarded work to two faculty: Assistant Professor Liz Camuti (SCAPE studio) garnered an award for The Chattahoochee RiverLands; Associate Professor Wes Michaels (Spackman Mossop Michaels) was awarded for The New Orleans Reforestation Plan.
Real Estate Development
The Real Estate Development program were co-sponsors, with The Murphy Institute and others, for the symposium “Confronting America’s Housing Crisis: Solutions for the 21st Century,” held on April 12-13 to bring together experts in housing, lending, policy, and community development. The keynote speaker was
Spring 2024 Design Showcase and fashion show (Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
Raphael Bostic, President & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Students in the Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development program participated in ULI UrbanPlan, led by Visiting Assistant Professor Tyler Antrup. Competing proposals were judged by a panel of local experts including Leslie Alley (French Market District), Kristin Palmer (former NO City Council), and Liana Elliot (Johns Hopkins Center for Public Innovation). Tyler also led undergraduate Real Estate Development students in the Water Management + The Built Environment course to build two stormwater planters (with a combined capacity of 160 gallons) at the Brooks Shaw Temple United Methodist Church in the Hollygrove-Dixon Neighborhood, which will help the area accommodate water runoff from rain events.
Professors of Practice Will Bradshaw and Daniela Rivero Bryant, through their new venture Reimagine Development Partners, supported the historical revitalization of a former Ford facility into 21 apartments in downtown Dothan, Alabama. It’s the first of several urban renewal projects planned in the city.
Jesse M. Keenan, PhD, Favrot II Associate Professor of Sustainable Real Estate and Urban Planning, was
invited to testify before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee on fiscal and economic consequences of climate impacts on infrastructure systems. Jesse testified that the U.S. is behind in research, analysis and deployment of climate-sensitive design and engineering standards. Research and a policy proposal by Jesse was also used as the basis for The Federal Reserve Board approval of new rules to give banks Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) credit for investing in climate change resilience and adaptation in low-to-moderate income communities. These are the first major climate-related financial regulations to pass the Federal Reserve. Jesse was the lead author of a chapter in the book What’s Possible: Investing in NOW for Prosperous, Sustainable Neighborhods. He continued to provide commentary for multiple news outlets and podcasts including ABC News, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Weather Channel, and more.
Historic Preservation
National preservation leader Mark Rabinowitz served this past year as Interim Director of Historic Preservation and Christovich Visiting Professor at TuSA. Mark brought his decades of experience in the field, particularly in the
U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. Through his firm EverGreene Architectural Arts, Mark was also engaged by Rhode Island officials to direct and oversee the safe removal of the gold-plated bronze sculpture “Independent Man” from the state’s capitol building this month. In another project, he helped lead the preservation of a New Orleans mural by British graffiti artist Banksy. In the fall, graduate Historic Preservation students visited the mural’s location, which is slated to be redeveloped by the owner.
Assistant Professor of Real Estate and Historic Preservation Fallon Aidoo was profiled in the Dark Matter U designed and edited edition of ARCHITECT Magazine, October 2023 issue. In “The Joys of Just Preservation” piece, Fallon’s work as a community-engaged scholar of real estate and practitioner of historic preservation was highlighted.
The Historic Preservation program took graduate students to Puerto Rico for a seven-day academic trip, accompanied by renowned Puerto Rican architect and historian Jorge Rigau, as well as Interim Director of Historic Preservation Mark Rabinowitz and Adjunct Lecturer Alex Lopez. Students explored Puerto Rico’s history and cultural heritage through guided tours, studio visits, and lectures.
Heather Veneziano, Interim Associate Program Director and Professor of Practice, provided research support for a rare portrait of an enslaved child, featured in The New York Times; Heather served as a site facilitator and consultant on the archival and physical record of the family in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans. In another project through her company, Gambrel & Peak Historic Preservation Consulting, Heather’s work in restoring a society tomb was featured by the Clarion Herald.
Real Estate students survey New Orleans by boat (Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
Historic Preservation students explore Puerto Rico (Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship
Associate Professor Edson Cabalfin, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Program Director of Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, was among the recipients of Tulane’s inaugural EDI Awards. Edson was given the Strategy for Tomorrow – Bolster Award for his dedication to supporting and implementing the university’s Strategy for Tomorrow plan.
Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design
The Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design and Nick Jenisch, Adjunct Lecturer in Architecture, were project partners on the new podcast Plot of Land, created by Monument Lab. The 10-part series explores how land ownership and housing have been shaped by the interplay of power, public memory, and privatization.
The Small Center held an exhibition in Fall 2023 entitled “Play It Louder: Amplifying Carceral Realities and Abolitionist Futures.” Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the exhibit created a space for students, artists,
and the public to collaboratively explore architectures of carcerality and abolition.
The Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design received a $25,000 grant from the Collins C. Diboll Foundation to support the Small Center’s 18+ years of efforts to address injustice in the build environment in New Orleans. Collins C. Diboll graduated from Tulane with a degree in architecture in 1926.
The exhibit “DON’T STAND ALONE: Black Labor Organizing in New Orleans” opened in Spring 2024 at the Small Center. This mobile exhibit centered on 12 panels that showcased the wide range of labor organizing in New Orleans – from musicians and domestic workers to longshoreman and hospitality – and highlights campaigns and historical moments of greater solidarity.
URBANBuild
The URBANbuild team, led by Lacey Senior Professor of Practice Byron Mouton, received the People’s Choice Award for the URBANbuild 18 residential project during the AIA New Orleans Design Awards in July 2023. Like the previous homes, the project showcased a year’s worth of design-build work by our faculty and
students with substantial typological innovations to serve members of the community.
Student Affairs and Career Services
The school’s Student Affairs and Career Services programming, led by Director of Student Affairs Kristen Jones, held over 50 events during the 2023-2024 school year including a new weekly series called Lagniappe Wednesdays that featured informational, social, and health & wellness-focused programming for undergraduate students in our uptown pavilions. Student Affairs also began new monthly Graduate Night events at TuSA Downtown and First Year at TuSA programming to help new Tulanians settle into campus life at TuSA. One of the largest events of the year, Career Days 2024 brought 68 offices and firms to Tulane in early 2024, both in person and virtually (with 50 of those in-person). The two-day in-person event included a job fair and individual interviews with students – great opportunities to gain valuable professional development. Save the Date for Career Days 2025: February 13 and 14, 2025. Career Services also offered a TuSA Alumni & Student Mentorship Program that
Spring 2024 Career Fair in the Lavin-Bernick Center (Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
Installation by artist Langston Allston, from Play It Louder exhibit at the Small Center.
BGoodwin departs TuSA after 42 years
BY IÑAKI ALDAY, DEAN & KOCH CHAIR IN ARCHITECTURE
ruce Goodwin, Associate Professor of Architecture, is retiring after 42 years on the faculty – one of the longest standing faculty members in our school’s history. Bruce started in 1981 as Assistant Professor and taught uninterruptedly except for brief visiting positions at the University of California at Berkeley and at Ohio State. He has taught design studios, building technology courses, and architectural theory seminars. Bruce has also had a significant practice in California and Loui-
siana, including a brief period of work with Arata Isozaki in Japan.
But more important than an illustrious career is what lays in Bruce’s future. Professor Goodwin decided to leave his teaching commitment this year to focus on his life project: his own house in Annunciation Street. It will be an experimental model of water management and a vertical home test. Years ago, I published a book on houses of architects for themselves (Aprendiendo de Todas sus Casas). Through it, I realized how many im-
portant architectural innovation – typologies, materials, site explorations and just extraordinary inventions to solve everyday problems – have come in the 20th Century from explorations in the architects’ own houses. We all will be watching Bruce’s house construction. Just a little spoiler: look out for a children’s slide in the most unexpected location.
We wish Bruce all the best as he focuses on this exciting work ahead, and thank him for his years of dedicated service to the school.
connected 102 alumni & students for guidance and networking opportunities. Registration for the 20242025 mentorship program will open in September 2024.
Explorations in Architecture and Design
(Pre-college summer program)
This year’s pre-college program reached new heights, welcoming a record of 120 students from 18 states and 5 countries. The program also set a new benchmark for financial aid provided, designed to increase access to architectural education for students both within and beyond the New Orleans area. In addition to the time-honored two 2-week courses, Tactile and Digital Design, the curriculum expanded to include three new courses focusing on the sketchbook, cinema, and graphic design. The sessions were led by TuSA faculty Andrew Liles, Adam Newman, Marion Forbes,
Jesse Toohey, Ira Concepcion, Nick LiCausi, Talia Pomp, Madison Cook, and faculty program lead Hannah Kenyon
Fabrication Labs
This year, the Fabrication Labs established two new spaces thanks to the leadership of Fabrication Director Nichols LiCausi and a team of dedicate student
workers. We partnered with the Art Department of the School of Liberal arts to start the Digital Ceramics Lab. The space consists of two Potterbot clay 3D printers that are being used by MFA students, Adam Marcus’ Ecological Tectonic Research Studio, and others. We also opened a second print lab downtown to support our graduate students at NOCHI. We’ve expanded our resources with five Bambu Labs 3D Printers and an HP Z6 Plotter.
Paper roll holder at the downtown print lab, by Zaynab Eltaib (Nick LiCausi, TuSA)
Commencement Awards 2024
The Tulane School of Architecture’s Class of 2024 – 167 total graduating students – were celebrated at the school’s Diploma Ceremony on May 18, 2024. This year’s ceremony was the first held at the historic McAlister Auditorium on Tulane’s Uptown Campus, marking the school’s growth over the past five years. But this milestone of graduating under the auditorium’s ornate dome means much more, as Dean Iñaki Alday noted in his ceremony address: “This is the first robust class that encompasses what we are: a multidisciplinary school that deals with every aspect of the built environment.”
Catherine Restrepo, TuSA
AWARDS AND ACADEMIC HONORS
Angela O’Byrne Alumni Award
Nicole Hobson-Morris, MPS
Tulane 34 Award
Tahlor Cleveland, M.Arch
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award
Tahlor Cleveland, M.Arch
ARCHITECTURE
American Institute of Architects Medal for Academic Excellence
Anna Kathryn Becker, B.Arch
Brooke Marie Mehney, M.Arch
American Institute of Architects
Louisiana Celebrate Architecture Scholarship
Olivia Justine Vercruysse, B.Arch
Sarie Rose Keller, B.Arch
Alpha Rho Chi Medal
Tahlor Cleveland, M.Arch
Thomas J. Lupo Awards
Lauren Elizabeth Lake, B.Arch
Anna Kathryn Becker, B.Arch
John William Lawrence Memorial Medal
Jose Alejandro Varela Castillo, B.Arch
Outstanding Thesis Award
William Leonard Trotter, B.Arch
Fiona Elizabeth Alicandri, B.Arch
Allison Leigh Slomski, M.Arch
Graduate Design Excellence Award
Eliott Louis Slovis, M.Arch
Graduate Leadership Award
Tahlor Cleveland, M.Arch
Thesis Commendations
Frank Webb Taylor, B.Arch
Jose Alejandro Varela Castillo, B.Arch
Olivia Justine Vercruysse, B.Arch
Sarie Rose Keller, B.Arch
Anna Kathryn Becker, B.Arch
Lauren Elizabeth Lake, B.Arch
Amanda Rose Bond, B.Arch
Chelsea Chanita Kilgore, B.Arch,
Lauren Ashley Beach, M.Arch
Kosta Sević, M.Arch
Tau Sigma Delta
Anna Kathryn Becker, B.Arch
Amanda Rose Bond, B.Arch
Sarah Ashley Fisher, M.Arch
Luke Harper Halverstadt, BSA
Sarie Rose Keller, B.Arch
Max Kronengold, BSA
Elliot Louis Slovis, M.Arch,
Jose Alejandro Varela Castillo, B.Arch
Olivia Justine Vercruysse, B.Arch
Katherine Elizabeth Burt, BSA
DESIGN
Design Excellence Award
Rin Yang Hu, BA
Design Innovation Award
Lucy Rose Salas, BA
Faculty Design Award
Ella Brynn Galaty, BA
Capstone Award
Zoe L. Hill, BA
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Distinguished Thesis Award
Amanda Michelle Bentz, MS
Outstanding Pursuit of New Directions in the Field Award
Sarah Capri Quinn, MS
REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT
Most Outstanding Senior in Real Estate
Alexa Keane Fuhrer, BS
Academic Achievement Award
Alexa Keane Fuhrer, BS
Academic Distinction Award
Andrew David Marymont, MSRED
Graduate Leadership Award
John Andrew Mann, MSRED
Graduate Service Award
Rebecca Lee Mayo Callegan, MSRED
FACULTY
Malcolm Heard Award for Excellence in Teaching
Elizabeth Camuti
Nicole Hobson-Morris, 2024 Angela O'Byrne Alumni Award recipient, adresses graduating students. (Catherine Resrepo, TuSA)
Graduate’s
Tulane journey was 20 years in the making
BY MARIA CLARK, TULANE UNIVERSITY
Becky Callegan’s Tulane story goes back to high school. Next to her senior photo in her yearbook, she listed her goal as graduating from Tulane University.
Callegan, 40, who graduated in May 2024 with a Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development (MSRED) from the School of Architecture, was profiled by Tulane’s Commencement Series for her extraordinary story.
Callegan’s journey to this program was not without its challenges. Originally from Marrero, Louisiana, she lives in Covington with her husband, AJ, and their daughter Maelee, 14. She married her high school sweetheart and graduated with an associate degree in hospitality management. Formerly, the couple owned and operated an HVAC company on the Northshore but sold it when AJ began suffering health complications that resulted in him being diagnosed with epilepsy.
“We figured out that it was due to mold toxicity,” she said. “He was ex-
posed to mold daily from working with HVAC systems, and we also found hidden mold in our home due to a construction flaw.”
They initially worked with a mold remediator who identified the location of the mold but not the cause. The remediator recommended bringing in a building scientist from New Orleans who specialized in evaluating the cause of mold in homes.
“It was a pivotal moment for me to learn about building science and building performance principles,” she said, realizing she could apply her newfound knowledge in the HVAC industry.
As the couple embarked on a holistic journey to improve AJ’s health, Callegan’s uncle had signed her up to receive information about Tulane’s MSRED program. At the time, Callegan laughed it off as an impossibility until meeting the building scientist. After AJ healed fully and became seizure-free, Callegan seriously consid-
ered returning to school.
“I had just been in the fight of my life to save my husband’s life, but I sensed that God told me I needed to go back to school,” she said.
She started at the School of Professional Advancement at age 38, graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in May 2023, and continued her studies at the School of Architecture.
Callegan wants to work in public policy, specifically improving construction standards to enhance indoor air quality and overall building sustainability. She is also interested in creating a nonprofit and healing space for people affected by environmental toxins in their homes. Callegan said she is grateful to her cohort and professors, who fully supported her throughout her journey.
“At 40, sometimes you step back and think, ‘Maybe I can’t do this.’ But I am glad I did. We are really excited about what the future holds,” she said.
Kacie Fayard, Tulane University
Tulane34 and EDI awards winner aims to save historic sites, create engaging spaces
BY LAURA MCKNIGHT, FOR TULANE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
Growing up in traffic-heavy
Los Angeles, Tahlor Cleveland, M.Arch *24, spent a lot of time riding around the city, often gazing at the changing landscapes and varied buildings. Cleveland’s interest in her surroundings sparked a desire to study architecture.
“The built environment has always fascinated me, and I want to be a part of that,” she said. “I want to design and contribute to some fun, engaging spaces that make communities better.”
Cleveland poured herself into her studies at the Tulane School of Architecture, while also devoting herself to building and guiding organizations that support fellow architecture students, especially BIPOC students.
Cleveland served as president of the Tulane chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) and the Tulane School of Architecture Graduate
Government (TSAGG). In addition, she helped in the school’s efforts to assemble BIPOC students through regular TuSA BIPOC Student Affinity Group meetings.
Cleveland’s work to champion her peers earned a highly esteemed Tulane 34 Award, presented annually to 34 graduates who exemplify Tulane values. Named to honor Tulane’s start in 1834, the award recognizes exemplary leadership, service, and academic excellence.
Cleveland said she was both surprised by and grateful for the recognition. “People saw all the hard work, the late nights,” she said. “It felt really nice to be seen.”
Cleveland’s achievements also earned her the university’s EDI Award for 2024.
“Through her leadership, she has shown her strong commitment and tireless effort to help better the educational, professional, and social
experience not only for BIPOC students but for all TuSA students,” said Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Edson Cabalfin. “She is truly an exemplar of an excellent student going over and beyond what is expected from being a member of the school towards an effective and compassionate leader fervent to contribute change in her community.”
Cleveland was inspired to help build up TuSA’s NOMAS chapter after personally experiencing the impact such an organization can make. As an undergraduate, Cleveland participated in the National Society of Black Engineers (NESBE) and said the group provided crucial connections and encouragement.
“I would not have made it through my undergrad (degree) without NSBE,” she said. “With NOMAS, I knew I wanted to be in that group and would need that support. I also
Cleveland (center) speaks to a prospective student at the Spring ‘24 Graduate Open House. (Catherine Resrepo, TuSA)
wanted to build that support for other students.”
Cleveland recruited, organized, and mentored a team of students to represent the NOMAS-Tulane chapter in the Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition at the most recent National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) annual conference in Portland, Oregon. The previous year, Cleveland and 2023 EDI Award winner, Kaylan Mitchell, M.Arch *23, organized the first team in several years with the NOMAS-Tulane chapter team to participate.
Cleveland’s work with TSAGG also helped Tulane students enjoy fuller academic careers, Cabalfin said.
Cleveland, who completed a Certificate in Preservation Studies, said Historic Preservation faculty and alumni made extra efforts to connect her and her peers to conferences, lectures, and other enriching experiences. “I’ve had so many opportunities this year that have contributed to my outlook,” she said.
While at TuSA, Cleveland found rewarding work with New Orleans co-op Civic Studio, contributing research to the “Legacy of Central City” exhibit at the school’s Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design.
This fall, Cleveland heads to Los Angeles for an internship with the Getty Conservation Institute. The yearlong position with the Institute’s Buildings & Sites Department focuses on African American Historic Places in Los Angeles, an effort to better recognize, preserve, and protect sites important to Black heritage. It’s an effort that hits home for Cleveland, who returned to her home city post-bachelor’s degree to find troublesome changes.
“It was really concerning to me how the character of the Black community had changed so much and how that affected people,” she said. “I’m excited to be contributing to this type of work. It’s important to me.”
NOMAS Conference 2022 and 2023. (Photos courtesy of Tahlor Cleveland)
Cleveland presents final project for ARCH 6032 Studio. (Photo courtesy of Tahlor Cleveland)
Student Digest
The school hosted its fourth annual Summer Design Competition on Instagram in summer 2023 and featured 6 weeks of highlighting student work while awarding prizes. Design prompts included a variety of styles, designs, making and art, with a new jury of Tulane faculty judging submissions each week. Winners were featured on the TuSA Instagram and will be included in the next issue of school’s catalog of student and faculty work, The ReView, scheduled for publication in Fall 2024. Winners were: Zaynab Eltaib (two weeks), Clara Gardner, Lucy Salas, Tiger Thepkanjana, and Daphne Vorel
Three students spent Summer 2023 as Public Interest Design Fellows at our school’s Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design. As fellows, Kristin Hamilton (M.Arch), Emily Brandt (B.Arch), and Analiese DeSaw (M.Arch) worked on design projects, and connected with organizations such as Solitary Gardens and Amistad Research Center.
Robin Smith, a Historic Preservation graduate student, worked with guidance from Professor of Practice Heather Veneziano to successfully nominate the Castle Family House,
the home of civil rights activist Oretha Castle Haley, at the state level for the National Register of Historic Places. It now goes to the federal level for full approval.
Students in our graduate Sustainable Real Estate Development program traveled to Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, combining classroom learning with real-world exposure. In D.C., students also attended a private reception for “The Architects’ Photographer” exhibit at the National Building Museum, by TuSA alumnus Alan Karchmer (M.Arch ‘78).
Second year architecture students visit the Bonet Carré Spillway on a site visit. (Nathan Rich, TuSA)
The third cohort of Boudreaux Scholars started their graduate programs in Fall 2023. The scholars are: Jessica Triche (Historic Preservation), Joshua McGrew (Architecture), and Jade Johnson (Sustainable Real Estate Development). The Boudreaux Scholarship intends to support the education of students from historically underrepresented groups (such as first-generation college students, veterans, students that are financially/economically disadvantaged, etc.) and who will, therefore, contribute to the diversity in the professions of the built environment.
A team of students, including Eric Chesebrough, Lauren Liroff and Cole Schwabacher, designed and constructed Sukkah 15, a temporary outdoor pavilion for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, in Tulane’s Pocket Park in Fall 2023. Students worked with TuSA’s Fabrication Labs’ wood shop and Millhaus to prefabricate the various wood components. In partnership with Tulane Hillel, the structure has been donated to the Jewish Community Day School in Metairie.
Metropolis magazine selected three TuSA students for its Future100 honors in 2024 and published their portfolios on its website: Zaynab Eltaib (BSA ’24), Kosta Sevic (M.Arch *24), and Olivia Vercruysse (B.Arch ’24).
Second-year Architecture student Nathan Rich had his design – an axonometric drawing of the school’s “T” icon as a building – selected by our school community following the TuSA T-shirt Charrette, one of our new Lagniappe Wednesday events. Nathan worked with the school’s Director of Fabrication Nick LiCausi to translate his hand-sketched work into digital form for production, and the finished shirts were handed out to the community in Spring 2024.
Student work by recent graduates
Andreea Dan (B.Arch ‘23), Michael Clifton (B.Arch ‘23), and Leo I. Dumonteil Cabanas (B.Arch ‘23) was selected for the 2023 Study Architecture Student Showcase, which is affiliated with ACSA (Association for Collegiate Schools of Architecture). Andreea’s selected project originates from her 3rd year Integrated Studio, led by Rubén García Rubio. Michael’s project is from the Addis Ababa Research Studio (a Mintz travel studio), also led by Rubén. Leo’s selected project, Culinary Center for Los Angeles, originates from his Fall 2022 urban studio, led by Rubén.
Architecture thesis students Amanda Bond, Chelsea Kilgore, Olivia Vercruysse, Sarie Keller, Frank Taylor and José Varela (all B.Arch ’24) also presented their work under a theme of “Towards Post-Anthropocentric Futures.” Senior Professor of Practice Cordula Roser Gray served as thesis advisor.
Graduate student Nicholas LiCausi, who is pursuing a Master of Science in Architectural Research and Design, exhibited his pre-thesis exhibition “Stone Stitching.”
The team of authors and curators for the “Foodscapes” exhibition at the 18th Venice Biennale won a 2024 FAD Award on Criticism and Thought. In addition to Dean Iñaki Alday, Professor Margarita Jover, and the team at aldayjover architecture and landscape, the exhibition was supported by several students (now alumni): Merrie Afseth, Leah Bohatch, Andreea Dan, Sean Fowler, Connor Little, and Megan Spoor.
Sukkah 15, featuring facade detail created in collaboration with the TuSA Fabrication Labs. (Sabree Hill, Tulane University)
(Left to Right) Zaynab Eltaib, Kosta Sevic, and Olivia Vercruysse were selected for Metropolis Future 100 honors.
Alumni Updates
The school hosted its annual Alumni Reception alongside the AIA National Conference on Architecture and Design in Washington D.C., in June 2024. The event also celebrated alumni who were elevated to the College of Fellows: Todd A. Erlandson (M.Arch ’87 and TuSA Adjunct Lecturer); Ronald H. Frantz Jr. (M.Arch ’81); and Laura Flannery Sachtleben (M.Arch *05).
Jamie Bush (M.Arch ‘93 and TuSA Dean’s Advisory Council member) has once again been honored into Architectural Digest’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in interior design, architecture and landscape design. This year’s list is published in the January 2024 issue of AD and is also available online. He founded Jamie Bush + Co. in 2002, and has since worked on many significant historical residential modernist homes in the U.S. Jamie was also featured in Elle Decor magazine’s September 2023 issue. The project, a home in Montecito, California, is a testament to resiliency. After the clients’ original home was destroyed by wildfires in 2017, Bush and his firm redesigned the building from the ground up, this time focusing on fire resistance and durability
Mark DeKay (B.Arch ’84) published Experiential Design Schemas. Mark, a Professor of Architecture at The University of Tennessee, co-authored the book with Gail Brager of UC Berkeley and published through ORO Editions. Their book presents a new theoretical and practical framework for designing architectural experiences through 45 experiential design schemas.
Anthony DelRosario (MPS *12) was the keynote presenter at the 15th Annual Louisiana Studies
Conference at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Anthony presented his documentation, preservation, and interpretation of hand-painted signs in New Orleans. He also displayed his hand-painted signs, photos of signs, and linocuts of corner stores in an accompanying art show
Lucas Herringshaw (M.Arch ’04), AIA, has been promoted to Senior Associate at RODE Architects, a Boston-based collaborative design and architecture firm. He joined RODE in 2015, and according the firm’s promotion announcement, he “pushes design excellence with rigor and dedication, honed through
his 20 years of architectural experience.”
Nick Gelpi (M. Arch ‘02) published the book The Architecture of Full Scale Mockups by Routledge Publishers. The book looks at the theory and contemporary practice of creating full-scale architectural mock-ups through the investigation of seven global case studies, delving into the process and critical milestones, from representation to reality.
Austin Hogans (M.Arch, MSRED *20) and the National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA) Louisiana chapter launched a cam-
Montecito Home, by Jamie Bush + Co, featured in Elle Decor. (Yoshihiro Makino, Elle Decor, courtesy of Jamie Bush)
paign to collect donations – supplies and monetary – to help students obtain necessary design supplies for their first year. Austin initiated the Design Kits campaign based on her own experience as a student.
Danielle Del Sol (MPS *11), Executive Director of the Preservation Resource Center, was elected to the Board of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Danielle has led the PRC in New Orleans for more than 5 years!
Mitchell Hubbell (M.Arch *23) received a NEXT LA Citation Award for his graduate thesis from AIA Los Angeles last month. He was able to attend the awards banquet in LA thanks to funding from the school. The jury commended the project’s transformation of a no-man’s land into a neighborhood-facing buffer while providing a realistic opportunity for home ownership. Mitchell’s thesis advisor was Judith Kinnard.
Stephen McNair (MPS *06) has accepted a position as the City of Mobile’s Director of External Affairs. Stephen, owner and senior consultant of McNair Historic Preservation Inc., established his firm in 2015 after serving in various government and nonprofit historic preservation roles in Louisiana, Scotland, and Alabama. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the Washington D.C. based nonprofit Preservation Action.
Derek Hoeferlin (M.Arch ‘97) released his book Way Beyond Bigness: The Need for a Watershed Architecture (Applied Research + Design Publishing, 2023). It is the first comprehensive analysis of water-based infrastructural challenges across the Mississippi, Mekong and Rhine river basins with the foreword written by TuSA faculty Margarita Jover. Derek is currently on faculty at the Washington University Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
Thorn Grafton , AIA (M.Arch ’76), was recognized for his family’s legacy in Miami. He accepted the “John S. Collins Day” proclamation from the City of Miami led an “Art of Architecture” lecture. Thorn is the grandson of architect Russel Thorn Pancoast, FAIA, and greatgreat grandson of Miami Beach pioneer John S. Collins, whose partnership with Carl Fisher and his son-in-law Thomas J. Pancoast result in the Miami Beach Improvement Company.
The AIA Tennessee honored Lee Askew III , FAIA (M.Arch ‘66), with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, AIA TN’s highest honor. The award recognizes individuals whose efforts and achievements have significantly improved the presence of AIA Tennessee, the profession of architecture and/or the built environment in Tennessee.
During Tulane’s Women Making Waves conference in March 2024, Liz Martin-Malikian, Assoc. AIA, NOMA (M.Arch ‘87), spoke on a panel and in 1-on-1 sessions with students to share her experiences navigating workplaces and uplifting others. Liz is the founding Executive Director of N.O.W.: Collaborative Built Futures; former CEO/Executive Director of The Cosanti Foundation; a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council; and former faculty at Auburn and Kennesaw State University.
Corey Squire (M.Arch *12), AIA, authored the book People, Planet, Design: A Practical Guide to Realizing Architecture’s Potential, published by Island Press. In his book, Corey - who serves as Director of Sustainability for Bora Architecture & Interiors in Oregon- showcases ten building systems that embody design excellence, all with an awareness of how every design choice impacts the community, the planet, and the people who will use the building.
Brandon Surtain (M.Arch, MSRED *20) and Visiting Assistant Professor Andrew Liles were selected for the Louisiana Artists Plein Air Cohort with NOLA Artist Incubator. Andrew Liles also had his art included in the 2023 Ogden Museum of Art’s Louisiana Contemporary 2023, featuring 31 contemporary artists from across Louisiana.
Photo courtesy of Danielle Del Sol
Photo courtesy of Lee Askew
Photo courtesy of Liz Martin-Malikian
Erin Vaughn (M.Arch’12), partner at the women-owned firm Gladwin Vaughn Architecture in Valdosta, Georgia, won three awards: The Lowndes County Courthouse won the 2024 Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation and 2024 Honor Award from AIA Georgia. The McKey Building received the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Excellence in Rehabilitation.
Katherine Allen (M.Arch ‘15), helped to launch an exhibition in Denmark through her office, 3XN, in partnership with the Danish Architecture Center. The exhibition, Aware, includes six large installations inspired by actual buildings designed by 3XN. Each installation is designed to awaken visitors’ senses and awareness.
Remembering Sean Huff
Associate Director of Faculty Affairs, MSRED Student
1986-2024
Sean Cameron Huff, Associate Director of Faculty Affairs, passed away suddenly on July 24, 2024, at 38 years young. Sean was a beloved son, brother, and friend to everyone he met. He brought overwhelming joy and laughter to the world with his contagious energy,
infectious laugh, huge smile, genuine sense of humor, and his passion for life. Sean never met a stranger, and he was always there to celebrate, support, share a story, and joke with all those lucky to know him. Always the entertainer, Sean could often be found near a piano or a karaoke mic, and he always kept you on your toes with his readiness to debate anything from history to musicals.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Sean graduated from Centerville High School and attended the University of Cincinnati, where he studied Communications and was an active member of the Sig Ep fraternity and the student advisory board. At the time of his death, Sean was working at the Tulane School of Architecture as the Associate Director of Faculty Affairs, while also pursuing his Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development degree. He was the point person for many initiatives and activities, including several major events and faculty hiring. Over the past two years,
Sean was in charge of coordinating dozens of faculty candidates’ visits and hosting guest lecturers, always making them memorable for every visitor. He loved working with students, fellow staff members and the faculty, constantly looking for ways to make everyone around happy.
Sean is survived by his beloved dog “Puppy”, mom Valorie, dad Greg, sister Cara (Stephen), and the countless lives he touched with his bigger than life personality and huge heart. The family has truly been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support since his passing. The world will be a little less bright without Sean’s love.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Sean’s name to one of his favorite causes: The Stonewall Community Foundation (secure. givelively.org/donate/stonewall-community-fund/donate-to-stonewall) or Tulane School of Architecture’s URBANbuild program (giving.tulane. edu/arch).
Aware, by 3XN Architects, at the Danish Architecture Center. (Photo courtesy of Katherine Allen)
Remembering Milton Scheuermann
1933-2024
Milton Scheuermann Jr., Tulane School of Architecture former faculty and alumnus (Class of 1956), passed away on May 16, 2024 at the age of 91. He is survived by his loving wife Margie Tucker Scheuermann.
Milton (Class of 1956) was a true native New Orleanian, born in 1933 on Mardi Gras day. He attended P. A. Capdau Grammar School and Warren Easton High School. After completing the five-year program at Tulane School of Architecture, he was drafted into the Army and spent much of his two-year service in Germany. Afterward, he returned to New Orleans to work with the architectural firm of Goldstein, Parham & Labouisse, becoming an associate in the firm of Parham & Labouisse after Mr. Goldstein’s death. He also served as University Architect for Dillard University for several decades.
Milton was a dedicated faculty member at Tulane School of Architecture for 56 years, retiring in 2015 as Adjunct Professor of Architecture. He taught courses in drawing, photography, calligraphy, visual representation and two courses that he
designed himself: Architecture & Music and Architecture & Mysticism. Both courses involved his passions for music and magic.
Upon Milton’s retirement, the Southeastern Architectural Archive on Tulane’s uptown campus, organized the exhibit “Medieval Louisiana” in honor of his 56 years. Milton, an aficionado of all things medieval, donated many of the drawings that were on display in the archives.
He founded New Orleans Musica da Camera in 1966, a medieval and
early music group which remains the oldest surviving early music organization in the United States and continues to broadcast a radio program devoted exclusively to early music in the United States. For several years, Milton co-hosted this “Continuum” program on 89.9FM WWNO and 104.9FM Classical. He had a passion for building medieval instruments and was also a member and president of New Orleans Friends of Music. Being an amateur magician, Milton was a member of the Magicians’ Club of New Orleans, the Knights of Slights, and local chapters of the Society of American Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
Milton’s passions, work, experiences, and reflections have been documented over the years by ViaNolaVie, Tulane News, WWNO, The Advocate, Dillard University, and many more.
Milton’s family has asked that donations in his memory be made to Tulane School of Architecture Richardson Memorial Hall Renovation Fund or to New Orleans Friends of Music.
ALUMNI IN MEMORIAM
William S. Chester (A ‘60)
José Manuel Fernández(A ‘77)
Walter Claude Bonie (A ‘54)
John Albert Landry (A ‘60)
Lynn Riley Mitchell (A ‘66)
Calvin Palmer Jones, Jr. (A ‘74)
James Matthew Lora (A ‘69)
Harry Baker Smith, Jr. (A ‘74)
Antonio Roy Bologna (A ‘64)
Carl Wilson Rogers, Jr. (A ‘78)
Amy Yvonne Alvarez (A ‘92)
John Edward Sicard (A ‘63)
Richard Lee Williams (A ‘66)
Cuong Quoc Ngo (A ‘95)
William Fincher Peterson (A ‘95)
Salvatore Charles Moschella (A ‘49)
Ralph Eglin Wafer, AIA (A ‘71)
Caroline Laverne Wright (A ‘01)
Theodore Matthew Pierre, Jr. (A ‘76)
James McHenry Wade (MPS *12)
Photo courtesy of Tulane Libraries
Alumni Council
Formed in 2019, the Tulane School of Architecture Alumni Council is a global group of committed alumni. Together they initiate events that strengthen local networks of current alumni, provide mentorship and support to further the careers of students and graduates, and leverage their collective influence to ensure a diverse and inclusive future for the school. The council also has the following three standing subcommittees: Communications, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Student Engagement. The council is currently chaired by Adrianne Steichen (M. Arch ‘01) and James Rolf (MPS *16). The council leadership and membership is listed below.
2024 Council Chairs
James Rolf MPS *16
Louisiana Recovery School District/ Rolf Preservation Works, LLC
NEW ORLEANS, LA
2024 Subcommittee Chairs
Stacey Lucas M. Arch *00
Collins Cooper Carusi Architects, Inc.
Co-Chair- Communications Subcommittee
ATLANTA, GA
Brook Tesler MPS *14
VCC Foundation
Co-Chair- Student Engagement Subcommittee
NEW ORLEANS, LA
Chris Daemmrich M. Arch ’17
Broad Community Connections
Co-Chair- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Subcommittee
NEW ORLEANS, LA
Adrianne Steichen M. Arch ‘01
AIA, LEED AP BD+C & HOMES
Principal of PYATOK architecture + urban design
OAKLAND, CA
J. Marshall Brown MPS *16
Loudoun County Department of Planning and Zoning
Co-Chair- Communications Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, DC
Joshua Mings M. Arch ’12
Aggregate Studio
Co-Chair- Student Engagement Subcommittee
CHICAGO, IL
Kekeli Dawes M. Arch *18
Multistudio
Co-Chair- Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Subcommittee
ST. LOUIS, MO
2024 Council Members
ATLANTA
Kyle McCluskey M. Arch ‘09 Jacobs
Amber Stewart M. Arch ‘09 Jacobs
AUSTIN
Lucas Elser MSRED *18 Project Management Advisors, Inc.
BOSTON
Sam Naylor M. Arch ‘16 Utile
Arielle Scher M. Arch ‘18 HGA
CHICAGO
Emma Jasinski M. Arch ‘14 Design Trust Chicago
Sean McGuire M. Arch ‘12 Gensler
Me’osha Solsberry M. Arch *18, MSRED *18 Fitzgerald Associates Architects
DALLAS
Sarah Cumming M. Arch ‘14 Page
Devin Weaver M. Arch *11 Perkins + Will
HONOLULU
Frank Xiong M. Arch ’14 WJE
INTERNATIONAL
Katherine Allen M. Arch ‘15 Henning Larsen, Denmark
KANSAS CITY
Michelle Barrett M. Arch *19 Multistudio
William Trakas M. Arch ‘12 BNIM
LOS ANGELES
Jake Lazere M. Arch *14 Frederick Fisher and Partners Architects
Alumni Council members speak to students at a career panel in November 2023. (Catherine Resrepo, TuSA)
Jeffrey Zolan M. Arch ‘16 DLR Group
MIAMI
Alexandra Mangimelli M. Arch ‘09 Strang Design
NEW ORLEANS
Celeste Favrot MSRED *18 First Lake Properties
Austin Hogans M. Arch *20 MSRED *20 Trapolin Peer
Nick Kallman BSA ’20 Mirambell Realty
Meghan Murphy MPS *16 City of New Orleans, LA
Catherine “Katie” Nguyen M. Arch *16 EskewDumezRipple
Lane Rapier M. Arch *18 Farouki Farouki
NEW YORK
Braham Berg M. Arch ‘18, MSRED *18
BBB3rg LLC
Keristen Edwards M. Arch ‘20, MSRED *20 Spectacular Design
Ashley Gaudlip MPS *17 FEMA
Wells Megalli M. Arch *17 Selldorf Architects
Ian Rosenfield M. Arch ‘15
Anthony Vanky M. Arch ‘07 Columbia University
ORLANDO
Jordan Matthews White M. Arch *13 Walt Disney Imagineering
PHOENIX
Chris Cody MPS *14
Arizona State Historic Preservation Office
Nicole Mehaffey M. Arch ‘16 Multistudio
SALT LAKE CITY
Kelly Holland M. Arch ‘09 Arch Nexus
SEATTLE
Nick Vann M. Arch ‘09, MPS *09 Washington State, Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation
WASHINGTON, DC
Brinda Sen Gupta M. Arch ‘11, MSRED *12 World Wide Technology
Interested in learning more about or becoming involved in the Alumni Council? Reach out to Kristen Jones, Director of Student Affairs at kjones41@tulane.edu or visit architecture.tulane.edu/alumni-council.
O’Byrne Alumni Award winner makes a visible impact across Louisiana
BY NAOMI KING ENGLAR, TUSA
Travel Louisiana, and you’ll see the state’s complex history reflected in the buildings and landscapes: French Quarter homes crafted by New Orleans’ free people of color, earthen mounds created by American Indians, numerous churches, schools, stores, and more with stories to tell.
In visiting these sites, you will also see the influence of this year’s Angela O’Byrne Award winner Nicole Hobson-Morris, MPS *01, and her team.
The award recognizes Hobson-Morris’ work as Executive Di-
rector/Deputy of the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), through which she has made outstanding contributions to the preservation world while advocating for diversity within the field.
“She is instrumental in recovering the extraordinary architectural legacy of New Orleans and Louisiana,” said Iñaki Alday, Dean and Koch Chair in
Architecture for TuSA. “Many of the beautiful historic buildings and structures that we enjoy today are on their feet thanks to her work.”
Hobson-Morris and her team are responsible for stewarding resources, setting strategies, choosing priorities, and advocating for Louisiana’s built heritage, Alday noted.
“Nicole’s work touches and guides so many projects throughout the state of Louisiana, that her impact cannot be overstated,” said Angela O’Byrne, the award’s namesake.
Hobson-Morris’ passion for preservation is evident when she speaks. A native of St. Croix, steeped in the Trinidadian culture of her family, Hobson-Morris moved to southeastern Louisiana in her adolescence and found significant similarities between her new home and her island heritage: the food, the historical influences, the architecture.
“Rich history, everywhere you look,” she said of Louisiana. “Like they say in Trinidad, history for days.”
Her team’s work encompasses “all things about our culture,” she said, fighting to salvage historical markers essential to local legacy.
“We lose a lot when we lose our history,” she said.
Hobson-Morris grew interested in historic preservation as a graduate student, when she discovered the field at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, GA. She returned to Louisiana due to financial reasons, and by chance learned that Tulane University had a brand-new historic preservation studies program.
“All things align, and we find ourselves where we’re supposed to be,” she said.
Hobson-Morris started working with the SHPO in 2001, months before her graduation, and with the exception of an 8-month stint with an environmental firm, has been
there since.
“I missed the public outreach so much,” she said of her brief time away from the SHPO. “The ability to assist, to help, to feel like you are making a difference. We can look across the state and see the impact due to the work we’ve done.”
Hobson-Morris said the 10-member Historic Preservation team is small but accomplishes much. The
“ Nicole’s work touches and guides so many projects throughout the state of Louisiana, that her impact cannot be overstated”
— ANGELA O’BYRNE
office reviews every historic preservation project pursuing historic tax credits, projects that involve or could impact historic sites, and evaluates and nominates places for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. In essence, she plays a powerful role in safeguarding tangible markers of the state’s one-of-a-kind history.
Hobson-Morris said she is especially proud of Louisiana’s Main Street Program, an effective way to preserve and revitalize historic
commercial districts throughout the state.
The team also helps preserve state history through Section 106 reviews, required when federally-assisted projects could potentially impact historic properties. The reviews place the team amid projects ranging from new construction to pipeline work to disaster response.
In fact, Hobson-Morris said the SHPO’s involvement in rebuilding post-Katrina made the biggest impact on her professional career – and drove home a pivotal lesson from Professor Emeritus in Architecture, Eugene Cizik.
“He taught us how the culture of a community impacts the architecture in the community,” she said. “I didn’t realize how important his guidance was until after Katrina.”
In the aftermath of Katrina, the SHP helped property owners in the New Orleans area and other affected municipalities, return home as a result of congressionally delegated funds from the National Park Service through the creation the creation of the Historic Building Recovery Grant Program. The program gave Hobson-Morris a deeper understanding of how multi-generational families with long legacies in New Orleans created the culture that influenced the architecture.
“It was just this massive breakup of families that really created the cultural identity of a particular area,” Hobson-Morris said, which led her to truly absorb Cizik’s teachings: “It’s not just about the buildings. There was no building without the people.”
Hobson-Morris strives to apply that mode of thinking to her work, to “remembering why we do what we do.”
“It is about the people,” she said.
Opposite: Charity Hospital in New Orleans is one of the many historic sites for Hobson-Morris and her team. (Catherine Restrepo, TuSA)
Advancement Report
FY 2024 (JULY 1, 2023 – JUNE 30, 2024)
Your support allows the Tulane School of Architecture to build an environment of excellence, provide transformational teaching, and work with our community to promote meaningful change.
Every gift is important and makes a difference. With your continued help, we are poised to move to a new level of achievement by building on our strengths and capitalizing on the momentum of our successes.
Photo courtesy of Tulane University
BY THE NUMBERS
WHO GAVE
Local real estate developer gives back to TuSA and broader community
BY LAURA MCKNIGHT, FOR TULANE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
he impacts of William Henry Shane Jr. (M.Arch ’60) can be seen throughout Jefferson Parish – in not only the built environment, but also the local economy and the education landscape.
A highly successful and prolific real estate developer, Shane’s touch can be seen in over 9,500 apartments, office complexes, shopping centers and more, built through Favrot & Shane Co., which was founded by Shane and H.M. “Tim” Favrot.
But Shane’s influence extends beyond buildings to parks, public art, education and economic development. The longtime philanthropist has made substantial contributions to the parish where he lives, sharing his passions for art and education by helping to enhance Lafreniere Park, donating artwork to public spaces, including a “Blue Dog” sculpture on Veterans Boulevard and his own pop art sculpture, and opening a high-performing charter school.
Shane said his visible imprint on Jefferson Parish reflects the education and experience gained through the Tulane School of Architecture.
“Without Tulane, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve been
able to do in my life,” Shane said. “Without Tulane, I wouldn’t have this ability. I’m convinced of that.”
Born in New Orleans, Shane grew up in a working class family. His father’s career as a carpenter inspired him to pursue an education in architecture. Shane worked his way toward earning a degree, juggling part-time jobs on the side.
“All I did was go to school, ride the streetcar back to Metairie, and work all night on bookwork,” he said. “I had a car, but I didn’t always have gas in the car.”
Shane said his time at Tulane made a powerful impact. His elder classmates, returning from military service overseas, broadened his perspective, and faculty instilled architectural expertise reflected in his realty work.
Though more often billed as a real estate developer than an architect, Shane said his background in architecture informs all of his developments, from building style to landscaping to art selections, making his work stand out.
“It’s easier to spot one of our buildings if you just ride through the neighborhood,” he said.
With all of his real estate holdings in Jefferson Parish, including his
To learn more about how you can contribute, contact Josh Davis, Director of Development for the Tulane School of Architecture, at jdavis46@tulane.edu.
own home, Shane said he has been dedicated to giving back to communities there, especially the Kenner area.
During the 1980s oil bust, Shane helped form Jefferson EDGE, an economic development group combining parish government and business leaders, and the precursor for the Jefferson Economic Development Commission (JEDCO).
He is proudest of helping to found a charter school in Jefferson Parish, an effort to improve public education all-around and retain the younger generations of Kenner residents. Shane and a group of friends founded Kenner Discovery Health Science Academy in 2013 in hopes the school would “raise all boats,” sparking improvements across the board.
Shane believes the free, open-enrollment school has positively influenced other schools in Kenner, as it continues to grow and climb in rankings.
Shane also continues to support TuSA, feeling a responsibility to pour into other architects.
“We do so much for the world,” he said of practicing architects. “Those of us with the ability to give, we should give back to the school.”
You can also visit giving.tulane.edu/ARCH or scan the QR code to learn more.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT
Alumni’s generosity earns spot in Paul Tulane Society
BY TULANE OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT
Generosity makes a difference.
Rob Dean (A ’68) originally turned down a full scholarship to Tulane to attend the Air Force Academy. In his second year, he realized he had made the wrong move for his career. He contacted Tulane and discovered that the scholarship was still available.
That scholarship to Tulane changed his life.
It is gratitude for that life-changing opportunity that led him and his husband Robert Epstein to establish a bequest at the School of Architecture for student scholarships. They hope their generosity will impact the lives of future students, just as Dean’s life was transformed.
“I’ve been very fortunate in my life, and I attribute a large part of that to Tulane,” Dean says.
A gifted student, Dean spent four years at the School of Architecture, graduating first in his class. He practiced architecture and pursued graduate studies before returning to Tulane as an associate professor of architecture for six years. Later, he invented several architectural
software products and served as president of Building Systems Design Inc until the company was sold several years ago.
Dean and Epstein created a charitable remainder unitrust, a planned giving vehicle that Dean encourages other alums to consider. By giving in this way, Dean has secured a steady source of income for the rest of his life while also making a meaningful gift to Tulane. He has also donated appreciated stock and named the trust the beneficiary of his IRA.
Dean and Epstein have named a laboratory within Richardson Memorial Hall that provides students with the opportunities to enrich their three-dimensional design explorations while developing their education in fabrication technologies. The 115-year-old building is in the midst of a renovation and expansion that honors the building’s history and promises to bring the school to the next level of architecture and design education.
For their notable generosity, Dean and Epstein were inducted in 2022 to the Paul Tulane Society, the most prestigious giving society at Tulane.
April 10-11, 2024
Our school had another record-breaking Give Green in April, thanks to the generosity of our alumni, donors, faculty, staff, students, and parents. This year, TuSA had 141 individual donors and raised more than $74,000 to support our students and faculty.
Supporting the School of Architecture during Give Green directly addresses the most urgent needs of our students, faculty, and staff by providing unrestricted funds for the School. Give Green contributions could help purchase needs ranging from equipment for enhanced learning experiences during the Richardson Memorial Hall renovation, to supporting research for classes and studios, or funding workshops and career opportunities for students. These gifts are vital to the School of Architecture, significantly enhancing the experience for our entire community.
Steady Growth
Catherine Resrepo, TuSA
