INSIDE TRACK: e-newsletter for the College of Architecture
August 29, 2008


Ant colony 3-D visualization
garners attention at SIGGRAPH

Visitors to one of the world’s premier computer graphics and interactive techniques conferences saw pioneering work developed at the Texas A&M Department of Visualization.

“Atta Texana Leafcutting Ant Colony: a View Underground,” created by visualization professors Carol LaFayette and Fred Parke, put viewers at SIGGRAPH 2008 in Los Angeles inside an immersive, three-dimensional representation of an ant colony.

The SIGGRAPH convention is an annual event that drew almost 30,000 attendees August 11-15 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Artists, research scientists, gaming experts, developers, filmmakers, students and academics from 87 countries attended.

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Above: A 3-D representation of an underground ant colony, developed at the Department of Visualization, was a hit at a computer graphics convention in Los Angeles in August.

Vanegas takes helm as interim dean
of Texas A&M College of Architecture

Architecture professor Jorge Vanegas, director of Texas A&M University’s Center for Housing and Urban Development, was appointed interim dean of the College of Architecture Wednesday, July 9 by university president Elsa A. Murano.

The appointment, effective Aug. 1, was announced at a Wednesday morning gathering of College of Architecture faculty and staff by Jerry Strawser, then Texas A&M's interim provost and executive vice president for academics.

Strawser said Vanegas, as interim dean, is expected to "move forward aggressively" and continue to "build on the momentum" the college has gained under the leadership of outgoing dean, Tom Regan, whose deanship began in 1998.

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Mills comes to Aggieland from South Africa
to head Texas A&M architecture department

Glen Mills, a South African architect and former dean with an extensive academic and professional background, took the reins July 1 as head of the Department of Architecture at Texas A&M University.

Prior to joining the Texas A&M faculty, Mills was principal and sole proprietor of an architecture firm in Johannesburg, South Africa. He also served as executive dean for the Faculty of the Arts and as professor of architecture at Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria.

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Student, professor highlight attributes
of Texas A&M College of Architecture

Master of Architecture student Ashley Dias and Louis Tassinary, professor of architecture and associate dean for research, recently took some time to share their personal insights on the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. In the following video, they highlight a few of the college’s attributes and explain why it is “the place” for pursuing an education.

Watch the video and read the full story

Brody pens book encouraging local
officials to adopt sustainable planning

In his new book “Ecosystem Planning in Florida: Solving Regional Problems through Local Decision-making,” Sam Brody, associate professor of urban planning at Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, says local jurisdictions can begin sustainable levels of environmental planning if they can capture and implement the principles of managing natural systems.

A natural system better known as the Mississippi River overwhelmed many communities along its banks in June 2008. Local officials were quite visible during the catastrophe, doing what they could to minimize the damage.

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Jackson authors book, ranks
state office building efficiency

Jerry Jackson, associate professor of construction science at Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, released a landmark study July 15 that measures energy efficiency in state office buildings across the nation.

“This ranking is important because it provides the first assessment of efficiency achievements in individual states and, more importantly, uncovers how much efficiency potential still exists,” said Jackson.

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Viz department featured in
Houston Chronicle article

In its July 24, 2008 edition, the Houston Chronicle published a comprehensive feature on the Department of Visualization at the Texas A&M College of Architecture.

The story offers an overview of the department's Master of Science in Visualization Sciences program and touts the Texas Aggie connection to Hollywood's leading animation and special effects studios.

“It occupies a small, nondescript floor of the Langford Architecture Building. It has only about 60 students and 11 faculty members, but its presence has long been felt throughout the world of computer graphics (CG) entertainment,” Louis B. Parks wrote in the Chronicle piece.

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Photo credit (c) Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios

Legion of A&M Vizzers assist creation
of Pixar's latest feature film, 'WALL.E'

When moviegoers enter the world of WALL•E, a robot who lives on a future Earth devoid of humans, they’re seeing a movie with major contributions from 17 graduates and four current students of the Visualization Laboratory at Texas A&M University, part of the Department of Visualization Sciences at the university’s College of Architecture.

“WALL•E,” the latest blockbuster film from Pixar studios, is just the latest example of how “Vizzers” from Texas A&M, animators who learned about digital animation from the Viz Lab, are using their knowledge to help Pixar entertain audiences in America and throughout the world.

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Sony Pictures begins partnership
with Texas A&M's viz department

Sony Pictures recently selected the Department of Visualization at Texas A&M University to be part of its Imageworks’ Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program, which helps groom visual effects artists, software engineers and animators for movies and related endeavors.

Tim McLaughlin, visualization department head, calls the program “a good partnership” that will benefit students, faculty, and the Sony program. About 60 students are currently enrolled in the Viz program at Texas A&M.

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Rodrigo Huerta has earned a major scholarship from Sony Pictures Imageworks; at right is Department of Visualization Head Tim McLaughlin

Huerta wins scholarship from
Sony Pictures Imageworks

Rodrigo Huerta, a student in Texas A&M University’s Master of Science in Visualization Sciences program, was selected by Sony Pictures Imageworks as the top scholarship winner in a nationwide competition of students preparing themselves for careers in digital animation.

The scholarship is from Imageworks’ Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program.  Through the IPAX scholarship fund, Luis will receive tuition money toward his master’s degree in visualization Texas A&M as well as animation courses he’s taking through Animation Mentor, an online animation school.

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Alan Stacell memorial tower dismantled;
competition for new structure planned

Workers gently brought down a 43-foot tall memorial tower in the atrium of Texas A&M University’s Langford Architecture Center building A July 18, 2008, on the advice of a structural engineer.

The unique structure honored the memory of Alan Stacell, who for 40 years served as teacher, mentor and friend to a legion of young Texas A&M designers at the university’s College of Architecture. Plans call for a new design competition this fall to honor his memory.

A group of Texas A&M architecture students, inspired by Stacell, designed and built the structure in 2002 as a memorial to him. He succumbed to cancer Dec. 9, 2001 shortly after retiring from the Department of Architecture.

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Graduate students Nome, Ozener
present BIM findings at AIA Boston

A research effort revealing three different kinds of Building Information Modeling was presented by Carlos Nome and Ozan Ozener, Ph.D. architecture students at Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, prior to the American Institute of Architects’ Boston convention in May 2008.

Their May 13 presentation was part of “Change the World: Harnessing BIM Technology and Integrated Project Delivery for Sustainable Design,” a series of lectures that took place before the main AIA convention May 15-17.

The genesis of the presentation took place more than a year ago, when the AIA’s Large Firm Roundtable requested proposals from universities to conduct research on BIM. The proposal from Texas A&M was led by Mark Clayton, then interim head of the Department of Architecture.

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Aggie Solar Decathlon groHome re-built,
open for tours at Bush Presidential Library

Designed to be responsive to the present and future needs of the American family, the Aggie groHome, Texas A&M College of Architecture's award-winning entry in the U.S. Department of Energy's 2007 Solar Decathlon, is now open for public tours on the grounds of the Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.

The student-designed residence powered exclusively by the sun can be toured 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 1 - 4 p.m. on Sundays. The solar home will be open for tours through the fall.

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Landphair elevated to ASLA fellow

Harlow Landphair, ASLA, a retired professor of landscape architecture at Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, is among 20 members of the American Society of Landscape Architects selected for induction to the society’s Council of Fellows.

Members of the ASLA Council of Fellows are recognized for their extraordinary work, leadership, knowledge, and service to the profession over a sustained period of time. The Fellows-elect will be formally inducted into the council October 4, 2008, during the ASLA’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.

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Aggie ASLA members traveled to
D.C. to lobby Congress members

Briana Morrison, a landscape architecture student in Texas A&M’s College of Architecture, believes landscape architects can make major contributions to the preservation of the nation’s historic sites as well as its energy conservation efforts through national legislation.

She and three like-minded Aggie landscape architecture students, M’Lynn Lehrmann, Paul Cozzolino, and Pamela Humphrey, journeyed to Washington D.C. May 8 to lobby members of the U.S. Congress as part of ASLA’s Lobby Day. They were sponsored by the college’s landscape architecture and urban planning department and the ASLA.

From left are M'Lynn Lehrmann, Briana Morrison, Paul Cozzolino, and Pamela Humphrey

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HRRC's coastal planning
atlas debuts on Internet

The Coastal Communities Planning Atlas, developed by the Hazards Reduction and Recovery Center of Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, is a new Internet tool designed to provide images of possible futures of coastal areas in Texas.

“We wanted to create a Web-based, visual spatial decision support tool, where anybody with an internet connection, whether you’re a mayor, planner, or resident on the coast, can view, interact with data and predict impacts of development on coastal areas,” said Sam Brody, associate professor of urban planning at Texas A&M and a faculty fellow with the Hazards Reduction and Recovery Center.

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Hazard and disaster experts call
for research institute at meeting
hosted by HRRC at Texas A&M

Walter Gillis Peacock, director of the Texas A&M College of Architecture’s Hazards Reduction and Recovery Center, envisions a future in which, with the help of research, the planet’s population is less affected by natural disasters than it is now.

To that end, Peacock and other leading natural hazard and disaster researchers met on the Texas A&M University campus June 12-15, 2008 and called for the establishment of a Resiliency and Vulnerability Observatory Network (RAVON), and established guidelines for its establishment, focus, and operation.

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Lindell named to earthquake
hazard reduction committee

Michael Lindell, a professor of urban planning at Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture, will use his expertise in environmental hazards, emergency management, and research methods as a new member of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program’s Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction.

Lindell, who holds a Ph.D. in social and quantitative psychology from the University of Colorado and is a faculty fellow at Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recover Center, noted the significance of the inclusion of social scientists such as himself on the committee.

His appointment, he said, “reflects an increasing recognition of the contributions that our disciplines can make to the reduction of earthquake hazards,” he said.

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Tassinary, Ulrich and colleagues' study
among top articles read on website

Two professors from Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture contributed to a study on anger at the workplace that was the most frequently read article in the environment and behavior category on the Sage Journals online website in June 2008.

The study indicates nature paintings reduce males’ stress levels in an office setting.

Louis Tassinary, professor of architecture, associate dean for research and director of graduate studies and Roger Ulrich, professor of architecture and holder of the Julie and Craig Beale ’71 Endowed Professorship in Health Facilities Design, teamed up with Byoung-Suk Kweon of the University of Michigan, and Verrick Walker of PageSoutherlandPage, for the study.

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CHUD continues outreach efforts
along Texas-Mexico border area

The Center for Housing and Urban Development at Texas A&M, part of the university’s College of Architecture, is continuing its involvement in a number of outreach programs targeting the Hispanic population along the Mexican border.

Laura Treviño, associate director of CHUD’s Colonias Program in Weslaco, spoke at a literacy conference in May hosted by the McAllen ISD Migrant Education Department and the AVANCE-RGV Civics Program. AVANCE-RGV serves low-income Rio Grande Valley colonia families with young children.

The event promoted education through literacy with an emphasis on the importance of children’s reading at home.

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Students from Eagle Pass tour the Texas A&M campus.

CHUD helps Texas A&M
recruit Hispanic students

Two years ago, high school students in Eagle Pass listened to a presentation from representatives of the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University.

Intrigued, 44 of the students wanted to visit the Texas A&M campus. What stood between them and a campus tour was the journey to College Station, a journey that would later involve the college’s Center for Housing and Urban Development, campus groups, other educational associations and individuals who wanted to make the trip become reality.

This fall, ten of those students will begin classes at Texas A&M.

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Frank Lara works on shading during an art exercise.

Scholarship students from Laredo
among Camp ARCH attendees

Camp ARCH, the Texas A&M College of Architecture’s summer camp that familiarizes high school-age students with careers in fields taught at the college, included students on scholarship from South Texas.

College of Architecture interim dean and Center for Housing and Urban Development director Jorge Vanegas agreed to teach students at Camp ARCH during its July 13-19 run if his instructor fee was used to provide scholarships for three students from South Texas colonias. Outgoing college dean Tom Regan also sponsored a colonia resident.

Three of the four students, Sergio Benitez, Procopio Herrera, and John Mejorado, wanted to learn about creating video games, so they enrolled in the camp's visualization track.

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Langford buildings refitted
with energy-saving lights

Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture was first in line to participate in a university effort to have new, energy-efficient lighting installed in campus buildings.

The new lights are part of Maroon is Green, a collegewide initiative aimed at adopting green practices throughout the college’s three Langford Architecture Center buildings.

More than 1400 new, 34-watt lamps were installed. “There were 720 fixtures, and each can have between two to four lamps,” said Brian Veteto, mechanical systems specialist with Texas A&M’s physical plant.

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Lean Construction summit
shows a new way to build

The Texas A&M College of Architecture’s Center for Housing and Urban Development hosted the first Texas Lean Construction Summit June 30 - July 2 at the College Station Hilton Hotel & Conference Center.

Lean construction, hailed as a new way to design and build capital facilities, emphasizes maximum value and minimum waste applied to specific techniques and applies them in a new project delivery process.

The conference was aimed at those responsible for and interested in the management and improvement of work in design and construction, managers or project team members, suppliers, and organizations in the construction-related industries that support design and construction activities.

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Bryan Trubey discusses his design of Cowboy Stadium during a visit to the Texas A&M campus

Two Super Bowls slated in
Aggie-designed stadiums

For two consecutive years, beginning in 2011, the Super Bowl will be played in stadiums designed by Texas A&M University College of Architecture alumnus Bryan Trubey ‘83 of the HKS Sports and Entertainment Group.

Cowboys Stadium, the home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys beginning in the 2009 season, will host Super Bowl XLV Feb. 6, 2011.

On May 24, 2008, the National Football League awarded Super Bowl XLVI to Indianapolis. The game will be played Feb 5, 2012 in Lucas Oil Stadium, which opens this fall as the home stadium of the league's Indianapolis Colts.

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Student designs for La Porte facility
featured in Texas Architect magazine

Texas Architect editor Stephen Sharpe took note of efforts by students in a spring 2008 studio led by Mardelle Shepley, professor of architecture at Texas A&M’s College of Architecture.

Sharpe, writing in the May/June 2008 of Texas Architect, said the students had just two weeks to create designs to the Parsons Group, owner of a senior citizens residential facility in La Porte.

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Preservation students document
historical Bryan Episcopal church

It was picture time for St. Andrew's, the venerable Episcopal church building on 217 West 26th street in Bryan.

When graduate students from the Texas A&M College of Architecture come to document historical buildings, however, they do much more than take snapshots.

Graduate students enrolled in ARCH 649, Recording Historic Buildings, spent their Summer I session recording the historic building, whose cornerstone was laid in 1912; the structure was finished in 1914.

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Design process students excel
in two Aggie invention contests

If creative thinking is required, students who have taken the Design Process class at Texas A&M University can be counted on to come up with great ideas.

The class, known in the catalog as ENDS 101, is offered through the university’s College of Architecture. Taught by Rodney Hill and Jorge Vanegas, professors of architecture, enrolled or previously enrolled students nabbed many of the top awards in two campus contests in the spring 2008 semester. Vanegas is now the college’s interim dean.

In the Aggie Innovention contest, Design Process students nabbed four of the top six awards.

“The purpose of this contest,” said the competition’s website, “is to find an Aggie Innoventor who, through the use of creativity and innovation, crafts an idea that—when developed—will solve a problem related to campus life and/or university attendance. “

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Evidence-based design draws ire
in some places, harmony in others

Kirk Hamilton, associate professor of architecture at Texas A&M, recently weighed in on a debate that erupted in Springfield, Oregon about the design of the new Sacred Heart Medical Center.

According to an Aug. 10 article published in the Eugene Register Guard, the hospital complex has a lodge-like lobby with art and a three-story river rock fireplace, sweeping views of the McKenzie River and Coburg Hills from patient rooms, and a stand of towering fir trees on the grounds.

A retired teacher told the newspaper the facility is an “opulent monument to medicine that could only have been built on huge profits and the promise of more … it’s like building a palace in the middle of suffering and poverty.”

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Visiting Japanese scholar researching
medical facility design at Texas A&M

Kazuhiko Okamoto, a visiting scholar from Japan, will be researching medical facilities design at Texas A&M University's College of Architecture during an 18-month fellowship from the Japanese government and the Kajima Corporation.

Okamoto is an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo's Department of Architecture and has been involved in the design of a number of hospital facilities.

He began teaching at the University of Tokyo after working for Okada and Associates in Tokyo.

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In case you missed it:

Aggie septuagenarian earns BED
degree, starts master’s school in fall

When Shirley Ankenmann does her homework, she likes to listen to classical music on the radio. A few weeks before she was to graduate with a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from Texas A&M's College of Architecture, the 73-year old student heard "Pomp and Circumstance," the traditional graduation song, come on the radio.

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Graham, OU's new architecture
dean, profiled in Daily Oklahoman


Charles Graham, former executive associate dean at Texas A&M's College of Architecture, was profiled in The Daily Oklahoman in a story July 6. Graham is now dean at the University of Oklahoma's College of Architecture.

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Solar D home included in
Texas Architect magazine

The Texas A&M College of Architecture's 2007 Solar Decathlon groHome appeared in the July/August 2008 issue of Texas Architect, along with a short article by Pliny Fisk, professor of architecture and landscape architecture.

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BED student selected as Aggie
band's first female drum major

Samantha Kropp, a junior in the Bachelor of Environmental Design program at Texas A&M's Department of Architecture, will help lead the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band on the football field this fall as the first female drum major in the band's history.

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College Ph.D. student quoted in Time
magazine about childhood obesity study

Xuemei Zhu, a new member of the Texas A&M College of Architecture faculty, was quoted in the June 12 issue of Time magazine in an article about childhood obesity.

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Mann, Briscoe attend healthcare
architecture conference in Italy

Two representatives from Texas A&M University's College of Architecture presented the latest in healthcare design at the 2008 International Union of Architects' Public Health Group conference in the ancient Italian city of Florence.

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Students net top honor from
HKS for their Dubai design

A jury of professional designers awarded $1000 to a team of architecture and landscape architecture students from Texas A&M University's College of Architecture for their hospital/resort project design for a development in Dubai.

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Architecture student's work
featured in AIA Houston exhibit

Designs by Texas A&M University architecture student Jason Haynes were be on display beside work by architecture students and faculty from Rice, the University of Houston and Prairie View A&M at Academic Update 2008, sponsored by AIA Houston.

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Two new scholarships endowed by
former student, corporate friend

Texas A&M College of Architecture students will have an opportunity to benefit from two recently endowed scholarships, one established by former student Arnoldo Robelo and one created by SpawMaxwell, a Houston-based corporation with a special interest in Texas A&M's Department of Construction Science.

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Class Acts

Former students elevated as fellows
in American Institute of Architects

Five Texas A&M College of Architecture former students received the American Institute of Architects’ highest honors May 16 at the AIA’s annual convention in Boston.

They were among 116 new members of the AIA's College of Fellows honored at investiture ceremonies in Boston's Old South Church.

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Architecture grad Hawes wins
TSA lifetime achievement award

Velpeau Hawes, Jr., '58, FAIA, an outstanding alumnus of Texas A&M's College of Architecture, has been named the recipient of the Texas Society of Architects' 2008 Medal for Lifetime Achievement in honor of Llewellyn Pitts, FAIA.

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Master of Urban Planning graduate
going to Washington for Fellowship

Nicole Adair, who earned a Master of Urban Planning degree from Texas A&M University's College of Architecture in August 2008, looks at neighborhoods across Texas and sees a storm brewing.

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Former student's Chipotle restaurant
designs featured in Architect magazine

Scott Shippey has found that after 10 years of designing Chipotle restaurants, it's still "awesome." "They're cool," is how Shippey described the restaurants to Amanda Kolson Hurley in her story in the June issue of Architect magazine. He received a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree in 1993 from Texas A&M University's College of Architecture. "I hate to sound like a juvenile about it, but they're cool."

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San Antonio chamber lauds former
student for professional excellence

Madeline Anz Slay, who received a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from Texas A&M University's College of Architecture in 1991, has received the ATHENA Young Professional Award from the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

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MSLD graduate to head his
company's China operations

Ben Cornish, who received a Master of Science in Land Development in 1993 from Texas A&M University's College of Architecture, will lead AMB Property Corporation's growing presence in China as the company's senior vice president and chief operating officer for China.

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Rambo named principal
of F&S Partners in Dallas

Jay H. Rambo, who earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from Texas A&M University's College of Architecture in 1996, has been named a principal in F&S Partners, a Dallas-based architecture, interior design and planning firm.

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M.Arch grad Eddington promoted to
associate at Portland, Oregon firm

Thane Eddington, who received a Master of Architecture from Texas A&M's College of Architecture in 2001, has been promoted to associate at Giffin Bolte Jurgens Architects, a firm in Portland, Oregon.

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Architecture alums, student's work
featured at Dallas art gallery exhibit

There was a substantial Texas A&M College of Architecture connection to an art and sculpture show held last summer at Gallery 2910 in Dallas.

The featured artists included:

  • Mark Stewart, who received a Master of Architecture degree in 1975 and a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree in 1974;
  • Brant Moore, who's working on his master's degree in architecture and received a Bachelor of Environmental Design in 2001,
  • Ivan Farr, who's scheduled to receive his Bachelor of Environmental Design degree in 2009.

Gallery 2910, which opened in January 2008, offers an eclectic collection of fine art at its location in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas.

Botello earns LEED accreditation

Miguel Botello, a project manager with C.T. Hsu + Associates in Orlando, Fla., and a former student in Texas A&M's College of Architecture, has earned accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

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Special Events

Davison painting on exhibit
in Corpus Christi art museum

Dick Davison, professor of architecture at Texas A&M, shows how he and other artists use various media to create art from a blank canvas at an exhibition now on display at the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi.

Davison's work, "Chronicles II," is a 5-foot by 6-foot painting he created in the late 80's.

"It's kind of an architectural fantasy-type image. It's as much a drawing as a painting with a lot of variety of texture," he said.

The painting is part of "Superficial: An Exhibition About the Surface of a Painting," a display of 20 selections from the museum's permanent collection.

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Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series
features leading allied healthcare pros

Every Wednesday at noon during the fall 2008 semester, Texas A&M College of Architecture students will have an opportunity to hear leading professionals from the allied healthcare professions discuss relevant issues related to health care and healthcare facilities design as part of the semester-long Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series.

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Lang participating in two
Venice Biennale events

Peter Lang, an assistant professor of architecture who teaches for the Texas A&M College of Architecture at the Santa Chiara Study Center in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy, will be participating in two projects in the 11th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale - a major contemporary art exhibition held every two years in Venice, Italy.

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Faculty research symposium
submissions due by Sept. 19

Friday, Sept. 19 is the deadline for submitting materials for the College of Architecture's Oct. 27 faculty research symposium, "Research on the Built and Virtual Environments: Global Symposia Presentations 2008."

Three items are requested from each participating faculty member. Presentation abstracts, print-quality graphics illustrating the topic, and a list of each faculty member's invited presentations and published papers since June 1, 2007 should be submitted to Trisha Gottschalk at trishg@tamu.edu. Large graphic and photographs may be burned on a CD and delivered to Gottschalk in Langford A219D.

A list of presentations and published papers should be submitted by all faculty members, even those who are not presenting at the Oct. 27 event. Also, faculty new to the college are encouraged to participate.

Presentations and referred papers will be categorized by: presentations, publications, books/monographs, published proceedings, journal articles, book chapters, reports, workshops, sundry works and exhibitions.

The abstracts, artwork and list of current research are used to create a publication that serves as the symposium program and, more importantly, is utilized throughout the year to showcase faculty research initiatives at the college.

Calendar of Events

Sept. 2
ABC Fall Lecture Series — Mike Simpson of Vaughn Construction will present "Requests for Information: Practical Problems and Solutions" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2 in Preston Geren Auditorium as part of the Associated Builders and Contractors meeting. For more information, contact John Nichols at jm-nichols@tamu.edu.

Sept. 3
It’s Not Just About Hospitals — a lecture featuring Jean Mah, FAIA, FACHA, LEED AP, principal of national healthcare practice leader Perkins + Will Architects of Los Angeles, California, will be held noon Wednesday, Sept. 3 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

AGC meeting — An Associated General Contractors' student meeting is scheduled 7:15 - 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3 in the Preston Geren Auditorium (Langford B102). For more information, contact Dakota Durden at kotaggie08@neo.tamu.edu.

AIGA meeting — The American Institute of Graphic Arts gathers for dinner 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3 at a location to be announced. The group’s meeting begins at 7:30. The agenda includes an introduction to AIGA and an overview of what the Texas A&M chapter is undertaking, including long-term projects for competitions. Studio tours in Austin or Dallas are also being considered. For the meeting place or more information, contact Donna Hajash at 979.845.5373 or d-hajash@tamu.edu or e-mail callie.tamplin@gmail.com.

Sept. 4
Bureau of Delight Film SeriesA screening of “Artemisia” kicks off this fall’s Bureau of Delight film series 6:45 p.m. in the Preston Geren Auditorium. The film (for mature audiences) is a true story of the first female painter to break into the 17th-century Italian art world with her exotic images. Seventeen-year-old Artemisia inherits her passion for painting from her father, Orazio, a well-known painter in the Florentine tradition. Considered forbidden, a female painter has neither the right to attend classes at the Academy, nor to paint nude models. Artemisia wants to do both, and is persistent in her ambition. This anatomical quest mingles an in an impalpable way with the unleashing of her repressed sexual inhibitions. For more information on this film series, contact Tom Regan at reganjt@archone.tamu.edu.

Sept. 10
A Nurse’s Perspective on Hospital Design — a lecture featuring Teri Oelrich, MBA, BSN, RN, principal with NBBJ in Seattle, Washington, will be held noon Wednesday, Sept. 10 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Sept. 11
Bureau of Delight Film Series — continues at 6:45 p.m. in the Preston Geren Auditorium. The film is to be announced. For more information, contact Tom Regan at reganjt@archone.tamu.edu.

Sept. 12
Academic Convocation and Investiture of Dr. Elsa Murano as president of Texas A&M University begins 10 a.m. in the Rudder Auditorium. For more information visit http://www.tamu.edu/convocation.

HRRC Brown Bag Lecture Series — W. Douglass Shaw, research fellow at the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, will present "Perceived Risks of Arsenic in Drinking Water" as part of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center’s Brown Bag Lecture Series 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 in Langford B209. Shaw is a professor at Texas A&M's Department of Agricultural Economics and Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Sciences. For more information, contact Clarissa Garcia, 845.7813.

Sept. 16
AGC meeting — An Associated General Contractors meet 7:15 - 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 in the Preston Geren Auditorium. For more information, contact Dakota Durden, kotaggie08@neo.tamu.edu.

Sept. 17
Research and Design for Health — a lecture featuring Derek Parker, FAIA, RIBA, FACHA, director of Anshen+Allen Architects in San Francisco, Calif.  at noon Wednesday, Sept. 17 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture for Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Sept. 18
Bureau of Delight Film Series — continues at 6:45 p.m. in the Preston Geren Auditorium. The film is to be announced. For more information, contact Tom Regan at reganjt@archone.tamu.edu.

Sept. 24
Maximum Flexibility Through Standardization — a lecture featuring James R. Diaz, FAIA, FACHA, principal and Lari Diaz, AIA, both with Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz architects in San Francisco, Calif., is scheduled noon Wednesday, Sept. 24 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Sept 30
AGC meeting — The Association of General Contractors meets 7:15 - 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 in the Preston Geren Auditorium. For more information, contact Dakota Durden, kotaggie08@neo.tamu.edu.

Oct. 1
A Tale of Two Graduates: A Week in the Life of Ashley and Alejandro After Graduating from Texas A&M — a lecture featuring Ashley N. Dias of HKS Inc. Dallas and Alejandro Iriarte, associate medical planner with WHR Architects, Inc. of Houston, Texas, at noon Wednesday, Oct. 1 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Oct. 1-4
American Planners Association Texas Chapter will hold its annual meeting in Galveston’s convention center. For more information, contact Thena Morris at 845.1046 or jwithers@archmail.tamu.edu.

Oct. 2
COSC career fair session I — The Department of Construction Science will host Session I of its career fair Oct. 2 and 3. This session will feature firms from the department's Construction Industry Advisory Council. For more information, contact Shelley Smith at 979.862.7354 or shelleysmith@tamu.edu.

Oct. 3
Outstanding Alumni Awards Banquet — The College of Architecture will honor six new outstanding alumni Friday, Oct. 3 at the Miramont Country Club. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m. and dinner follows at 7:30 p.m. The 2008 honorees are: J. Paul Bohn '84, Shannon Rankin '82, Randy Rehmann '78, Bryan Trubey '83, Joe Verdoorn '70 and Mark Wamble '83. Black tie optional. To RSVP, or for additional information, contact Trish Pannell at t-pannnell@tamu.edu or 979.845.0400.

ASLA national meeting — The American Society of Landscape Architects' Annual Meeting and EXPO is scheduled at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Oct. 3-7 in Philadelphia. For more information, contact Thena Morris at 979.458.4306 or t-morris@tamu.edu.

Oct. 7
ABC meeting — Eric Sorgen, a project engineer with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. will present "Problems in Estimating and How to Solve Them" 7 - 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7 at Preston Geren Auditorium. For more information, contact John Nichols, jm-nichols@tamu.edu.

Oct. 8
Master Planning and Design of the Jersey Shore University and Medical Center, Neptune, NJ — a lecture featuring LaTonya Whitfield-Horhn, AIA, LEED AP, project manager with PBK Architects in Houston and Tushar Gupta, AIA, NCARB and Marie Hoke, AIA,  both principals with WHR Architects, Inc. in Houston, will be held noon Wednesday, Oct. 8 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Oct. 15
Innovative Healthcare Design — a lecture featuring James Brinkley, FAIA, FACHA, president of James Brinkley Co. in Seattle, Washington, at noon Wednesday, Oct. 15 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture for Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Oct. 21
COSC career fair — Session II of the Construction Science Career Fair is scheduled at 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. at the Brazos County Exposition Center. For more information, contact Shelley Smith at 979.862.7354 or shelleysmith@tamu.edu.

Oct. 22
The Value and Role of STERIS Corporation, a Healthcare Capital Equipment Provider, Brings to the World of Healthcare Education and Architecture — a lecture featuring Robert J. Spampani, AIA, project manager with Mukilteo, Washington-based STERIS and the company’s corporate liaison to the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health, at noon Wednesday, Oct. 22 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Oct. 23
TSA convention — The Texas Society of Architects’ 2008 Annual Convention and Design Products & Ideas Expo will be held in Fort Worth Oct. 23-25. For more information, contact Ginger White at 979.845.0129 or gwhite@tamu.edu.

Oct. 27
10th annual faculty research symposium — “Research on the Built and Virtual Environments: Global Symposia Presentations 2008,” the College of Architecture’s annual daylong faculty research symposium, takes place at various locations around the college. For more information, contact Trisha Gottschalk, 845.2030 or trishag@tamu.edu.

Oct. 29
Research Informing Design: Can Evidence-Based Design Strategies Influence Non-Hospital Spaces? — a lecture by Tama Duffy Day, FASID, IIDA, LEED, AP, a principal with Perkins + Will Architects in Washington, D.C., at noon Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Nov. 5
Building Information Modeling — a lecture featuring Ron Meyer, AIA, NCARB, vice president of HKS, Inc. and Christopher Peck, J.D., AICP, vice president of McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Texas Division, both from Dallas, will be held noon Wednesday, Nov. 5 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Research centers open house — The College of Architecture's research centers will host an open house in the Langford A atrium from 11 a.m. — 1:30 p.m. Students will have a chance to learn about activities and certificate programs in each of the college's research centers. For more information, contact Trisha Gottschalk at 979.845.2030 or trishag@tamu.edu.

Nov. 6
Facility Management Industry Advisory Council — will meet in Room 292 of the Memorial Student Center on the Texas A&M University campus. For more information, contact Susie Billings at 847.9357 or sbillings@archmail.tamu.edu.

Nov. 12
Healthy Cities and the Design Institutes in China — a lecture featuring Chang-Shan Huang, PhD., AICP, ASLA, RLA, the Harold L. Adams’ 61 Endowed Interdisciplinary Professor in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University, at noon Wednesday, Nov. 12 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Nov. 19
Critical Issues in the ‘How’ of Healthcare Facilities Design and Construction: Our Experience with ‘Lean’ and Integrated Project Delivery — a lecture featuring Phillip Sun, AIA, NCARB, ACHA, institutional consulting practice leader with Jacobs Carter Burgess of Dallas, Texas, will be held noon Wednesday, Nov. 19 in Room 006 of the Williams Administration Building. The lecture is part of the Architecture-for-Health Lecture Series sponsored by the Center for Health Systems & Design, the Health Industry Advisory Council, Student Health Environments Association and Global University Programs in Healthcare Architecture. For additional information, contact Judy Pruitt at 979.845.7009 or jpruitt@tamu.edu.

Roomful of Blues

The College of Architecture's Bureau of Delight hosted a jam session by some of the area's top bluesmen in the Azimuth Café May 2. Another blues performance took place in the Azimuth June 6.

See more photos

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