2019
School of Architecture Board of Advisors Morris Adjmi, FAIA, A’83 New York, NY Jose L. Alvarez, A*97 New Orleans, LA Eric Van Aukee, A’82 Perkins+Will Los Angeles, CA Maziar Behrooz, AIA, A’85 MB Architecture East Hampton, NY Michael J. Bell, FAIA, A’83, L*90 Bell Architects New Orleans, LA James E. Bry, AIA, A’91 Seritage Growth Properties New York, NY Jamie Bush, A’94 Jamie Bush & Co. Los Angeles, CA James Dewar III, A’94 Dewar Properties Inc. San Diego, CA
Jonathan B. Halle, A’93 The Halle Companies Silver Springs, MD
Brad M. Meltzer, A’90 Plaza Construction Group Miami, FL
Christopher Sgarzi, AIA, A’86 Sasaki Associates Watertown, MA
Brad A. Hastings, AIA, A’82 Becker Morgan Group, Inc. Salisbury, MD
Jenga Mwendo, MSRED*16 Crescent City Community Land Trust New Orleans, LA
Sonny Shields, A’74, L*77 Shields Mott L.L.P. New Orleans, LA
Jessyca L. Henderson, A ‘98, NC ‘98 The American Institute of Architects Baltimore, MD
L. Scott Paden, AIA, A’81 Citadel DCA Washington, DC
David C. Thompson, A’91 Studio City, CA
JP Hymel, E’96 Gallo Mechanical, LLC Metairie, LA
Paula Peer, AIA, NCARB Trapolin-Peer Architects New Orleans, LA
Janice Jerde, AIA Jerde Development Company Los Angeles, CA
Laurie J. Petipas, A’75 Gensler San Francisco, CA
Stephen Kern, AIA, A’68 Murphy/Jahn Chicago, IL
Richardson K. (Rick) Powell, FAIA, A’77 Athena Corporation Kansas City, MO
Peter Kilgust, AIA, A’10 Williams Architects New Orleans, LA
Wellington J. Reiter, A’81 Phoenix, AZ
Clara Wineberg, A’90 SCB Chicago, IL
Robert Riccardi, AIA, A’91 Gould Evans New Orleans, LA/Kansas City, MO
Marcel L. Wisznia, AIA, A’73 Wisznia Associates New Orleans, LA
J. Wells Megalli, A*17 New York, NY
Michelle A. Rinehart, Ed. D., A’91 Georgia Tech Atlanta, GA
Peter M. Wolf, PhD, G*63 New York, NY
Tiffany Melancon, A’96 Melancon & Co. Basel, Switzerland
Christopher Roth, A’91 JLL Chicago, IL
Joanna Lee Lombard, AIA, A’75 University of Miami Miami, FL
Reb Haizlip, FAIA, A’79 Haizlip Studio Memphis, TN Bob Hale, FAIA, A’77 Rios Clementi Hale Studios Los Angeles, CA
contents LETTER FROM THE DEAN School News Women in Architecture NEW FACULTY Student Work
Robert E. Walker IV, AIA, A’92 Rob Walker Architects, LLC Birmingham, AL Simcha Z. Ward, AIA, A’11 Wisznia | Architecture + Development New Orleans, LA John C. Williams, AIA, A&S ‘74, A’78 Williams Architects, LLC New Orleans, LA
Tulane School of Architecture 2019 Newszine
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STUDENT NEWS Alumni Updates Alumni Q&A EVENTS
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing + Editorial Team Naomi Englar, Senior Marketing and Communications Coordinator Barri Bronston, Tulane Public Relations Christy Crosby, Director of Administration Emily Parsons, Director of Student Affairs Kristen Jones, Career Services and External Relations Chelsea Borries, School of Architecture Development Officer Graphic Design: Eric Gernhauser Cover Image: An as-built elevation of Richardson Memorial Hall is constructed two ways: (1) compositing over 600 close-up drone photographs and (2) drawing and observation. Both elevations constructed by first year summer graduate students R.Dunn, M.H. Porter, M. Bishop, E. Jacobs, E. Feringa, E. Morita, I. Mitchell-Wyatt, led by Assistant Professor Carrie Norman. Image Above: Nick LiCausi, Digital Fabrication Manager
letter from the Dean Dear friends of Tulane School of Architecture, I am starting my second year as dean, happy and excited about the school I found, about the enormous work done last year, and about the many projects for this incoming fall and spring semesters.We have three major and special priorities. The first is the renovation of Richardson Memorial Hall. We have the challenge of developing the project and breaking ground next summer. More than half of the budget has been committed already, and now we are looking for the rest. I know you all love our beautiful building, which is badly in need of an upgrade. Please, consider supporting it. The second priority is to strengthen our communications efforts. It is critical to reach you and our students effectively, but above all to reach and convince the most brilliant prospective students to apply and enroll in order to keep building our history of excellence. The third area is our research production, which will be the way for our school to lead some important conversations about architecture and the built environment. We are starting by hosting in New Orleans and co-chairing the 2019 Administrators Conference (Nov. 7-9) of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). The theme of the conference is “Uncertainty,” with water as a transversal topic. We are committed to leading the discourse of what architecture and architectural education is and can be. Schools
(and architecture in general) have been confused for too long, and for the most part we have become far from the “tables” where the big decisions are made. Tulane School of Architecture is the school that focuses on the real and pressing issues that New Orleans and the world are dealing with. We are tackling social and environmental challenges: proper housing, new building and public space typologies in floodable areas, pollution, water management and energy conservation, community support through architecture, etc. These are not self-indulgent problems. These are extremely urgent issues for our life in New Orleans and for the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the globe, especially in the most vulnerable areas: communities situated near the rivers and deltas. Nobody knows better than the Tulane School of Architecture how urgent and important these issues are, and how architecture has to play a key role in addressing them. To this end, we are having very exciting movement this year. We are starting our research studios: nine research projects addressing extremely relevant topics during the coming years. We will keep you posted on their development. Two of them are part of the Saul A. Mintz Global Research Studios, thanks to a very generous gift of Jean Strauss Mintz (NC ‘55) and her
daughters and sons, in honor of her husband and alumnus Saul Mintz (A ‘53). These two Mintz Global Studios will be working in Jaipur (India) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), places with huge challenges, extremely dynamic systems, and deep histories that are looking to architecture and urbanism to help address their most urgent issues. Tulane School of Architecture –in collaboration with local agencies and universities, Tulane experts in multiple fields, and other US institutions –is taking the leadership in this call to action. (Read more about our research focus on Page 2.) And of course, there is plenty of other exciting things going on, starting with our amazing and committed students, the excellence of the faculty and staff, and the unconditional support of our alumni –through the Board of Advisors, the Alumni Council (learn more about this new superb initiative on Page 11), or just being individually here with us. You can follow all of the amazing news and happenings through my monthly Dean’s Dispatch emails, our social media, and our website. Have a great 2019/2020!
Iñaki Dean and Koch Chair in Architecture ialday@tulane.edu
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SCHOOL NEWS
Research Through Design The role of research is taking on new meaning By Naomi King Englar
This coming year both students and
“The best way to learn and move
“It takes time to develop true exper-
faculty at Tulane School of Archi-
forward is to hold a continuous back
tise, and this laddered structure is
tecture will have even more ways
and forth between the attention to
designed to do exactly that.”
to investigate how architecture and
the local and the lessons learned
design can tackle local and global
globally,” said Dean Iñaki Alday.
issues. Several major initiatives and
Learn more about each studio focus at http://bit.ly/TulaneResearchStudios
million gift for international research
Saul A. Mintz Global Research Studios
from the family of Saul A. Mintz (A
The school received a $2 million gift
’53); the school’s first-ever, multi-year
to establish the Saul A. Mintz Global
these studios will help them to under-
research studios; and a new push to
Research Studios, a new program that
stand the cultural nuances of interna-
support faculty in grant-seeking.
will give students an opportunity to
tional practice and research and allow
work internationally on critical global
them to be effective when working in
issues. The gift will be used for travel
different countries, according to Alday.
projects are underway: a generous $2
This renewed emphasis on research is a natural fit, according to Associate Dean for Research Richard Campanella. Not only is it important for attracting the best faculty and students to Tulane, it will lead to contributions in architectural education and practice. “Research—that is, the gathering and analysis of information toward the production and dissemination of new knowledge—is important to architecture for the same reasons it’s important to any other field or discipline: because it tests hypotheses, teases out conditions and nuances, guides the way toward better decisions, and
special attention has to be given to studying and working across different scales of study and geographies.
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StudiosLaunch.
Faculty Support in Grant-Seeking
of faculty and students associated
“As architectural practice evolves and
with multiple international studio
becomes more and more global, this
porting faculty members to pursue
studies, which will include teams of 13
is an essential quality that our stu-
grant and funding opportunities,
or 14 students and a faculty member
dents need to possess,” Alday said.
Campanella said.
First-Ever Multi-Year Research Studios
With renewed expectations of faculty
who will work in a lab on innovative solutions before traveling abroad to do field work.
In Fall 2019, the school launched its The gift from Jean Strauss Mintz, a
new Research Studios, including two
1955 graduate of Newcomb College,
under the Mintz Global Research
is in memory of her husband Saul
Studios program. These studios will
Mintz, a native New Orleanian who
focus on a single topic, place, or
graduated from the Tulane School of
phenomenon over three to five years
Architecture in 1953.
– as opposed to the traditional one to
Tulane School of Architecture’s goal
type of deep and collaborative work,
zine, at http://bit.ly/TulaneResearch-
Another way the school is putting
Campanella said.
is the school. But in order to do this
Susan Szenasy of Metropolis maga-
more emphasis on research is sup-
“This gift advances magnificently the
ted to interdisciplinary research, so
launch event with guest moderator
costs, research, and other expenses
contributes to public understanding,”
And with Tulane University commit-
and watch a recording of the studios’
of becoming an international leader in design that enhances and enriches human life, especially in the world’s
two-semester timeline. Each studio will work toward the production of scholarly outputs such as books, monographs, articles, symposia, and exhibits.
most challenged regions,” Tulane
“Research Studios are a way for
President Mike Fitts said when the gift
knowledge to accumulate, for ex-
was announced in early August.
pertise to develop, and for scholarly
The exposure students receive during
outputs to result,” Campanella said.
to produce scholarly outputs, the school is providing stipends to faculty members toward research costs. This past year, Campanella also worked to make faculty and student research more visible. The school’s website has a new page devoted to research, and over 170 past student theses have been made available online through the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library online archives. Campanella said he has also worked to make the school “more visible on the ‘radar screen’ of Tulane’s Office of Research, such that they know we’re willing and eager partners.”
Research Studios
Thank you, John STUBBS
By Dean Iñaki Alday
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1. Addis Ababa River Project. A Saul A. Mintz Global Research Studio. Rubén García Rubio, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urbanism 2. The Rajasthan Cities: Jaipur. A Saul A. Mintz Global Research Studio. Iñaki Alday, Dean and Richard Koch Chair in Architecture; Pankaj Vir Gupta, Visiting Professor; and Monisha Nasa, Research Assistant Professor 3. URBANbuild15: re-evaluation, affordability, national translation. Byron Mouton, AIA, Director of URBANbuild, Lacey Senior Professor of Practice in Architecture 4. The Future of Ports: From the Backyard to the Forefront of Ecology, Economy, and Urbanity. Margarita Jover, Associate Professor in Architecture 5. Resilience Reinforced: Architectural precast concrete systems addressing the regional water infrastructure challenges. Kentaro Tsubaki, AIA, Associate Dean for Academics, Favrot Associate Professor of Architecture
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6. Contemporary Architecture in Historic Contexts: The Case of Magazine Street in New Orleans. Ammar Eloueini, AIA, NCARB, Favrot V Professor of Architecture 7. Stilted: Toward an Elevated Urbanism. Scott Bernhard, AIA, NCARB, Jean and Saul A. Mintz Associate Professor of Architecture 8. Fast/Strong/Sustainable: Exploring the Expanded Mass Timber Industry for Design in HurricaneProne Regions. Judith Kinnard, FAIA, HarveyWadsworth Chair of Landscape Urbanism, Professor of Architecture 9. Big Questions, Small Projects: design-build’s potentials to advance community-driven ideas. Emilie Taylor Welty, Favrot II Professor of Practice 10. Building Preservation. Michael Shoriak, Adjunct Assistant Professor.
John Stubbs, Senior Professor of Practice and our leader in the field of preservation, has decided to transition to a part time role in the Tulane School of Architecture, while renewing his long term commitment to the Master of Preservation Studies program. As you all know, John has been the soul and the brain of the MPS program since 2011, when he took the baton from Professor Eugene Cizek, another national and international leader in the field. John has piloted the positive evolution of the program for eight years, and has prepared it for a next phase which will include an expanded curriculum. Professor Stubbs has accepted to continue his engagement with Tulane and the Preservation program, helping to ensure the transition while recovering part of his time for his scholarly work: the continuation of his extraordinary series of books on international preservation practice (three so far, with two more in sight). In this exciting transitional phase, John, as Senior Professor of Practice, will support the work of the Interim Director and long time collaborator, Laura Blokker, and assist in the recruitment of a new program director in a national and international search.
As one of the most recognized figures in international architectural preservation, John Stubbs continues his appointment as the Christovich Endowed Professor in Preservation, and will continue as the mainstay of our renowned Tulane Master of Preservation Studies program. I am profoundly grateful to John for his extraordinary leadership in improving the MPS program, his scholarly contributions, his generosity in time and effort, and his help to me in all matters since my arrival at Tulane. Looking towards the future, I am very grateful for John’s acceptance to continue as Senior Professor of Practice, sharing his valuable time, knowledge and insights with the students and faculty of Tulane. On behalf of the entire school, thank you, John!
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9. 10.
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WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE
Making Their Mark Tulane Women Lead in their Fields of Architecture By Barri Bronston
Judith Kinnard
Architecture has long been a male dominated field, despite the fact that half of all architecture students are female. Across the country, well over half of architecture faculty members are male, though women are beginning to take on more leadership roles, both in practice and education. In one notable example, almost all of the current deans of Ivy League architecture programs are women. Female faculty at the Tulane University School of Architecture are among those who are leading the wave of change, with Judith Kinnard, Margarita Jover and Carrie Norman being some of the most highly regarded in the field.
Margarita Jover
Kinnard, for example, has received national recognition as an ACSA (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture) Distinguished Professor and five of her design projects have won national design competitions. Yet teaching is her greatest passion, and she is pleased to see a more inclusive environment for women and minorities among the ranks of architecture faculty nationwide. Kinnard, the Harvey-Wadsworth Chair of Landscape Urbanism, knew from a young age that she was bound for a career in architecture, having shown an early interest in drawing, painting, art history, and urban theory. Her curiosity in architecture emerged in high school, prompting her to write a research paper on 20th century utopian urban projects. Upon graduation, she enrolled in Cornell University as an English major, transferring to the architecture school as a sophomore.
Carrie Norman Right: The Norman Kelley remodeled Notre flagship store in Chicago — a fashion and streetwear retail brand — includes a stepped vestibule that functions as a meeting space or microauditorium for cultural programming and community engagement. Image by Chris Leh and courtesy of Carrie Norman / Norman Kelley. Facing page, bottom: Jover’s winning design competition proposal, “Vertebrando,” in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The project reimagines the space and use of a 1.3-mile section of elevated highway, which has bisected a historically poor and underserved community for decades. Image courtesy of Margarita Jover / aldayjover architecture and landscape.
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“There were very few women students in my program at Cornell, and there were no women professors,” Kinnard said. She recalled an environment of “abusive behavior” and “unconscious bias” by faculty, both when she was a student in the mid to late 1970s and in her early years of teaching in the 1980s. “The academy has shown tremendous progress,” she said. “And I am proud to be part of a generation of women and men in architectural education and practice who have championed a more inclusive and equitable environment for underrepresented minorities, including women.” Margarita Jover, too, has seen progress in the number of women entering architecture, compared to when she was studying in Barcelona, Spain back in the 1990s. At the time, she said, she was one of nine women in a class of 150 students. “Ten years later, when I was teaching part time while working at my office, the student population was half women,” said Jover, an associate professor. “And both times, I never perceived differences amongst the way students of different genders were treated.” But the environment in Spain is different from most places, and she sees so many things that can be done to level the playing field for female architects in the U.S., both in terms of equal pay and equal duties in the workplace. She would also like to see more architects per capita in the United States, particularly in the design realm.
“We don’t give enough importance to the design of the urban environment, its quality and inclusivity. The city needs designers. The country needs designers,” she said.
dominated field but believes the profession is beginning to attract more women and minorities, especially in leadership positions.
In many ways, Jover’s interest in architecture came about naturally, having grown up in a family with well-traveled parents. She especially remembers living in Congo and Cameroon, the intensity of the African sky’s vault and light of particular fascination.
“Architecture has long been intertwined with progressive social ambitions,” Norman said. “However, its progressive social goals have not always translated into the workplace. The profession needs more diverse leaders — including women — running offices and managing job sites.”
Image below: The AIA Louisiana Honor Award winning project Hollygrove Shade-Water Pavilion was designed by Kinnard in collaboration with fellow faculty member Irene Keil and Albert and Tina Small Center project manager Nick Jenisch. Image courtesy of Judith Kinnard / Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design.
“I wanted to be an architect since I was 12 years old,” she said. “The construction of space has always fascinated me. I have a great capacity perceiving interiors and exterior light conditions, and I see the architectural project as a combination of arts, philosophy, sociology and the sciences.” Among Jover’s greatest achievements was winning The European Prize of Architecture and Public Space in 2001. She was honored for her design of a bullfight arena and amphitheater that cohabits with seasonal floods in a positive way. For Carrie Norman, an assistant professor, it is her education in architecture that she considers her greatest accomplishment. She recalls an introductory course called “Lessons in Making,” which exposed her to orthographic drawing, perspective drawing and model making. “These devices provided new ways of seeing and understanding the world,” she said. “I was hooked and never looked back.” She said that during her six years of architectural training, she worked with a wide of range of teachers and classmates who had a major impact on her career. “Their influence and wisdom still impact me today. Now, as an educator, I aspire to have a similar impact on a new generation of students.” Like Kinnard and Jover, she sees architecture as still a male
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New and Visiting Faculty Rubén García Rubio Assistant Professor – Architecture and Urbanism Rubén García Rubio holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Valladolid and a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Roma Tre. He has been a “Visiting Scholar” at the American Academy in Rome. He has also been a professor in several schools of architecture in Europe and been a guest professor in many international institutions. Before coming to Tulane, he was a professor at the American University in Dubai (UAE), engaging in research activity across several university projects and working in his architectural office studioVRA. He is also the Editor-inChief of the architectural weblog CajondeArquitecto.com.
Pankaj Vir Gupta Visiting Professor Pankaj Vir Gupta received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Master of Architecture from the Graduate School of Architecture at Yale University. Pankaj is a founding partner of vir.mueller Architects in New Delhi, a firm encompassing architectural practice, design research, and education. He is a licensed architect in the U.S. and a registered member of the Council of Architecture in India. Pankaj is also a Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia, where he is the co-founder and co-director of the Yamuna River Project, a major pan-university research project. Pankaj, with Dean Iñaki Alday, coauthored Yamuna River Project: New Delhi Urban Ecology, which offers an evidence-based analysis of the crisis afflicting the urban ecology of the Yamuna River in New Delhi. In 2018, the book was recognized as one of the top ten architecture books of the year by the German Architecture Museum (DAM).
Sonsoles Vela Navarro Adjunct Assistant Professor Sonsoles Vela Navarro earned a B.Arch from the University of Valladolid, a Master of Science in Architecture and Sustainable Environment from the University of Extremadura, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Kühnel Business School, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Design and Digital Architecture from the University San Jorge. She is a practitioner architect with more than 10 years of experience working alongside private clients and builders developing architectural designs on residential, commercial, and health-care projects. She is also a founding partner of studioVRA
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Lesley-Ann Noel Professor of Practice - Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship. Associate Director - Design Thinking for Social Impact Lesley-Ann Noel completed her Ph.D. in Design at North Carolina State University in 2018. Her Ph.D. research focused on design thinking at a rural primary school in Trinidad and Tobago. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of the West Indies and a bacharelado (equivalent to bachelor’s degree) in industrial design from Universidade Federal do Paraná. Lesley is a former Fulbright Scholar and a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago. Before joining Tulane, Lesley was part of the 2018-2019 Ocean Design Teaching Fellowship, a program co-hosted with the Stanford d.school, where she was also a lecturer. He has had work in design exhibitions in Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Brazil, Germany, France, and the U.S., and she has presented papers at conferences in the Caribbean, U.S., U.K., and India.
Monisha Nasa Research Assistant Professor Monisha Nasa holds a Bachelor of Architecture from GGSIPU, New Delhi (2013) and a Master of Architecture from the University of Virginia (2019), where she received a World Architecture Award in 2019 for her graduate work. She served as a Yamuna River Project research fellow, a pan-university project at the University of Virginia in collaboration with the municipal authorities of New Delhi to improve the socio-ecological conditions of the city. She is interested in exploring the power of Architecture to building communities that promote social equality in rapidly urbanizing parts of the world. While working at vir.mueller Architects in New Delhi (2013-2017), she led several projects including a 10,000 square-meter museum on a world heritage site.
Mario Monclús Research Assistant Professor Mario Monclús received a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Zaragoza in 2018. He studied architecture in Zaragoza (Spain) and Stuttgart (Germany), specializing in landscape and urban design and received a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 2016. He has collaborated with various architecture and landscape studios since then in Barcelona, London, Zaragoza and Madrid. Mario strongly believes in the role of architecture for a better understanding of cities and its relationship with nature through its capacity of transformation and improvement.
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STUDENT WORK
Making Global Impacts Students Carve Out Their Niche and Tackle Big Challenges By Naomi King Englar
From research fellowships to national competitions to international trainings, Tulane School of Architecture students are tackling global issues from a variety of platforms and scales. They are honing rare digital design skills, investigating new materials, and proposing new typologies, all while keeping important issues of sustainability, affordability, historical preservation, and ecological impacts in the forefront of their work. A few of these students’ work is highlighted here.
OPIOID PREVENTION SITES With the surge of opioid overdose-related fatalities in the U.S., the country is in need of spaces designed to prevent people with drug addictions from accidental death. That is the focus of second-year architecture graduate student Lucy Satzewich, who won a national fellowship from the American Institute of Architects and Academy of Architecture for Health Foundation. The fellowship supported her in Summer 2019 to visit and study clinics and prevention sites in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. From this research, Satzewich will develop a document – with guidance from faculty at Tulane, as well as other experts in healthcare, architecture and design – that identifies best practices for overdose prevention sites. Satzewich also plans to present her findings to national audiences, such as the Healthcare Design Conference in 2020. “Governments have acknowledged the death toll – nearly 170,000 drug-overdose fatalities in the U.S. last year – and the strain on federal resources related to incarceration and hospitalization, and the medical community has found that safe well-designed buildings can be part of the solution,” Satzewich said.
Muhanad Alfardan
Lina Alfieri Stern
Veronika Suarez
Keristen Edwards
DESIGNING FOR EQUITY Accessibility in the hotel industry was the focal point of a nationally exhibited project led by four graduate students in the sustainable real estate development program. Recent alumni Muhanad Alfardan (MSRED ’19), Lina Alfieri Stern (MSRED’ 19), and Veronika Suarez (MSRED’ 19), along with graduate student Keristen Edwards, earned national recognition when their project, titled “Hotel Inspire,” was selected by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for its 2019 Emerging Professionals Exhibit which focused on “designing for equity.” The goal of the project was to fulfill an unmet need of disabled travelers who are often at a disadvantage when it comes to hotel choice, room availability, access to amenities, and inclusion in emergency plans.
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“One of the most important trends right now is to tap into unmet demographics,” Alfardan said. “Currently 26 million people are traveling with disabilities in the U.S. every year and they are largely dissatisfied about accessibility and have a negative travel experience.”
ARCHICAD BASECAMP Shanelle Reese was one of only two students selected from the U.S. to attend an international architecture software workshop in summer 2019, a major accomplishment following her first year as a graduate student in architecture. Reese earned her spot in Graphisoft’s two-week BaseCAMP workshop in Budapest, Hungary, by submitting her Fall 2018 housing studio project, which used the company’s ARCHICAD program. Her winning project proposed an affordable, multi-family residential housing that maximized a small infill site while also making it architecturally relevant with a courtyard, customizable with moveable walls, and a connected daycare.
in the future, would put her at an advantage because of its features and because it’s so seldom used in the U.S.
Reese said she knew using ARCHICAD for her housing studio project, as well as
“It’s an avenue and a skill that opens up my job market more,” Reese said.
SELF-HEALING MATERIAL From a chemical lab within Tulane’s School of Science and Engineering, recent undergraduate architecture alumna Allison Conn (M.Arch. ’19) researched the possibility of using a self-healing concrete in the construction and preservation of buildings, specifically the Smallpox Hospital in Roosevelt Island, New York. Rather than relying on typical and costly rehabilitation, restoration, or reconstruction methods when architecture decays, Conn investigated whether building materials could be engineered with selfhealing properties, similar to those in organic matter like animal bones and tissues. Though very early in its development, researcher Hank Jonkers, PhD, through Basilisk self healing concrete
and Delft University of Technology, has created such materials by using a preserved microbe (bacteria) that, once activated by another substance like air, convert into a new substance that can fill in fissures. Using a sample of this material, Conn tested it with specialized mechanical equipment at Tulane to apply pressure to activated materials in order to characterize the strength of the material, and therefore learn more about its potential applications. “Our current means of preservation are deeply rooted in the decay or mortality of architecture,” Conn said. “What would happen if we explored preservation starting from conception rather than decay?”
PUMPS AND PUBLIC SPACE Exploring how architecture can improve water management and engage communities in New Orleans, alumnus Riley Lacalli (M.Arch. I ’19) developed a project that proposes a new infrastructure system and presented his work at a national conference in Spring 2019. The CriticalMASS Graduate Research Symposium at the University of North Carolina Charlotte brought together 14 students for presentations to panels of experts from across the country. Lacalli’s thesis project “Pumps Politikos” addressed urban infrastructural systems and the problems many cities, coastal cities in particular, are facing because of climate change. Among his design solutions, he proposed a series of canopies, elevated above streets and around pumping stations, as green spaces for not only rainwater collection but also civic engagement. The goal is to create a better water management system that utilizes every drop of water as an asset and, by making these sites accessible, reconnect communities to infrastructure allowing them to play a role in the monitoring and management of the system. “My interest in architecture lies in its ability to contribute to many different disciplines and across many different scales,” Lacalli said.
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Student News 2019 Travel Fellowship Recipients Moise H. & Lois G. Goldstein Travel Fellowship Award Madison Cook – “Same Shores: Prodding at Island Otherness by Identifying a Shared Architectural Vernacular” Location: Nordland, Norway By taking a careful inventory of vernacular building on the island of Skrova and the mainland of Skutvik, this research travel aims to explore the deeper connection of tethering in shared spatial logic, building form, and material quality.
John William Lawrence Travel Fellowship Seneca Gray – “Searching for
Cultural Water: Wabi-sabi in Japanese Architecture” Location: Kyoto, Osaka, Naoshima/Teshima, & Tokyo, Japan This exploration of the traditional concept of wabi-sabi in Japanese architecture aims to assess the practical application and use in our current climate; finding aesthetic beauty in making intentional space for nature [water] and humans to coexist. Lucy Satzewich – “Barely Legal: Architectural Learning from Illegal Architects, Organic Intellectuals and User Build Environments” Location: Alpine & Marfa, TX; Los Angeles & San Simeon, CA; Taipei, Taiwan; Ningbo & Hangzahou, China; Toronto & Six Nations, Ontario
“This proposal explores what happens when spaces and individuals release architecture of its normative tethers by examining the power of the ‘illegal architect’ at various sites that have managed a changeable relationship to their historical, social or political contexts.
Class of 1973 Travel Fellowship Award Taylor Scott – “Constructing Futures: Empowering Communities through Vernacular Construction Materials & Methodologies” Location: Kigali & Butaro, Rwanda; Lilongwe & Mangochi, Malawi The goal of this project is to document and analyze how informal vernacular building materials and
methodologies can empower communities to become selfsufficient. Case-studies across the African continent will provide areas of research to explore these ideas.
Elizabeth Gamard Memorial Travel Fellowship Ysabel Colon – “Rhetoric, Allegory, Narrative, Monument, Material” Location: New Delhi; Chandigarh, India; Dhaka “The intent of this proposal, is to examine the rhetoric of ClaudeNicolas Ledoux, his ideas of character and monumentality, his use of material, and his often governmental and authoritative architecture, specifically, his Salt Works Factory in Arc-et-Senans.
2019 Commencement Awards UNIVERSITY AND SCHOOL AWARDS Tulane 34 Award Nathan Leonard, M.Arch Senior Scholar Alyson Demskie, M.Arch Peery Society Nathan Leonard, M.Arch ARCHITECTURE American Institute of Architects Henry Adams Medal Nathan Leonard, M.Arch Riley Lacalli, M.Arch I American Institute of Architects Louisiana Celebrate Architecture Scholarship Kay Curtis, M.Arch Alpha Rho Chi Medal Dana Elliot, M.Arch I Thomas J. Lupo Awards Nathan Leonard, M.Arch Laruschka Joubert, M.Arch
Thesis Commendations Zachary Banks, M.Arch Dongwei “Shirley” Chen, M.Arch Allison Conn, M.Arch Kay Curtis, M.Arch Alyson Demskie, M.Arch Maria Espinoza, M.Arch Dylan Goldweit-Denton, M.Arch Laruschka Joubert, M.Arch Emily Kanner, M.Arch Bryn Koeppel, M.Arch András Kozicz, M.Arch Caroline Lafleche, M.Arch Nathan Leonard, M.Arch Collin Moosbrugger, M.Arch Erica Perine, M.Arch Ana Sandoval Aguilar, M.Arch Carla Scemama, M.Arch Diego Schubb, M.Arch Ethan Shaw, M.Arch Riley Lacalli, M.Arch I Ashly Libys, M.Arch I Max Warshaw, M.Arch I MASTER OF PRESERVATION STUDIES
John William Lawrence Memorial Medals Dongwei “Shirley” Chen, M.Arch Collin Moosbrugger, M.Arch
Distinguished Thesis Award Megan Daniels, MPS
Outstanding Thesis Award Maria Espinoza, M.Arch Riley Lacalli, M.Arch I
Outstanding Community Engagement Practicum Award Katie Fitzpatrick, MPS
Graduate Design Excellence Award Margaret Harris, M.Arch I
Outstanding Pursuit of New Directions in the Field Award Emily Ketterer, MPS Amanda Coleman, MPS
Graduate Leadership Award Dana Elliot, M.Arch I
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Outstanding Practicum Report Award Isabelle Dissard-Cooper, MPS
MASTER OF SUSTAINABLE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT Academic Distinction Award Alina Volkova, MSRED Leadership Award Alina Volkova, MSRED Service to the Program Award Lina Alfieri Stern, MSRED
Research Awards Muhanad Alfardan, MSRED Anthony Couvillon, MSRED Alex Meyer, MSRED Alan Sharlow, MSRED FACULTY Malcolm Heard Award for Excellence in Teaching Nick Jenisch, Adjunct Lecturer
Alumni Council
ALUMNI UPDATES
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
Brad A. Hastings, AIA, LEED AP (A ’82), a principal at Becker Morgan Group, was on the team awarded with two honors by the AIA Delaware Chapter during its 2018 Design Awards Gala. The firm received an Honor Award, the highest award level, in the unbuilt category and a Merit Award in the built category. Michael J. Bell, FAIA (A ‘83, L *90) and Bell Architecture designed their 500th home for New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH). Bell has created 15 different designs and donated the drawings for 500 new homes, including those in the now iconic Musicians’ Village. David Burt (A ‘83) celebrated his oneyear anniversary as Technical Practice Director for LPA, Inc. Maziar Behrooz (A ‘85) and his firm MB Architecture received several awards in 2018 for the project Bard College Center for Experimental Humanities. The building was named runner-up in Dwell Magazine’s 2018 Best of Design awards in the prefab category and DrivenxDesign also gave the project two awards. Todd Erlandson (A ‘87) won a 2019 Westside Urban Forum Design Award for Untitled No. 1 School by March Studio. Untitled No. 1 School is certified LEED Gold and is the first project in Santa Monica, CA, and the first preschool globally to be WELL certified as part of the WELL education pilot. Kevin Brown’s (A ‘88, A*04) book Kindred Spirits was chosen as a finalist in the 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards for African American Fiction. Jamie Bush (A ‘93) was named among 2019 Architectural Digest’s AD100 top designers. The honor recognizes design legends to young talents carving out a space of their own and shaping our world right now.
his own practice, Matsys, in Oakland, CA, as well as being an associate professor at the California College of the Arts.
to ensure a diverse and inclusive future for the school.
Brillhart Architecture’s Thatch House was featured as the cover story for the May/June 2019 issue of Dwell Magazine. Founded by Jacob Brillhart (A ‘99), Brillhart Architecture is a design office based in Miami, FL.
Keep an eye out for communications from the members in your area about
Sara Cederberg (A ‘04) was hired as the Healthy Materials Program Manager on the Real Estate Sustainability team at Google. Emily Castro (A ’09) launched her architecture and design firm NOLI Designs in New Orleans, LA.
This new council will be chaired by Jessyca Henderson (A ’98, NC ’98) of Catonville, MD, and Simcha Ward (A ‘11) of New Orleans, LA. The alumni listed below have been selected as city co-chairs to lead this initiative. local programming. Jessyca Henderson (A ’98, NC ’98) serves as Associate General Counsel at the AIA. Jessyca grew up in La Porte, Texas, and graduated from Tulane in 1998, where she earned a B.A. in French alongside a M.Arch. After practicing architecture for a number of years in Maryland, she joined the staff of the American Institute of Architects in 2007 doing policy-related work. In 2016, she earned her law degree from Purdue University Global. Jessyca lives in Catonsville, Maryland with her husband and fellow attorney Casey Lide, and their two children, Magnolia (9) and Nikolas (6). Simcha Ward (A ’11) is an Architect and Development
Allison Powell, AIA, LEED BD+C, (A *12), an associate with Quinn Evans Architects, was recently recognized with a 2019 Green Leader Volunteer Award from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Virginia. John Nelson (A ‘13) and Guan Wang (A ‘13), on the Concept and Innovation Team for Starbucks, worked on the chain’s newest stores called Roasteries. A total of six Roasteries are planned or have opened around the world, starting with its flagship store in Seattle and others in Shanghai, Milan, New York City, Chicago, and Tokyo. Antonio Pacheco (A *14) was hired as the Managing Editor at Archinect. Jonathan Sharp (A ‘16) won a competition through the AIA Los Angeles to design/build an exhibition of student architecture work in LA through his platform, small talks:LA. His additional project, Designing in Color, also won a 2019 AIA National Diversity Recognition Award and they will be hosting at workshop at the 2019 Harvard Black in Design conference.
Project Manager at Wisznia | Architecture + Development and is a licensed architect in the District of Columbia. He has been a teammate on transformative developments across the Gulf South such as The Pizitz, The Garage and Two Saints. Prior to Wisznia, Simcha practiced in the Washington, D.C., office of CallisonRTKL. Simcha was heavily involved in R+D efforts within the firm and received the firm’s 2012 Leonard Kagan Research Fellowship.
Alumni Council Membership Roster As of September 1, 2019 CO-CHAIRS
NEW ORLEANS
Jessyca Henderson A ‘98, NC ‘98 Simcha Ward A *11
Kelly Calhoun MPS *17 Chris Daemmrich A ‘17 Celeste Favrot MSRED *18 Lane Rapier A *18
ATLANTA
Kyle McCluskey A ‘09 Stacey Lucas A *00 AUSTIN
Lucas Elser MSRED *18 Rebecca “Becky” L. Jeanes, AIA A ‘05 BOSTON
NEW YORK
Braham Berg A ‘18, MSRED *18 Wells Megalli A *17 Alison (Popper) Landry A ‘09 Annie Peyton A’11
Leland “Lee” B. Berman A *12 Jennifer Gaugler A *11
PHILADELPHIA
CHICAGO
PHOENIX
Paul Zamorano A *15
Joseph Lai A ‘07 Me’osha Solsberry MSRED *18
Chris Cody MPS *14 Nicole Mehaffey A ‘16
CLEVELAND
PORTLAND
IN MEMORIAM
Trudy Andrzejewski MPS *16
Blythe Sacho A ‘06
DALLAS
SAN ANTONIO
Lynton Brown Cooper, Jr., AIA (A ‘55)
Sarah Cumming A ‘14 Devin Weaver A *11
SAN FRANCISCO
Jake Davis, AIA, LEED AP (A ‘94), national public safety design leader at DLR Group, was named the conference chair for the 2019 AIA Academy of Architecture for Justice Fall Conference, themed “Crossing Borders: Community Focused Justice Interventions.”
Samuel Stewart Farnet, Sr. (A ‘55)
Andrew Kudless (A ’97) and Tenna Florian (A ‘97) earned a 2019 National AIA Honor Award for their design of Confluence Park in San Antonio, TX. Tenna is an associate partner at Lake|Flato Architects in San Antonio and Andrew is the director of
Please note that this list reports deaths from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. Please notify our Development Officer at cborries@tulane.edu if you have any information regarding alumni that were not mentioned during this timeframe.
Nofie Decidue Alfonso, Jr. (A ‘56) Leonard Louis Dreyfus (A ‘59) Wilbert Lang Argus, Jr. (A ‘62) Paul George Arvites (A ‘77) Wayne Joseph Troyer, FAIA (A ‘83)
DENVER
Catherine “Katie” Nguyen A *16 INTERNATIONAL
Katherine Allen A ‘15 KANSAS CITY
Corey Squires A *12 Ian Rosenfield A ‘15 Adrianne Steichen A ‘01 SEATTLE
Isaura Perez A ‘18, MSRED *18 Nick Vann A ‘09, MPS *09
William Trakas A*12 Patrick Franke A*12
ST. LOUIS
LOS ANGELES
WASHINGTON, DC
Jake Lazere A *14 Jeffrey Zolan A ‘16
Kekeli Dawes A *18 Brinda Sen Gupta A ‘11, MSRED *12 Chesley McCarty A ‘17
MIAMI
Alexandra Mangimelli A ‘09 Amanda Rosales A ‘12, A ‘13 Eytan Rosencwaig A ‘16
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Alumni Q&A BY KRISTEN JONES Tulane School of Architecture alumna
the interview I learned FXC would be
and in order to respect and honor
How did your time at Tulane School
Cameron Ringness (M.Arch I ’12), re-
working on the new Statue of Liberty
the statue and place, it was designed
of Architecture help shape your
cently made national news as the
Museum, in that moment I was
to merge with the park and become
career and success?
Project Designer on the new Statue of
excited about the kind of work I could
an extension of the landscape. It was
At Tulane, I was able to harness a
Liberty Museum, which opened May
be a part of, not knowing I would be
envisioned as something geological
wide set of skills and expand my
16, 2019, in New York City. Working
lucky enough to land on that project
rather than architectural. It invites
understanding of architecture as
through her firm, FXCollaborative,
specifically.” Ringness recently spoke
visitors to inhabit it along with the
something more than a practice of
Ringness created the museum’s
to us about the project, her career,
vegetation and provide a larger plat-
design and building making. The
overall design – specifically meant to
and what she misses most about New
form to appreciate and stand beside
school’s engagement with the city
evoke Lady Liberty by using the same
Orleans.
the lady.
and the people of New Orleans,
Tell us a bit about the Statue of
Growing up in Cleveland, what influ-
Liberty Museum project. What was
enced you to become an architect?
your inspiration and your design
In Ohio, I was an outdoor kid, building
process as the Project Designer?
forts, wandering the woods, stealing
I was instantly inspired by the place
goose eggs and all the while drawing
of Liberty Island. The whole experi-
everything I saw or imagined. I did
ence of visiting the statue is com-
not know any architects, so never
posed of a much larger sequence. It
thought about it as a possible career,
begins with the idea of the statue, its
but looking back it seems it was
meaning and importance as a global
the natural amalgamation of every-
symbol. The journey from the city
thing I loved and sought as a child. I
through the harbor by boat allows
was drawn to cities as much as the
you to reflect on the passage of so
ecosystems of my backyard. Though
What do you miss most about New
many before. Once arriving, you are
there was less of it in Cleveland than
Orleans?
confronted with this entirely new per-
New York City, I was enchanted by
So many things! Food, music, the
spective of the presence and solidity
culture and ideas that grew out of
people, the plants! But probably, most
of the statue as an artifact and figure,
places. I think it was simply an appe-
of all, I miss a certain kind of magic in
as well as be enveloped in city and
tite to explore and to make that led
the air – it’s a bit intangible, but you
harbor views. The museum would
me to architecture.
feel it the minute you arrive.
materials from the iconic statue. Years in the making, the project played a prominently role in Ringness’s decision to join the FXCollaborative team after graduation from Tulane. “During
Ringness served as Project Designer for the national Statue of Liberty Museum, which opened May 2019 in New York City. Image courtesy of FXCollaborative
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become a piece of this procession,
allowed me to see architecture as one of many tools to affect change, and lift the human spirit. Working on design-build projects, including Hagar’s House Project-Ish, Grow Dat and Guardians of the Flame, I witnessed the importance of a place’s identity and the essentialness of designing for the people who bring that identity to life. I have sought, in my career, to create architecture with this kind of emotional sensitivity and optimism.
OUR ALUMNI
The remaining are practicing in these varied fields
Alumni work in firms all over the country and abroad concentrating in cities with higher populations
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STAY ENGAGED WITH THE SCHOOL
UPCOMING EVENTS FALL 2019
SPRING 2020
OCT 18 AND 19 Graduate Colloquium OCT 23 Bachelor of Arts in Design Launch
FEB 6 AND 7 Career Fair FEB 10 Travel Fellowship Lectures FEB 29 Design Your Future with
Event and Lecture: Lesley-Ann Noel, Professor of Practice in Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship, Tulane University
OCT 28
Lecture: William Brumfield, Professor of Slavic Studies and Sizeler Professor of Jewish Studies, Tulane University
OCT 29 Rudy Bruner Silver Award Celebration NOV 1 Homecoming 2019 Reception NOV 7 AND 8 2019 ACSA Administrators Conference
NOV 8 Class of ‘73 Travel Fellowship Lecture NOV 11 Lecture: Jorg Sieweke, Director, paradoXcity
Destination Tulane
MAR 2
Lecture: Lola Sheppard, Partner, Lateral Office
MAR 6 MAR 9
Spring Graduate Open House
Lecture: Tim Love FAIA, Principal, Utile Design
MAR 12 Give Green Day MAR 16 Lecture: Kate Orff, Founder and Design Director, SCAPE
MAR 23
Lecture: Sara Jensen Carr, Assistant Professor, Northeastern University
MAR 30
Lecture: Fuensanta Nieto, Founding Partner, Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
NOV 14 NOV 14
MSRED Virtual Open House
NOMAS, SISE, TWIA, and WIA New Orleans Lecture: Kimberly Dowdell
MAY 16
NOV 15 NOV 18
Fall Graduate Open House
Join us for an upcoming event, lecture, exhibit, or symposium! Visit architecture. tulane.edu/events.
DEC 12
Research Studio Final Reviews
Lecture: Jamie Bush, Principal, Jamie Bush + Co.
Commencement
ATTEND
Please join us on campus for an upcoming event, lecture, exhibit or symposium! For a list of all upcoming events, please visit http://architecture.tulane.edu/events.
GIVE
The Tulane School of Architecture strives to offer a variety of experiences at the local, national and international level. As the school continues to move forward, the support of alumni and friends is criticalto our ability to provide the best educational opportunities to students. Every gift is important and makes a difference. The Tulane School of Architecture is poised to move to a new level of achievement by building on its strengths and capitalizing on the momentum of its successes. Demonstrate your support by giving today.
HIRE
School of Architecture aims to provide students with guidance, opportunities, contacts and skills to launch and build successful careers in the field. We also connect students with a network of professionals, including alumni and firms interested in the talented designers from Tulane. To learn more or share opportunities, please contact Kristen Jones at kjones41@tulane.edu.
UPDATE
Not receiving our communications? Let us make sure we have your updated contact and work information by emailing Kristen Jones at kjones41@tulane.edu. We also want to hear all about any exciting new positions, promotions, and recent awards.
GIVING REPORT 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.
FY 2019 $2,940,853 TOTAL RAISED
ALUMNI $2,526,612
540
TOTAL GIFTS
WHO GAVE?
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GIFTS OVER $10,000
FRIENDS $68,819 PARENTS $61,557 CORPORATIONS $103,714 OTHER $180,150
To learn more about how you can contribute contact, Chelsea Borries, Development Officer for the Tulane School of Architecture, at 504-314-7764 or cborries@tulane.edu. You can also visit our website: giving.tulane.edu/ARCH.
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VOLUNTEER
Get involved! Come volunteer with the School in the following ways: • Interview a prospective student interested in the School of Architecture • Set up coffee dates in your city for local students • Join our Admissions Representative at an Admissions Fair • Get involved with the local chapter of our new Alumni Council
ADVOCATE
All of the above! Raise your voice and speak out to your family, friends, colleagues, and prospective students about your experiences at the Tulane School of Architecture!
CONTACT
Tulane School of Architecture Richardson Memorial Hall 6823 St. Charles Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118-5698 (504) 865-5389
architecture.tulane.edu