Architecture Alumni

The 12th Annual CAPLA Job Interview Fair, made possible by the Chasse Building Team and 22 other sponsors, was held February 10-11, 2022. For the first time, the interactive two-day event took place both online and in person and included 42 employers, 145 students and 536 interviews.

Richy Altuna, who graduated from the Bachelor of Architecture program in 1974 and went on to become a renowned consumer experience designer for many of the world's most iconic retail stores, passed away in June 2021. His family and friends have established the Richard “Richy” Eugene Altuna Endowed Scholarship to support CAPLA undergraduate students.

Though Dan Heinfeld knew from a young age that he wanted to become an architect, he couldn’t have known in eighth grade—when he wrote a class paper on the profession—that his career pursuit would not only change his life but also change the design industry itself. As president of LPA, he’s done just that.

The Arizona Alumni Association has named Heather Henricks Lenkin ’79 B.Arch as its 2020-2021 Alumna of the Year for the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. Heather was chosen for her outstanding career success, passionate work to protect the world’s cultural resources and unwavering support of the university.

David D. Ortega, who is from Globe, Arizona and has lived and worked in Scottsdale since 1978, became the first architect and Latino mayor in the country when he was elected the 12th mayor of Scottsdale.  He credits his background in architecture with informing his views as a civic leader.

Gustavo Antonio Noriega, who grew up in Sinaloa, Mexico, East Los Angeles and Tucson, graduated from UArizona at the height of the pandemic and following a sudden switch to online courses. In this interview, he offers advice to those just starting out in the architecture program, as well as those looking for their first jobs as they prepare for graduation.

Assistant Research Scientist Adriana Zuniga came to CAPLA from Mexico in 2008 to pursue her MS Architecture degree. Since then, she has also earned a PhD in Arid Lands Resources Sciences and has taught and conducted research on human-landscape connections at CAPLA since 2015.

Lawrence G. Paull '64 B.Arch, who passed away in 2019, created award-winning sets for such films as Blade Runner, Back to the Future, City Slickers and Romancing the Stone. His wife Marcy Bolotin has endowed a CAPLA scholarship in his name.

Dyron Murphy, who is from Window Rock on the Navajo Nation, learned many things as a Bachelor of Architecture student—time management, design skills, flexibility—but what he didn’t anticipate was how close his cohort would become and has since remained.

Rich Michal came to CAPLA to study architecture after earning a bachelor's degree in construction engineering and management from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University. Seeking to learn more about sustainable design—and designing and constructing one of the nation’s most energy-efficient on-grid homes in the country as his master’s thesis—he pursued the B.Arch and M.Arch concurrently.

Roy Noggle graduated from the University of Arizona’s Bachelor of Architecture program in 1967, where he was a member of the well-known “Safeway Class,” so named because the original architecture studio was held in an old Safeway grocery store on North Park Avenue.

On September 11, Women in Architecture Society teamed up with NOMA Arizona President Carlos Murrieta to discuss equity, diversity and inclusion in a virtual roundtable event sponsored by the CAPLA Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the American Institute of Architects Southern Arizona.