College assistant dean quoted
in Soltis research center video

A video shown at the 2009 opening gala of a Texas A&M research center in Costa Rica includes comments by an assistant dean at the College of Architecture, whose students’ architectural designs were incorporated into the facility.

The Soltis Center for Research and Education, located on a 40-acre site adjacent to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, was built by Bill Soltis, a 1955 mechanical engineering graduate from Texas A&M.

The center’s buildings are based on the best designs from a spring 2006 studio at the college in which 62 students from architecture, landscape architecture and construction science produced a site analysis and 12 different design concepts.

“The thing that excites me is when I hear academic folks who will be using the facility talk about how incredible it is compared to what they’re used to,” said Elton Abbott, the college’s assistant dean for international programs and initiatives, in the video. Abbott contributed to the College of Architecture’s influence on the center by providing oversight during its construction.

Soltis also donated the land for the center, aiming to provide an international experience for Aggies and protect the area’s unique ecological setting while increasing awareness for preservation efforts. He has spent most of his life in the construction business, including construction of facilities in Costa Rica.

The video, which includes images of the center and its environs, can also be viewed on the Vimeo website.

- Posted: Mar. 30, 2011 -

Contact:   Phillip Rollfing, prollfing@archone.tamu.edu or 979.458.0442.