School of Architecture News & Headlines

Assistant Professor of Architecture Courtney Crosson has been appointed director of the University of Arizona’s Drachman Institute by CAPLA Dean Nancy Pollock-Ellwand. Crosson's introduction was combined with a project showcase on April 13 in a "relaunch" of this important, community-focused institute.

A Class of 1977 Bachelor of Architecture alumnus has established the Judith Chafee Scholarship to honor the legacy of the architect and School of Architecture professor, who in her classroom and studio created "new expressions in the built environment that caused in the viewer reflection and gave a new sense of existential ‘delight’."

Sigrid Adriaenssens lectures on "Extraordinary Mechanics & Structural Innovation in Architecture."

Ryan Smith, a 2002 UArizona B.Arch alumnus who has served as professor and director of the School of Design and Construction at Washington State University since 2018, has been named the director of the School of Architecture at CAPLA. He will join us in Tucson on July 1, 2022.

In this presentation, Štefan Tkáč  discusses the work of work of Cambodian modernist architect Vann Molyvann. 

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.

In this talk, Lisa Schrenk, associate professor of architectural history at the University of Arizona, presents the early studio of Frank Lloyd Wright from research she conducted for her critically acclaimed book The Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright.

“Winners of the 2nd Annual Universal Design Awards reveal how the next generation of designers are rethinking accessible architecture,” says Architizer in a March 2022 article that highlights work produced by third-year B.Arch students in a studio sponsored by Ascension Wheelchair Lifts.

World's fairs introduced us to Heinz ketchup, the Ferris wheel, the telephone and countless other now-ubiquitous innovations. Lisa Schrenk, a CAPLA associate professor who studies world's fairs, has helped establish a new institute to study how the events impact global society. Learn more in this interview.

Ana Astiazaran ’22 B.Arch, who received a national COTE Top Ten for Students Award for Sustainable Design Excellence from the AIA in 2021, recently served as one of nine national judges for the AIA 2022 Architecture Awards. She was the only student jury member in the esteemed competition.

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.

Built environment innovation. Water consciousness. These are the principles fourth-year B.Arch students in the ARC 401 studio considered when crafting designs for a research center at the base of Sentinel Peak, along Tucson’s Santa Cruz River, for the Fall 2021 Richärd Kennedy Fourth-Year Studio Prize.