CAPLA Faculty Awarded $250K to Start Heat Consortium
A team led by CAPLA’s Sandra Bernal Cordova, Altaf Engineer, and Ladd Keith has received a $250,000 grant over two years from the Office of Research and Partnerships through the inaugural Big Idea Challenge. Their project, the Heat and Health Resilience Innovation Consortium (HHRIC), aims to develop community-centered solutions to the growing threat of extreme heat. The team—comprising experts from across the University of Arizona—will focus on wearable biosensors, mobile cooling and care structures, health system algorithms, and AI-powered education tools. Their innovations, including the solar-powered CHILL-IT Health Oasis and telemedicine-equipped Kiosk Care, aim to improve public health and infrastructure resilience in Arizona and beyond.
Leading Women in Architecture Society: Pele Kruse ‘26 B.Arch
Pele Kruse, Class of 2026, is earning her Bachelor of Architecture as the first Samoan student in the program. Passionate about sustainable, community-focused design, she’s dedicated to uplifting underrepresented communities through architecture. As president of the Women in Architecture Society and a standout in studio projects, Pele is preparing to return home and help shape the future of architecture in American Samoa.
Lecture Recap and Video: Jie Hu on 'Urban Design with Nature: Exploring Sustainable Urban Development in China'
Jie Hu, clinical professor of landscape architecture and chair of the Master of Sustainable Urban Design program at the University of Illinois, joins us for the CAPLA Lecture Series to discuss Shan-Shui City principles.
Exploring Human-Landscape Connections: Adriana Zuniga ’10 MS Arch, Assistant Research Scientist
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.
Tortuga Ranch: Alec Kelly-Jones '22 M.Arch
The architecture at Tortuga Ranch, designed by Alec Kelly-Jones '22 M.Arch, expresses the goal of creating spaces that promote interaction, support a variety of traditional practices and help youth understand themselves within the context of all Yaqui people who came before them; translating time, place, celebration and tradition as one generation joins another for the benefit of all generations to come.
Projects by Professor of Practice Michael Kothke and Kathy Hancox Showcased in Western Art & Architecture and ArchDaily
The work and methodologies of architectural firm HK Associates, run by Associate Professor of Practice in Architecture Michael Kothke and partner Kathy Hancox, were recently featured in Western Art & Architecture and ArchDaily.
CAPLA Futures Council Member Angela Watson Named President and CEO of Shepley Bulfinch
Shepley Bulfinch, a national architecture firm known for design excellence and innovation, has announced the appointment of Angela Watson FAIA to president and CEO. Watson is a long-time principal and design leader at the firm, as well as chair of the board. She has served on the CAPLA Futures Council, a multi-perspective advisory board to the CAPLA dean, since its inception in February 2019.
Thinking Critically: David Zúñiga ’23 B.Arch
Bachelor of Architecture student David Zúñiga is from Nogales, Arizona. In this profile, he discusses his passion for cinema and architecture, how architecture school makes him a critical thinker, his experience in the CAPLA Hispanic student organization PUENTE, how he's learning to be patient and more.
CAPLA Professor Ladd Keith on the Imperative of Planning for Heat Resilience
Assistant Professor of Planning and Sustainable Built Environments Ladd Keith recently published two editorials in important national and international publications. With UArizona Professor of Geography Andrea K. Gerlak he authored “There’s no place in the US safe from the heat” in The Hill, and with ASU Assistant Professor of Geography Sara Meerow he authored “Cities must plan for heat resilience now,” published by Reuters.
Meet Ash Avila ’23 BS SBE, 2022 Transportation Research Board Minority Student Fellow
Ash Avila, a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments student from Nogales, Arizona, who will graduate in 2023, has been awarded an acclaimed Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Student Fellowship for 2022. Avila is one of 24 students selected by TRB.
Climate Change, Architecture Change, Everything Change: Sam Owen '22 B.Arch
This infill project by Sam Owens '22 B.Arch houses the Cooperative Extension Innovation Center which helps bridge the gap between the University of Arizona and the general public. It recognizes that the world is in constant flux, and the human-built world can no longer insist on pretending to be static. Gone are the days of growth without regard for decay, says Owen.