CAPLA to host Indigenous Design Symposium focused on community, sustainability
CAPLA’s Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning and Design (ISAPD) will host an all-day symposium on April 6, bringing together students, faculty and practitioners to explore Indigenous approaches to the built environment. Featuring Indigenous designers and supported by campus partners, the event will highlight community-centered design, sustainability and the role of Indigenous knowledge systems in shaping more responsible relationships with land.
CAPLA students build housing in Agua Prieta during spring break
CAPLA students spent spring break in Agua Prieta, Sonora, building a home for a local family in partnership with Rancho Feliz. Working alongside community members, they gained hands-on construction experience while contributing to a reciprocal housing program designed to address affordability and climate-responsive design.
A Passion for Solving Student Challenges: Sean Kramer-Lazar, Senior Academic Advisor
Sean Kramer-Lazar joined CAPLA in 2016, and now serves as a senior academic advisor, providing support for undergraduate students entering the BS Sustainable Built Environments (main campus and online) and Bachelor of Landscape Architecture programs. Learn more about Sean and his work and other passions in this profile.
The Key to Healthier Employees Could be a Quieter, or Louder, Office Space
A new study by researchers including Esther Sternberg, professor of architecture, landscape architecture and planning (joint appointment), suggests that too much—or too little—office noise has a negative effect on employee wellbeing. The sweet spot? About 50 decibels, comparable to moderate rain or birdsong.
Celebrating William Brown ’66 B.Arch, 2023 CAPLA Alumnus of the Year
In honor of his remarkable career and his dedicated support, the Arizona Alumni Association is proud to name William Brown the 2023 Alumnus of the Year for the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. Read more about Brown's legacy in this profile.
CAPLA and Other UArizona Deans Share Insights on Transdisciplinary Applied Humanities Program
At the 2023 Modern Languages Association Convention in San Francisco, CAPLA Dean Nancy Pollock-Ellwand joined COH Dorrance Dean Alain-Phillippe Durand, CALS Dean Shane Burgess and Eller College of Management Dean Karthik Kannan to discuss the innovative Bachelor of Arts in Applied Humanities, including the Spatial Organization & Design Thinking emphasis area in partnership with CAPLA.
Designing Place, Designing Policy: Jesus Nava ’23 B.Arch
Jesus Nava was born in Sinaloa, Mexico, and grew up in San Diego, California. He was drawn to UArizona and the Bachelor of Architecture because of the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and its many outdoor recreation opportunities—as well as UArizona’s “great basketball program.”
UArizona Undergraduate Architecture Students Focus on Universal Design for Prize Funded by AGM and Ascension Wheelchair Lifts
For the third year in a row, UArizona architecture students participated in a universal design competition that put their creative and analytical skills to the test on a significantly sloped site. Thanks to AGM Container Controls and Ascension Wheelchair Lifts, the winning students received a total of $7,400 in prizes.
Wales on My Mind: Landscape, History, Dwelling
“It’s the call of a place which combines powerful myths, tumbled landscapes, hardscrabble lives, and proud resistance to normative culture,” writes CAPLA Associate Professor of Architecture Laura Hollengreen following her summer visit to Wales, for a guest editorial published recently in Terrain.org.
Community Found and Community Created: Julia Smith ’26 B.Arch
Julia Smith isn’t your typical design student, and for Puente—the Hispanic student organization of CAPLA that she recently led—that’s a good thing. Though Smith is a second-year Bachelor of Architecture student, she’s six years older than most of her classmates. She’s also married to a member of the U.S. military.
Ghana Digitized Its Address System: Its Failure Offers Lessons to Other African Countries Creating Smart Cities
Research by Seth Asare Okyere, CAPLA visiting assistant professor of urban planning, and Louis Kusi Frimpong, Matthew Abunyewah and Stephen Kofi Diko, show that digitalization initiatives in Ghana need to take local factors and engagement into account if they’re going to succeed.