OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

Dear Friend: 

I hope all is well for you!  My guess is that you are busy – it seems that there is a lot of work going on around the world.  These are exciting times at the School of Architecture as well. 

I want to update you on some things that are happening at the School; I will address a number of separate topics that are articulated below.  Our email list is incomplete.  Please pass this on to other alumni and I hope if you received this email second-hand you will contact Anne Presley or me at anne.presley@okstate.edu or randy.seitsinger@okstate.edu and give us your updated information. 

THE DONALD W. REYNOLDS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE BUILDING 

SCHEDULE
I am so excited about this new facility and what it will allow the School to do in the future!  Construction documents are nearing completion and Boldt Construction – our CM at Risk partner - will be providing a GMP in the next month or so.  Interior demolition has already begun on the existing building with asbestos abatement.  We have also undertaken a project with Habitat for Humanity to harvest usable items from the building.  This organization spent a couple of weeks in the building this summer harvesting usable items for sale in their local store that would have otherwise been taken to a land fill.  They say that the funds that they will generate from this project will go a long way towards funding the construction of a new home in Stillwater.  Special recognition should go to Studio Architecture for their role in making the Habitat involvement a reality. 

The official ground-breaking ceremony will occur on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 11:00 am.  Construction on the new wings of the facility will begin in early November and the entire project will be completed in the spring of 2009.  We will move into the new facility for the fall 2009 semester.  Early that semester we will host a building dedication event paired with our 100^th anniversary celebration.   

The School has moved across the street to the ATRC building and we have the entire third floor and part of the second floor.  This is a great temporary home for us and allows the school to remain together and integrated during this transition period.  We have wonderful views from some of our studios and faculty offices down on the construction site and students will be able to keep up daily with progress on the new facility.  This will be a great learning experience for them and of course we will be doing numerous tours for students as well.

DESIGN
From the beginning, the school was charged with designing a facility that integrated with and supported the context and character of the OSU campus.  Planning has been a central issue in the process.  Ideas were introduced in the Design Charrette - which started our project and included alumni, faculty, and students - that looked at connecting our project into the wider campus environment and at having the project be a catalyst for “greening” the campus through conversion of center-campus parking to green pedestrian quadrangle space.  In fact this has happened and one of the most exciting aspects of the project is the closing of Athletic Avenue with the completion of our project and the future conversion of the parking lot to the south of the building into the last developable central campus quadrangle articulated in the Bennett Plan. 

The design of the building has been a challenge but also an opportunity to demonstrate the power of architecture not as self-referential object-making, but as background to place-making and community-building.  The completed building should effectively blend with the campus context and also help strengthen the campus environment through massing and articulation of exterior spaces.  While the new wings are respectful of the campus neo-Georgian context, they are contemporary.  The interior facades of the entry courtyard showcase a contrast between the historic south facade of the existing building and the sun-controlled contemporary aesthetic of a double glazing system. 

The interior of the building will be clean, simple, and modern and will showcase materials, systems and their construction in a rational manner.  The planning utilizes an open-studio concept which has been the hallmark of the School. 

One change that has happened through the design process was the loss of the major auditorium which was cut due to budget concerns.  This auditorium is still shown on a longer-term masterplan and could be added back to the project if funds were secured for its construction. 

See our website at http://architecture.ceat.okstate.edu for the latest building information. 

SUSTAINABILITY
Being responsive and responsible to environmental issues is critical in any good architecture.  Designing a facility that is a good environmental citizen and embraces principles of sustainability has been a high priority throughout the project.  Preservation of the existing facility was a major first decision in this process.  Daylighting efforts in the design studios provide another important “green” feature as these spaces are carefully designed with natural light to provide 100% of the lighting needs during the day.  Control of light into the public areas off of the main entry courtyard has also been carefully considered and a double-wall system utilizing fritted glass screens will help control glare and heat gain in these areas.  Sustainable materials have been considered and used throughout.

 I know many of you are disappointed that we didn’t go through the LEED certification process.  This building was only possible through the generous support of the $14.8 million gift from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and it was the Foundation’s decision not to pursue LEED certification.  However, be assured that the design team carefully considered the same issues involved with LEED certification in the design of the facility. 

MATCHING ENDOWMENT & FUNDRAISING
Efforts are ongoing to secure one or more major gifts towards meeting our $3 million dollar matching requirement.  We will count on each and every one of you to contribute to this effort and we will be giving you more details of a grass roots campaign in the future.  I should note that while efforts are being made to raise money for the Donald W. Reynolds Endowment, the School continues growing its other endowments which support scholarships and many other aspects of the school.  Our total endowments for the School of Architecture have doubled to over $1.5 million over the past three years, providing approximately $60,000/year to support our faculty and students. 

CURRICULUM
The completed Donald W. Reynolds School of Architecture facility brings with it the opportunity and responsibility of new initiatives for the future.  One of the reasons the school received priority for this project was our goal of prioritizing and increasing enrollment in our graduate programs.  Currently our graduate programs are on hold as the new facility is being completed.  Space is even more severely limited than in the past and the University has asked us not to accept any new graduate students until the new facility is complete and a plan is in place that shows the viability of a newly populated and expanded graduate program. 

In order to meet this commitment, the School has submitted application for a newly designed graduate program for 10-15 outstanding architecture students.  These students would enter a grad program track at the completion of 4^th year and would receive an accredited 5 ˝ year Master of Architecture degree.  This degree would include a creative thesis project.  At the same time, our current BARCH degree program will be maintained for students who choose to graduate with a shorter 5 year accredited degree.  Students from other universities will be recruited to join OSU students in the graduate program.  Additional faculty will be required to fully realize this plan. 

At the same time, the AE program will maintain its five year BARCH Eng degree and will develop a post-professional masters program.  Currently a jointly masters degree program is being tested with Civil Engineering in the transition period as the new facility is completed. 

FACULTY
For all but our most recent graduates, the faculty teaching team at the School of Architecture has many new faces.  While many outstanding senior faculty members have retired over recent years, we have been successful in bringing in extremely creative and motivated new faculty with extensive teaching and practice experience.  They, along with our continuing faculty, have injected enthusiasm and energy in the school.  I am pleased that the School maintains OSU traditions and professional focus but with a new and exciting edge created by passionate faculty members with diverse backgrounds and experiences.  I am confident that this School will continue to educate architects and architectural engineers who will be leaders in the profession. 

This year two faculty members were promoted to Associate Professor with tenure; Tom Spector and Khaled Mansy and two faculty members were reappointed as Assistant Professors; Paolo Sanza and Mike Richards. 

Nigel Jones has taken on new responsibilities at OSU.  In addition to continuing as a tenured School of Architecture faculty member with some teaching responsibilities, he is now serving as the OSU University Architect charged with implementing the recently approved master plan. 

Professor Tom Jordan retired at the end of the spring semester but will continue working with the School and helping us with our IT needs.  He recently underwent heart surgery – which was unexpected – but he is doing great and expects to be better than ever in a short time. 

Carisa Ramming (MAE 2004) has joined the faculty as a visiting assistant professor for a year while a search is ongoing for a tenure-track replacement for Professor Jordan.  Carisa joins Suzanne Bilbeisi and Jeanne Homer to form a trio of talented women faculty – unprecedented in the history of the School! 

Some things have changed, some have stayed the same, but rest assured that the talents and energies of our faculty are being fully utilized to offer outstanding educational opportunities to OSU School of Architecture students. 

AWARDS
The School of Architecture has a long tradition of awards and in particular of winning and placing in student design competitions.  Last year, several students added to this tradition.  Travis Eslick received an Honorable Mention in the 2006-07 ACSA/AISC Steel Design Student Competition - Open (Category II), International Student Design Competition (faculty sponsors Paolo Sanza and Tony Cricchio), Corentin Fivet received an Honorable Mention in the 2006-07 ACSA/PCA CONCRETE THINKING FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD, International Student Design Competition – Structure Category (faculty sponsors Paolo Sanza and Tony Cricchio), Talha Khawaja placed third in the Berkeley Prize competition for writing about architecture (faculty sponsor Tom Spector) and Adam Ward placed second in the Tulsa Bus Shelter Professional Design Competition. 

Our faculty are well-recognized nationally too.  In the spring of 2007, Jeanne Homer was named one of three architecture faculty members nationally to receive a prestigious ACSA/AIA New Faculty Teaching Award.

NCARB PRIZE
Even though this news is several years old, I am still proud that the School received the 2004 NCARB Prize.  We all know that Professor Emeritus Alan Brunken was a key person in developing the comprehensive design course (ARCH 5119, now ARCH 4216) over many years.  His leadership in this course was outstanding and as Professor Suzanne Bilbeisi told the NCARB audience in Portland at the awards ceremony, Professor Brunken “dedicated 25 years to this course, from 1977 to 2002”.   

Many other faculty members made contributions to the course over the years as there were typically four faculty members teaching in the course each semester it was offered.  The course was enriched by jurors and students alike and all should share in the success of the award. 

With Professor Brunken’s imminent retirement already announced for the end of the spring 2004 semester, I asked Suzanne Bilbeisi to take over leadership of this course in the fall of 2003.  She had previously taught in the course several times and had a very good understanding of the course and its goals.  Her teaching partners were Tom Spector, Jeanne Homer, Khaled Mansy, and John Phillips.  One important change that happened at this time was the pairing of Professor Spector’s project management course with the comprehensive design studio, aligning assignments in the management course with the studio project.  At my urging, Professor Bilbeisi and her teaching team took the project that they were doing in the fall 2003 semester and submitted it for consideration of the 2004 NCARB Prize.   

The 2004 NCARB Prize was and is a great honor for the School of Architecture and should be shared by all of the faculty, students, and jurors involved with the course over the years.  Special recognition goes to Professors Dwight Stevens and Alan Brunken for their roles in developing the course over the years and to the faculty team, students, and jurors who participated in the specific fall 2003 project which was submitted for consideration of the award.   

ALUMNI
Our alumni continue to excel across the United States and world.  I am pleased to announce that two School of Architecture alumni, Rand Elliott, FAIA, and Mike Damore, AIA, will be inducted into the OSU College of Engineering Architecture and Technology Hall of Fame on October 12, 2007.   

Rand Elliott graduated from the School of Architecture in 1973 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.  He is the principal of Elliott + Associates in Oklahoma City where he has been practicing architecture for over 30 years. 

Rand has distinguished himself in the practice of architecture in Oklahoma.  Over the past 30 years, Elliott + Associates has received over 185 architectural, interior, lighting, and graphic design awards including 10 national AIA Honor Awards.  Rand’s 10 awards ranks him 9^th overall for the most such awards by any architect nationally in this century.   

Michael Damore graduated from the School of Architecture in 1973 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree.  He joined A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc., a Chicago-based architecture, engineering, construction, interior design and graphic design firm, in 1991, and is currently the Executive Managing Director, President of Architecture and Interior Design. A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc. is a full-service architecture, engineering, construction, interior design and graphic design firm. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm maintains offices in Los Angeles, California; San Antonio, Texas; Warsaw, Poland; Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba, Israel and Shenzhen and Beijing, China and has recently opened an office in Bucharest, Romania. 

Michael is also the head of Epstein’s boutique architectural studio – annex|5.  Over the past five years annex|5 has won numerous national and international design awards from the American Institute or Architects and the Society of American Registered Architects. 

They join former School of Architecture CEAT Hall of Famers Bill Caudill, David Benham, David Murray, Ralph Ball, Bill Lacy, Bob Lawrence, Eason Leonard, Jim Bruza, Tom Wallace, Don Wickens, Jim Cummins, and Frank Chitwood.  In addition, Neal and Eddie Jones represent the School as the only recipients of the CEAT Lohmann Medal. 

I hope that you remain as proud of our school as I am.  Thank you for your support of our programs and I urge you to continue supporting and promoting the School.  It is a great place for educating architects and architectural engineers – you are the evidence!

 If you have any questions, news, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. 

Sincerely,

Randy Seitsinger, AIA
Professor and Head
Oklahoma State University School of Architecture