NewZine 2022

NewZine

AN ANNUAL PUBLICATION OF THE TULANE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

Contents

Dean’s Advisory Council

School News

Program Digest

AIA New Orleans 2022 Design Awards

Faculty News

Commencement Awards

Student News

Alumni News

Letter from the Dean

Dear TuSA community,

We are back after two years! Two eventful years for New Orle ans and the world – pandemic and hurricanes – and so much more for the school. We are back with a new visual identity that you prob ably know from the web and our correspondence, designed by the international leader Pentagram, and working from our temporary pavilions (yes, the Richardson Memorial Hall renovation is in full swing, with plenty of hard-hatted workers inside!).

During the last two years, we have done much more than man age climate events, pandemics, and other crises. The school has experienced significant change and progress. Our focus in ad dressing equity, diversity, and inclusion issues has yielded im portant concrete advancements (an associate dean, three Tulane Architecture Fellows, new and existing courses broadening the canon, the Boudreaux Scholars, the school’s and Alumni Council committees) and has resulted in an ambitious strategic plan co ordinated with Tulane’s Strategy for Tomorrow. Our research pro ductivity is showing a remarkable trend, with awards, publications, and grants (including federal grants) positioning us as a refer ence in the fields of the built envi ronment, especially related to the pressing issues of climate change and social and environmental challenges. For this, our critical mass is essential. New faculty and staff are reinforcing the school, working with superb students.

Our size has increased: from un der 300 students in fall 2019, we have reached 516 in three years, double the number of our under graduates.

How did this happen? An as tonishing performance from ev eryone in this community! This is a sweet moment for our new and existing programs. Two years since its launch, our Bachelor of Arts in Design has 120 first majors (close to 200 in total), when we were expecting around 50. Our existing programs are also generating lots of interest, with large entering classes in the Bachelor of Architecture and a strong trend in our graduate pro grams in Architecture, Preserva tion, and Sustainable Real Estate Development. We are preparing the launch of an exciting new program in Environmental En gineering and Landscape Archi tecture. All this means that our faculty and students are growing more diverse, strengthening our traditional excellent architecture faculty with experts from across the world.

As you see, the school is cov ering many fields of the built en vironment, helping us address more effectively the big ques tions of our time. Our work con tinues to focus on New Orleans as the place where “everything happens” – engaging with our communities through the Small Center and URBANbuild, the fu ture of our historic port, our wa ter challenges, or the challenges of monuments and representa tion – and expands to the world.

The Saul A. Mintz Global Re

search Studios continue working in India and Ethiopia, with plans to expand to Ecuador and other locations. Our impact address ing climate change in real estate development and in matters of preservation in the Gulf and the Caribbean is positioning us as leaders in the nation.

Neither East nor West, Tulane School of Architecture is the school of the third American coast. Our location, history, and exposure to the front line of social and environmental challenges force us to be independent and to define, without waiting or fol lowing anyone, the role and ca pabilities of architects, designers, urban planners, real estate devel opers, and preservationists who will transform the way we inhabit this planet.

Iñaki Alday Dean and Richard Koch Chair in Architecture Tulane School of Architecture

Dean’s Advisory Council

José L. Alvarez, A *97 New Orleans, LA

Eric V. Aukee, A ‘82 Sherman Oaks, CA

James E. Bry, A ‘91 Miami, FL

Jamie H. Bush, A ‘93 Los Angeles, CA

Michelle D. Chira, NC ‘88 Winter Park, FL

James L. Dewar III, A ‘94 Palm Springs, CA

Matthew D. Frank, A ‘91 New York, NY

Robert G. Hale Jr. A ‘77 Los Angeles, CA

Jonathan B. Halle, A ‘93 Potomac, MD

Brad A. Hastings, AIA, A ‘82 Bishopville, MD

Joanna L. Lombard, AIA, A ‘75 Miami, FL

Ann Merritt Masson, NC ‘71, G *92 New Orleans, LA

Jenifer Wells Megalli, A *17 New York, NY

Brad M. Meltzer, A ‘90 Miami Beach, FL

Angela O'Byrne, A ‘83 New Orleans, LA

L. Scott Paden, A ‘81 Landisville, PA

Paula M. Peer New Orleans, LA

Laurie J. Petipas, A ‘75 San Francisco, CA

Richardson K. Powell, A ‘76, A ‘77 Kansas City, MO

Wellington J. Reiter, A ‘81 Phoenix, AZ

Michelle A. Rinehart, EdD, A ‘91 Atlanta, GA

Christopher A. Sgarzi, A ‘86 Concord, MA

Lloyd N. Shields, A ‘74, L *77 New Orleans, LA

Gabriel A. Smith, A ‘88 Brooklyn, NY

MELT

David C. Thompson, A ‘91 Studio City, CA

Robert E. Thompson New Orleans, LA

Simcha Z. Ward, A ‘11 Charlotte, NC

Melt is a project aimed at recultivating a creating a sense community within the Tulane School of Architecture in current period of transition. The design features “blobs” seating, echoing those of Richardson Memorial’s slabs, a sticker decal that wraps three sides of NQ5. The decal tures a curated graphic timeline of TuSA, creating a sense of identity and claiming the previously blank space for school. The timeline’s shifting colors signify a change past, to present, to future, and its curvilinear shape echoes those of the seating.

Marcel L. Wisznia, A ‘73 New Orleans, LA

“Melt” comes from the feeling of laying down to rest after hours of work. The seating design leverages new frabrication technologies with traditional materials to create seating that can be flexibly inhabited. The ergonomic forms allow for relaxation, conversation, and play under the shade the large oak. The seating and graphic design establish only a new place for students to relax, enjoy, and call their own but also introduces a student-led identity for a school in flux.

Peter M. Wolf, PhD, G *63 New York, NY

sense of in its “blobs” of slabs, and decal feasense for the from echoes after frabricaseating allow shade of establish not their school

MELT Wins Newcomb Quad Pavilion Design Competition

One highlight of the spring was the Newcomb Quad Pa vilion Design Competition, for which students were asked to submit their design proposals for the temporary pavilions housing classroom, studio, and fabrica tion spaces during the renovation of RMH. The winning entry was MELT, the brainchild of students Jose Varela, Chelsea Kilgore, and James Poche. The team de scribed MELT as “a project aimed at recultivating and creating a sense of community within the

Tulane School of Architecture in its current period of transition.” The design includes “blobs” of seating, curvilinear shapes, and a graphic timeline of TuSA with color transitions representing the institution’s past, present, and future. The term “Melt” refers to the state of resting to recover from hard work. Thanks in part to generous support from alumni through the Pavilion Student Ex perience fundraising campaign, construction began this summer.

Richardson Memorial Hall Renovations Underway

April saw the beginning of selective deconstruction in the RMH renovation, a concrete sign of changes to come. For this project, TuSA is partner ing with Trapolin-Peer Architects and Broadmoor LLC Construc tion (a subsidiary of Boh Bros. Construction Co.) to renovate the 45,000-square-foot historic building and add 15,000 square feet to the rear of the structure to house essential programming. The project will be eligible for historic tax credits from the state and has been designed to meet LEED Silver green-building stan dards. The renovated building will provide space to accommo date the School’s growing student population, with improved teach ing and fabrication spaces as well as offices for faculty and adminis tration. The project is scheduled for completion during 2023-2024.

Fellows to Follow

As a partner school in the national Deans’ Equity In clusion Initiative (DEII), TuSA has committed to attract and develop a diverse faculty who bring varied perspectives to teaching and scholarship. One of DEII’s cornerstone efforts is a two-year fellowship program de signed to create opportunities for early career professionals in the built environment fields.

Edson Cabalfin, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclu sion at TuSA, coordinates the School’s participation in DEII and serves as an adviser with As sociate Deans and coordinators for EDI in other participating schools. According to Cabalfin, TuSA was one of the founding schools when this initiative was conceptualized in 2020 and im plemented in 2021, in large part due to the leadership and encour agement of Dean Iñaki Alday. “It is important for TuSA to be a leader in this program because our school and Tulane overall is committed to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” said Cabalfin. “This is part of our core mission.”

TuSA welcomed its inaugural Architecture Fellows, Omar Ali and Emmanuel Osorno, in 2021. Over the course of their fellow

“TuSA... is committed to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. This is part of our mission.”

ship, Ali and Osorno will gain teaching experience, work with mentors to shape a research agenda, and attend summer in stitutes with fellows from other partner schools – all intended to help prepare them for a post-fel lowship career.

Osorno is an Architecture and Social Innovation Fellow whose previous experience includes founding EOstudio, spending five years with Eric Owen Moss

Architects in Culver City, CA, a Post-Professional Master of Archi tecture from Princeton Universi ty, and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Teaching has been a part of Os orno’s plan since completing his undergraduate degree, when he learned that fellowships could provide a gateway to academia.

As he enters his second year of fellowship, Osorno is honing a research agenda and related

Emmanuel Osorno

-Edson Cabalfin

TuSA’s inaugural Architecture Fellows reach the midpoint of their journey

skills like grant writing and pub lishing. He credits Dean Alday’s mentorship in helping set up his research, which explores repre sentation and media output of architecture – both tangible images like 2D representations of work and impressions or memory im ages of a place. According to Os orno, he is intrigued by the abili ty of image makers and designers “to advocate for specific causes or steer the conversation about ar chitecture in a certain direction.”

On the teaching side, Osorno has found it “extremely rewarding” to teach a lecture or seminar plus an architecture studio each se mester and work with high school students in the Career Explora tions summer program. These elements, in addition to guidance on completing his teaching port folio and research statements, are helping Osorno work toward his next professional goal of applying for tenure track positions. “The fellowship is allowing me to focus on my academic career full time,” said Osorno. “You’re here for a reason, and they’re putting all these resources in front of you.”

Architecture and Urbanism Fel

low Omar Ali brings prior experi ence at Chicago’s UrbanLab, MOS Architects in New York City, and John McMorrough / studioAPT in Ann Arbor. He earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Architectural History from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Though he didn’t initially know much about Tulane, Ali was drawn to the school’s leadership under Dean Alday and strong fac ulty as well as the opportunity to join the first cohort of some thing brand-new. The two-year program would also allow him enough time to dig into his work in a substantial way: “If the first year was kind of building a direc tion for myself, the second year is executing that vision.”

Ali’s vision centers on domes tic spaces and housing – beyond the walls and into the streets, al leys, and joint public spaces sur rounding them. He is particularly interested in how countries in the ‘global south’ embrace these spaces, with more cooperative environments that extend be yond a single-family house and yard. “I am thinking about how we might learn from them, even if they are not perfect, in pushing for a more cooperative future for housing,” said Ali.

The fellowship is designed to offer participants the time and space to explore new ideas, some thing Ali embraces. “It’s a great opportunity for people who may be curious about academia to give it a try without having that tenure track clock ticking away to see if it’s for you or not,” Ali said. “In one or two years, you can find that out quickly.” As he begins the second half of his fellowship, Ali plans to apply for tenure track positions while also

progressing his personal practice.

A key element of the EDII fel lowship program is the summer institute for fellows across partner institutions. The first year, the in stitute covers academic careers and teaching methods, while the second year focuses on research agendas and pursuing a career in academia. Between summers, the cohort has continued virtually to learn and share experiences.

“The great thing about the pro gram is that it gives us access to people we otherwise wouldn’t have access to,” said Osorno. “In a single meeting, you might meet five deans from architecture schools throughout the coun try – with different perspectives on successful things they have seen in applicants seeking tenure track.”

Cabalfin considers this program an avenue to change the way ar chitecture is taught and practiced in the U.S., where architecture, planning, and design faculty re mains predominantly White: “Our hope is that by offering op portunities to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) fac ulty and preparing them for a suc cessful academic career, then we will eventually diversify the ros ter of architecture faculty across the nation. Subsequently… this will also contribute to chang ing the curriculum, the teaching methods, the perspectives, and experiences of students in TuSA and other schools nationally. It is an ambitious plan, but it needs to start with incremental chang es. We also need to work together with other schools because this is not an isolated problem but an interconnected and complex set of issues. Ultimately, our hope is to create a society, the built en vironment, and the world that is just, equitable, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable.”

Omar Ali

The explosive interest in TuSA’s undergraduate pro grams in design and real estate continues to exceed the expectations of department lead ers, as enrollments surge and stu dents clamor for more offerings.

Tiffany Lin, Design Program Di rector and Favrot Associate Professor of Architecture, and Casius Pealer, Director of Real Estate Development and Shane Profes sor of Practice, reflect on what’s drawing undergraduates to these areas.

Behind the Boom in Real Estate and Design

Undergraduates flock to the interdisciplinary approach of these fast-growing programs Different by Design

In 2018, facing a slight dip in architecture enrollment, Tiffany Lin undertook an ex periment. Lin (formerly the un dergraduate program director for architecture) created a course called Intro to Design & Creative Thinking for nonmajors. It filled, jumping from 40 students to 80 the following year. Today what Lin calls “the gateway recruiting course for the design program” draws over 100 students every se mester.

TuSA launched the Bachelor of Arts in Design and minor in de sign in 2020. At the outset, the School envisioned 36 majors a year, but the program now counts 182 majors and 98 minors. “I think there is a lot of interest at Tulane for design but not nec essarily building-making,” said Lin. She believes the rigorous curriculum of the 5-year B.Arch accredited program or even the 4-year B.S. in Architecture (a ‘preprofessional degree’ that sets students up for graduate school)

can feel like a big commitment to students entering college or those interested in a double major.

By contrast, the 42-credit de sign degree is written for double and triple majors – according to Lin, nearly half of undergraduate design students are also major ing in something else. The design program emphasizes a process of thinking, creative problem solv ing, and dealing with complexity that students can apply to other fields.

The design curriculum touches areas including textiles, indus trial design, graphic design, and spatial composition, with faculty whose backgrounds reflect this interdisciplinary approach. “We want our graduates to be adapt able and creative thinkers and problem solvers but not necessar ily be pigeon-holed into a specif ic field of design, which honestly makes some people uncomfort able – and it makes some people really excited,” said Lin. “Our mission is to build this process

of design thinking, kind of a call to action, being conscious of sus tainable practices… and thinking about design as a vehicle for posi tive change.”

The design program is also ori ented toward Tulane’s mission of service learning in a city that, according to Lin, needs designers but can’t necessarily afford a tra ditional designer and client rela tionship. Rather than a top-down pedagogy that asks students to create “imaginary” projects to solve in studio, Lin advocates student work that addresses re al-world issues, like service proj ects for local nonprofits.

Lin also encourages students to take risks and explore new areas: “The Intro class teaches them that you don’t have to know how to draw, but if you’re interest ed, that’s the first step… it really opens the door to a new way of thinking… this visual, experien tial way to engage material they are learning in another discipline. That’s super exciting to me.”

Real Estate for the Real World

According to Casius Pealer, as the Bachelor of Science in Real Estate program en ters its third year, sections fill as quickly as they are added. The undergraduate major emerged from the vigorous response to the summer real estate minor, which launched in 2015 and grew to an enrollment of 80 students in just a few years’ time. For the real estate major, the target was 40 students, and enrollment has reached approximately four times that number.

“It doesn’t seem to be going away,” said Pealer, who credits John Huppi, Associate Director of Real Estate Development, with building the undergraduate pro gram.

The real estate curriculum ex plores relationships among the built environment, social out comes, and financing, among other areas. According to Pealer, one-third to one-half of real es tate majors are double majors, with business the most common pairing, followed by architecture

and design. In alignment with a broader University initiative to encourage intersection among fields of study, the real estate pro gram tries to create overlaps with historic preservation, architec ture, and design.

“There are lots of other under graduate real estate programs but not as many in architecture schools, and our program puts students through a design studio sequence,” said Pealer. “That stu dio experience is crucial to build ing our students’ confidence. The curriculum emphasizes project vision and reinforces the collab orative language that is shared by professionals in the built environ ment, including developers and architects.”

Two years ago, the undergrad uate program launched with two new full-time faculty: Favrot II Associate Professor of Real Estate Jesse Keenan and Lecturer Dan iela Rivero Bryant. This fall, the program welcomes two addition al faculty: Assistant Professor of Real Estate & Historic Preserva

tion, Dr. Fallon Samuels Aidoo, who will strengthen the core of the program’s studio sequence, and Visiting Assistant Professor, Dr. John Park, who will teach market analysis and finance.

The evolving curriculum cov ers real world topics, like climate change adaptation and resilience, a course taught by Keenan aimed at helping students connect cli mate change and its impact on the places they live. In the spring, students can choose an innova tion elective focused creating new products, apps, and technology (PropTech) related to real estate.

According to Pealer, real estate undergraduates are landing jobs in various sectors of the real es tate industry, including develop ment, lending, brokerage, govern ment, and consulting. Students are also engaged in projects at all scales from small flips to largescale, multi-million-dollar urban investments. Said Pealer: “One of the distinguishing characteristics of our students is they are all very driven and entrepreneurial.”

Historic Preservation Looks to the Future

In his first year as the Direc tor of Historic Preservation, Christovich Associate Profes sor of Historic Preservation Brent Fortenberry has committed to helping Tulane graduates remain a step ahead in a fast-changing field.

According to Fortenberry, the demand for skilled preservation

ists is only going up. He cites data from the AIA showing that over 50 percent of new contracts in the architecture sector are work ing on existing buildings – a first in the agency’s reporting histo ry. “That’s a fundamental shift in preservation’s place within the built environment,” said Forten berry. “Lots of those existing

buildings are historic… I think in the next 5 years… preservation will become a much larger com ponent of what people are expect ed to be competent in.”

One growing advantage for Tulane grads is fluency in new preservation technologies, from drones to laser scanners to sci entific materials analyses. Stu

Under the leadership of Director Brent Fortenberry, the Historic Preservation program takes a forward-thinking approach to interpreting the past

Jane Ashburn using the microscope in the MSHP office at McAllister Auditorium

dents can use laser scanning to document a building (in addition to drawing it by hand) and micro scopes to perform mortar or paint analysis. “Technology is being in fused in preservation in a much more robust way,” Fortenberry said. “For my generation it’s exciting and new. For their gener ation it’s going to be compulsory to know and master those tech nologies.”

As the needs evolve, Tulane’s degree offering has shifted from a one-and-a-half-year Master of Preservation Studies (40 credits) to a two-year Master of Science in Historic Preservation (60 cred its). The new model builds on core training in the fundamen tals of preservation in year one while offering more specialized learning and time for students to develop networks, skills, and produce higher quality thesis and practicum capstone projects in year two. The program also added electives and international learn ing experiences.

“That allows our students to be more competitive,” said Forten berry. “We have such a strong job placement in New Orleans, but with this more specialized, broad-reaching training, our stu dents will be able to be placed not just nationally but interna tionally and be more competitive for those top jobs as they exit the program and enter the preserva tion professional sector.”

Fortenberry describes three areas of emphasis within the program: technology; preserva tion that engages with issues of social justice; and heritage and risks from threats like climate change and neglect. Students are able to explore these threads through hands-on learning expe riences. One such opportunity reflects Fortenberry’s expertise in the vernacular architecture

of the British Atlantic world. Through a partnership with the Commonwealth Heritage Forum and their Commonwealth Skills Training program, TuSA students can learn alongside students from the University of the West Indies about documentation, assess ment, adaptive reuse, and building repairs of the historic built environment across the Greater Caribbean. They will spend two weeks in Barbados learning how to do assessments of historic buildings in World Heritage sites and working with stakeholders in Barbados to produce conserva tion management reports for his toric districts.

“It’s going to be one of these en gaged research opportunities for students that we hope will pro vide this rich skill set of not only how to understand and document historic housing stock but also en gagement skills with stakeholders in an international context,” said Fortenberry. In coming years, this global project will offer students opportunities across Jamaica, Antigua, Bermuda, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and Fiji. “We are the primary university partner

for this global program, so it’s an unparalleled opportunity for our students to be a core component of this high impact work.”

TuSA has also collaborated with the National Park Service and FEMA to study flood risk for historic structures in San Juan, Puerto Rico. “What’s exciting but also frustrating is right now we are the only major program in the United States that has an em phasis on hazards, disasters, and heritage resources,” said Forten berry. “Knowing that the major ity of our cultural resources are in coastal areas of risk, that needs to be something that is baked into preservation education and re search moving forward.”

Fortenberry predicts the de mand for this knowledge will only go up: “I can’t tell you how many jobs working for the federal gov ernment after disasters needed preservationists that had skills in hazard mitigation and recov ery for heritage resources. That is going to be a huge sector of our profession moving forward and is something I think New Orleans is well positioned to be the learning lab for.”

Spanish Town Barracks Jamaica, a 19th-century structure being redeveloped for Spanish Town High School

Program Digest

Architecture

Favrot II Professor of Prac tice Emilie Taylor Welty was named Director of Ar chitecture. In this role, Emilie will focus mainly on the graduate program but also help manage un dergraduate architecture along side the restructured Associate Director of Architecture position, filled by Sonsoles Vela Navar ro. The School extends heartfelt thanks to Kentaro Tsubaki, who served as Interim Director of Ar chitecture 2021-22.

Emilie, along with Associate Professor of Architecture Tiffany Lin and Tulane psychology fac ulty Lisa Molix, led the creation of an exhibit entitled “Public Spaces & Scrutiny: How Do We Remember?” The exhibit, held May 20 – June 24 at the AIA New Orleans Design Center, incorpo rated research and student work and examined the role of monu ments and memorials in shaping and reflecting equity and justice within a community. The exhib it earned the First Award in the Global Architecture & Design Awards 2022. Emilie also helped organize WIA New Orleans’ an nual Design + Practice Exchange, held in 2021 in partnership with WIA Miami. TuSA co-sponsored the two-day symposium, which offered a series of discussions and design presentations focused on the voices of women in architec ture.

Marianne Desmarais (A ‘95), Favrot II Professor of Practice, collaborated with artist Sarah Kabot to create a sculptural in stallation for Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic. The piece, titled “Double Loop,” used expired plastic tub ing as a reference for the human circulatory system and second life granted to the salvaged plastic material used in the work.

TuSA’s Fall 2021 lecture series, “Debate, Delete, Reboot: Being Wrong in Times of Change,” fea tured an international speaker lineup exploring the unintended outcomes, contrarian thinking, and humility of learning new things through work and study.

Andrew Liles, Adjunct Assis tant Lecturer in Architecture, was named the 2022 President for AIA New Orleans.

Carol M. Reese, Favrot IV Pro

fessor of Architecture, served as a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Center for Study in the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The sum mer fellowship supported Carol’s work on a book about race, hous ing, and community design in the U.S., its Canal Zone colonial out post, and Panama, building upon her related 2013 book. Carol also released a new book: “A. Hays Town and the Architectural Im age of Louisiana,” exploring Hays’ lifelong contributions to architec ture and design.

The ACSA 110 Annual Meeting showcased Research Assistant Professor in Architecture Charles Jones’ (M.S.ARC *21) work “No Royal Roads: Diffusing the Con straints of Smoothness on Local City Streets,” which investigates the potential socio-ecological

Final Review from “Public Space and Scrutiny: How Do We Remember?”

benefits of changing surface ge ometry standards of streets.

Favrot V Professor of Archi tecture Ammar Eloueini was recognized with an Outstanding Property Award London (OPAL), Platinum Winner Prize in Architectural Design 2021, for his design-build J-House residen tial project which incorporates a steel, bridge-like structure and references New Orleans’ shot-gun designs.

Associate Professor of Architec ture Margarita Jover published a piece with DesignIntelligence ad vocating for a new Federal Agency for the Built Environment (FABE) to fund Climate Adaptation Plans generated by existing Urban Labs within universities.

Tulane Architecture and Ur banism Fellow Omar Ali and Adjunct Lecturer Nimet Anwar

showcased a project titled “with in / without” at Space p11 in the Chicago Pedway. The exhibition highlights Geofoam, a lightweight structural material that plays a critical but underappreciated role in underground infrastructure projects.

Richard Campanella, Associ ate Dean for Research and Senior Professor of Practice for Archi tecture and Geography, authored “Above New Orleans: Roofscapes of the Crescent City,” the first full-length book featuring drone-captured images (by drone photographer Marco Rasi) of the city. TuSA faculty including Rich ard Campanella, Margarita Jover, Carol Reese and Iñaki Alday were among 130 national, regional, and local authors who participated in the inaugural New Orleans Book Festival, held on Tulane’s campus

in March. Their panel discussion, moderated by Iñaki, explored “New Orleans: Building History and Preparing for the Future.”

Predoctoral Teaching Fellow in Architecture, Juan Medina Revilla, co-created the winning proposal “En Torno al Vergel –Around the Garden” for the con struction of a 42-unit social hous ing project in Seville, Spain. Juan is one-third of winning team sala zarxsequeroxmedina, who plan to build the experimental project as a prototype for future housing initiatives in Spain. Dean Iñaki Alday was also part of a team of experts representing the World Bank on a week-long assessment trip to the Indian city of Surat, where they evaluated the first phase of the Tapi Riverfront Proj ect, a plan to develop a section of the city’s riverfront.

New Orleans Book Festival featured Inaki Alday, Carol Reese, Margarita Jover, and Richard Campanella

Design

Associate Professor of Archi tecture Tiffany Lin was named the new Director of Design, over seeing the new Bachelor of Arts in Design program. Tiffany also received a Weiss Presidential Fellowship for Undergraduate Teaching, Tulane’s highest honor for undergraduate education. She was one of two Fellowship recip ients.

Historic Preservation

Director of Historic Preserva tion and Christovich Associate Professor of Historic Preserva tion Brent Fortenberry has been involved in the preservation of Charleston, South Carolina’s Bennett Rice Mill. Tulane’s His toric Preservation program is also working to create a Historic Preservation Field School at Histor ic Jefferson College in Natchez, Mississippi. The program, which received funding from the Missis sippi legislature, will offer trade education for skilled workers in building repair and construction. Brent served as a leader of Conference of the Islands, a two-day event held in Barbados for the purpose of addressing critical is sues related to conservation in the region. Additional support came from global partners includ ing the Commonwealth Heritage Forum and Barbados National Trust.

John Stubbs, Emeritus Profes sor of Practice, brought 10 grad uate students to Curaçao this spring to meet with heritage pro tection practitioners and explore examples of building restoration and rehabilitation as well as the Dutch Caribbean island’s tropical architecture, old and new.

Real Estate Development Shelterforce highlighted the work of Kevin Krejci, Adjunct Lecturer in the Real Estate De velopment program, in connect ing health and affordable housing through innovative financing. In his role as chief capitalization officer for Gulf Coast Housing Part nership, Kevin has pursued new financing models that facilitate the creation of onsite health ser vices in affordable senior housing developments.

Jesse M. Keenan, Favrot II Associate Professor of Real Es tate, participated in the 2022 U.N. IPCC report “Mitigation of Climate Change.” Jesse’s contri bution to the chapter on “Build ings” included reviewing the state of the science and social science in buildings, helping designers, planners, and developers to build more sustainably in the future.

Director of Sustainable Real Es tate Development and Shane Pro fessor of Practice Casius Pealer, along with Project Manager for the Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design and Adjunct Lecturer in Architecture Nick Jenisch, organized a regional meeting of the national forum Mayors’ Institute on City Design in March. The event included tours and dis cussions with six city mayors and six experts in architecture, urban planning, housing, and public policy.

Visiting Associate Professor

Will Bradshaw, Adjunct Assis tant Professor Jackie Dadakis, and Adjunct Lecturer Gina La Macchia, along with alumnus Ben Myers (MSRED ‘21) are working through Green Coast Enterprises to redevelop New Orleans’ Publiq House. The team’s vision for the redeveloped property includes an “affordability center” with a lend er specializing in financing for lower-income homebuyers and

Real Estate Development Faculty Fred Neal Jr, Gina LaMacchia, and John Huppi capture a view at the Four Seasons and the Vue

space to house nonprofit organi zations.

Curtis Doucette, Jr., Adjunct Assistant Professor in Sustainable Real Estate Development, was fea tured in USA Today for his role in the revival of the Dew Drop Inn, a New Orleans property with a storied history: in the days of segre gation, the hotel was listed in The Green Book, a lodging guide for Black travelers, and hosted many celebrated musicians.

Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship

Edson Cabalfin, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Director of the SISE Program, collaborated with Tulane’s Department of Comput er Science to host Data by Com munity by Design (DXCXD). The one-day workshop explored the

intersection of data, community, and design at Tulane and through out New Orleans. Attendees rep resented the non-profit, govern ment, and business communities as well as Tulane students, facul ty, and staff.

Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design

Twelve recipients of 2021 AIA New Orleans Design Awards were connected to Tulane School of Architecture. One was Gander Point, a waterfront gathering area in City Park, created by Small Center faculty, staff, and students. In the Fall Design + Build studio, 24 students worked with Sugar Roots Farm to design an outdoor learning kitchen centered on the farm’s practices and values to support expanded programming, farmers markets, and communi ty gatherings. Students presented their final design scheme to the farm staff and shared the collec tive vision with more than 600 visitors. The Small Center, along with firm Colectivo, have been working in Ecuador with Funda cion para la Conservacion de los Andes Tropicales to design struc tures on their reserve that will in crease capacity for teaching and research in the 1,500-acre rain forest site.

Emilie Taylor Welty, Director and Professor of Practice Ann Yoachim, and Lecturer Daniela Rivero Bryant are among the faculty who have participated in the project. The Small Cen ter showcased its 2021-22 exhi bition: “The Atmosp(HERE) of Space,” which used mixed media to explore the built environment through the perspective of Cen tral City residents and their lived

The Small Center’s Sugar Roots Farm outdoor learning kitchen rests upon a water-retention pond

experiences.

The Small Center’s spring ex hibit, “Legacy of Central City,” was curated by Civic Studio and showcased work from Collabo rative Design Project Manager and Adjunct Lecturer José Cotto (M.Arch *14), in addition to Polo Silk, Big Chief Beautiful, and Sharita Ariel. Ann Yoachim led a national AIA webinar in May titled: “Changing the Narra tive: Engaging and Empowering the Next Generation.” The pre sentation focused on the power of community-engaged design to affect change, as illustrated by the award-winning Parasite Skate Park partnership. José Cotto was one of 25 humanist scholars from across the country to participate in a 3-week National Endowment for the Humanities Institute de voted to alternative approaches to the scholarship and teaching of landscape-oriented social his tories. The Institute focused on Black and Indigenous historical narratives in the U.S. The Small Center received the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Tulane’s first Research, Scholarship, and Artistic Achievement Awards ceremony.

URBANbuild

URBANbuild completed its sev enteenth home, designing and fabricating a house in Central City over the course of 16 weeks. The team partnered with the Bethle hem Lutheran Church NOLA, the oldest historically Black Evangeli cal Lutheran church in the conti nental United States, to construct an affordable housing unit as part of a post-Katrina rehabilitation program.

Career Explorations

After two years of virtual programming, TuSA was pleased to host a Summer 2022 Career Explorations in Architecture program that offered both inperson and online opportunities for participation. Through residential, online, and ‘day’ options, the program created 76 seats designed to increase access

to architectural education to students from outside and within the New Orleans area. The two 2-week sessions covered Tactile and Digital Design and were led by Marianne Desmarais, Fabrication Director Nick LiCausi, and TuSA Fellows Omar Ali and Emmanuel Osorno.

URBANbuild 17 students pose in front of their newly completed project

URBANbuild 17 design model

Career Services

The school’s Career Services, led by Program Manager Kristen Jones, held eight workshops and events during the 2021-22 school year on topics such as resume and portfolio building, architecture licensure, job interview tips, salary negotiations, and much more. Career Days 2022 brought a record-high 59 offices and firms to Tulane in February 2022, both in person and virtually. The twoday event included a job fair and individual interviews with stu dents – great opportunities to gain valuable professional devel opment. Fun fact: 65 percent of the in-person Career Days 2022 employers were TuSA alumni –providing further opportunity for alumni to connect with cur rent students. Save the Date for Career Days 2023: February 9 & 10. Career Services also offered a TuSA Alumni & Student Mentor ship Program that connected 30 alumni to 37 students for guid ance and networking opportuni ties. Registration for the 2022-23 mentorship program is now open.

Fabrication Labs

Nicholas LiCausi, Tulane School of Architecture’s Direc tor of Fabrication, was highlight ed in RoboDK’s blog for his study of robotic art through robotic painting, generative drawing, and non-planar rotation. The Fabrica tion Labs were also called to 3D scan the Enrique Alferez relief “Louisiana at Work and Play,” a historic exterior element of Char ity Hospital in New Orleans. The digital model will be used toward the work’s preservation.

Students meet with potential employers at the 2022 Career Days.

Nicholas LiCausi’s Robot Arm generates a drawing

Every year, the American Insti tute of Architecture’s (AIA) New Orleans chapter honors outstand ing examples of architectural achievement and practice in the region. In 2022, the AIA Design Awards Program included four teen awards whose recipients had Tulane School of Architecture ties.

Below is a list of the buildings, homes, and projects recognized by the AIA in 2022 with Tulane affiliations, including the names of associated alumni, faculty, and students. The list reflects the or der in which the recipients were announced in the AIA New Orle ans awards program.

COMMERCIAL, LARGE SCALECOMMENDATION/USGBC AWARD:

2022 AIA Awards

COMMERCIAL, SMALL SCALE, HONOR AWARD:

HISTORIC PRESERVATION, RESTORATION & ADAPTIVE REUSE, MERIT AWARD:

VIRGIN HOTEL by Mathes Brierre Architects

Clay Markham (A’ 79, M.Arch)

COMMERCIAL, SMALL SCALE, MERIT AWARD:

AMCREF Community Capital by Chase Marshall Architects

Nicholas Marshall (A ‘92, B.Arch, M.Arch)

HISTORIC PRESERVATION, RESTORATION & ADAPTIVE REUSE, COMMENDATION:

353 Carondelet Street by Trapolin-Peer Architects

Peter Trapolin (A ‘77, B.Arch, M.Arch)

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE, COMMENDATION:

Vals On Freret by Adamick Architecture

Alexander Adamick (TC ‘05, BA Philosophy)

Cassidy Self (A ‘17, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Esplanade by bildDESIGN

Byron Mouton (A ‘89, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Peter Kilgust (A ‘10, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Emile Lejeune (A ‘13, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Sara Allen Harper (A *17, M. Arch)

Hugh Jackson (A ‘22, B.Arch)

Aaron LaGraize (A *21, M.Arch)

Wayne Troyer (A’ 83, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Julie Babin (A ‘06, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Toni DiMaggio (A ‘03, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Ray Croft (A *14, M.Arch)

Trent Gauthier (A ‘14, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Ross Karsen (A ‘06, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Mussafer Hall by studioWTA

MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, COMMENDATION: Mya by EskewDumezRipple

José Alvarez (A *97, M.Arch)

Gianna Morelli (A ‘17, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Sam Levison (A *18, M.Arch, MSRE)

SINGLE-FAMILY AND TWO-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD:

SMALL SCALE, COMMENDATION:

SMALL SCALE, HONOR AWARD: Sugar Roots Outdoor Kitchen by Tulane’s Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design

José Cotto (A *14, M.Arch)

Emilie Taylor Welty (A *06, M.Arch)

Eastshore Playground by Chase Marshall Architects

Nicholas Marshall (A ‘92, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Daisy Dodge (A *15, M.Arch)

UN-BUILT ARCHITECTURE, MERIT AWARD:

Merrie Afseth (Current Un dergraduate Student)

Brianna Baldwin (Current Graduate Student)

Le’Bryant Bell (A *22, M.Arch)

Zach Braaten (A ‘22, B.Arch)

Kelsie Donovan (A ‘22, B.Arch)

Kareem Elsandouby (A ‘19, A *22, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Ellen Feringa (A *22, M.Arch)

Nick George (A ‘22, B.Arch)

Ella Jacobs (A *22, M.Arch)

Sam Lindley (A ‘18, A *22, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Connor Little (Current Un dergraduate Student)

POP! House by ALAO

James Carse (A ‘03, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Toni DiMaggio (A ‘03, B.Arch, M.Arch)

SINGLE-FAMILY AND TWO-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, Merit AWARD:

USM Executive Education Center by EskewDumezRipple (Associate Architect) / unabridged Architecture (Executive Architect)

José Alvarez (A *97, M.Arch)

Katie Nguyen (A *16, M.Arch)

UN-BUILT ARCHITECTURE, HONOR AWARD:

Mandii Malhorta (A *22, M.Arch)

Valentina Mancera (A ‘22, B.Arch)

Johnathan Michka (A ‘22, B.Arch)

Malina Pickard (A ‘22, B.Arch)

James Poche (A ‘22, BS.Arch)

Natalie Rendleman (A ‘22, B.Arch)

Katie Schultz (A ‘22, B.Arch)

Karan Sharma (Current Grad uate Student)

Bruno Soria (A’ 22, M.Arch)

Shaping the City by NANO, LLC

Giuliana Vaccarino Gearty (Current Graduate Student)

Pine Street Residence by Colectivo

Seth Welty (A ‘08, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Emilie Taylor Welty (A *06, M.Arch)

Terri Dreyer (A *01, M.Arch)

Ian Dreyer (A *01, M.Arch)

Kristine Kobila (A *01, M.Arch)

Ana Chu (A ‘20, B.Arch, M.Arch)

Yao Zhang (Current Graduate Student)

ASSOCIATE AWARD:

Cassidy Rosen (A *17, M.Arch)

New and Visiting Faculty

Nimet Anwar Visiting Assistant Professor in Architecture

Nimet is the co-founder of NO OFFICE, an architecture, design, and research practice. She previously worked with Studio Gang Architects in Chicago, and recent projects include an exhibition of drawings at a83 Gallery in New York City and the installation of a temporary pa vilion at Chicago’s Space p11. Nimet holds a Master of Architecture from Rice University and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington. During her graduate study, Nimet received the H. Russell Pitman Graduate Fellowship in Architecture, enabling her to research South Africa’s open-pit mines and their adap tive reuse.

Fallon Samuels Aidoo Assistant Professor of Real Estate & Historic Preservation

Fallon is a preservation plan ner with a focus on the histo ry and future of real estate that plays a critical role in communi ty resilience, revitalization, and remembrance while remaining vulnerable to disinvestment, de terioration, and disasters. Fallon’s extensive research and teaching have explored the impact of eq uitable real estate investment and preservation, and its scarcity in communities predominantly occupied by Black, Indigenous, and immigrant populations. As the Principal of preservation consulting firm studio RxP, she has helped clients secure grants from the National Trust for His toric Preservation, inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, and eligibility for historic tax credits and hazard mitigation incentives. Fallon holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Harvard, M.S. in Architectural History from MIT, and B.S. in Civil/Struc tural Engineering from Columbia University.

Hannah Berryhill Lecturer in Design

For Hannah, one of the most important elements of design is its impact on people. That emphasis on human health and well being in the built environment led her to become a WELL Accredited Professional in 2021. Hannah has studied the health and productivity impacts of acoustics in architecture and most recently, served as an interior and architectural designer at Trapolin-Peer Architects, where she fo cused on adaptive reuse projects and new construction. Hannah earned her Master of Architecture degree from Tulane and a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from the University of Texas at Austin. Her local projects include the 2021 prototype house for unCommon Construction, an affordable senior living facility with Prov idence Community Housing, and the new headquarters for Son of a Saint.

Liz Camuti

Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Liz, Senior Designer at landscape architecture and urban de sign studio SCAPE, will be spear heading the launch of TuSA’s Landscape Architecture program. Liz is a Registered Landscape Ar chitect whose work has focused on designing elements that respond and adapt to changing environ ments. She earned a Bachelor’s in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University and holds a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia, where she was awarded an ASLA Certificate of Honor and named an Olmstead Scholar.

Charles Jones

Visiting Assistant Professor in Architecture

Charles brings deep expertise in digital fabrication and material assemblies to his teaching and professional practice. Charles has explored the use of precast con crete, including in public spaces and as part of water management infrastructure, and recently be came a Research Fellow with the City of New Orleans Project De livery Units, studying the history and development of streetscapes. He holds an M.S. in Architectural Research and Design from TuSA and a Bachelor of Architecture from Louisiana State University.

Meghan Saas

Visiting Assistant Professor in Design

Meghan takes an interdisci plinary approach to education, graphic design, and her work as a book artist, fueled by a passion for typography and letterforms. Her portfolio encompasses print and digital work, including publi cation and icon system design as well as comprehensive marketing campaigns. She strives to create a creative learning environment that empowers every student, with teaching practices centered on equity and inclusivity. Meghan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Paint ing and Drawing from Providence College and a Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Louisiana State University.

Han “John” Park

Visiting Assistant Professor in Real Estate

John’s areas of interest include housing policies and programs, real estate economics, urban development, built environments, commu nity resilience, and social equity. He will teach real estate courses including market analysis and finance, among other topics. John previously served as a senior research fellow at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and worked for the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Center for Sustainable Development, and the Urban and Real Estate Economics Lab. John holds urban planning degrees from Texas A&M University (Ph.D.), the University of Texas at Austin (M.S.), and Ha nyang University in Seoul, South Korea (M.S. and B.S.).

Casius Pealer named Associate Dean and Director of Advancement

A Message from Iñaki Alday, Dean and Richard Koch Chair in Architecture:

Since my arrival at Tulane our alumni have made a number of investments in the School, including the Saul A. Mintz Global Research Stu dios and the Boudreaux Scholar ship to support graduate students from historically underrepresent ed groups in professions of the built environment. Additionally, our annual fund donors make possible a wide range of targeted actions that directly benefit to day’s students and enhance our School’s impact over time. And of course, our primary development focus is on enhancing the current renovation and expansion of our beloved home, Richardson Me morial Hall.

To deepen the alignment and strategic focus of our fundrais ing efforts with the School’s academic priorities, we have co ordinated with the University to create a new hybrid position of Associate Dean for Development in the School of Architecture, and Director of Development in the Office of Advancement. I am pleased to announce that Casius Pealer has accepted this role.

Among his new responsibilities, Casius will coordinate overall school-based giving and major gift activities at the School of Archi tecture. He will work closely with Advancement, Alumni Relations, and other departments through out the university and will also support my development activ ities as Dean. At the same time, he will continue as a Professor of

Practice part-time and will man age a transition to a new Director of Real Estate Development over the coming academic year.

Casius has a deep understand ing of the school’s mission, histo ry, and current priorities. He is an alum of the B.Arch program (‘96) which remains at the core of our teaching and research, and he has been recognized with nation al awards from both the AIA and ACSA. He also has interdisciplin ary professional expertise which reflects our school’s expanded of ferings, completing a law degree (University of Michigan, 2005) and practicing as a real estate at torney in Washington, DC, work ing on large redevelopment proj

ects across the country before returning to New Orleans in 2010.

Most members of the TuSA community will likely know Ca sius as the Director of the Real Estate Development programs at Tulane since 2014. However, Casius first joined the faculty as the Director of the Social Innova tion & Social Entrepreneurship (SISE) program in 2013. He was also an engaged alum, serving as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council from 2005-2014.

We are enthusiastic about this opportunity for the school and thank Casius for embracing this new role in addition to his re sponsibilities in teaching and as SRED Director.

Commencement Awards 2022

2022 AWARDS AND ACADEMIC HONORS

Angela O’Byrne Alumni Award: Maziar Behrooz, M.Arch

Tulane 34 Award; Peery Society: Zachary Ga Wing Braaten, B.Arch

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Award: Valentina Mancera, B.Arch

John William Lawrence Memorial Medal:

Eliott Martin Jones Moreau, B.Arch

James Gerard Poché, BSA

Outstanding Thesis Award: Katie Margaret Schultz, B.Arch

Graduate Design Excellence Award: Ellen Ashley Feringa, M.Arch, MPS

Le’Bryant Devonte’ Bell, M.Arch

Azadeh Raoufi, MSARC

Natalie Jane Grace Rendleman, B.Arch Dana Nicole Ridenour, B.Arch

DESIGN

Capstone Award: Estefania Del Carmen Brostella Sosa, BA

ARCHITECTURE

American Institute of Architects Medal for Academic Excellence: Zachary Ga Wing Braaten, B.Arch

Ellen Ashley Feringa, M.Arch, MPS

American Institute of Architects Louisiana Celebrate Architecture Scholarship: Katie Margaret Schultz, B.Arch

Alpha Rho Chi Medal: Valentina Mancera, B.Arch

Thomas J. Lupo Awards: Zachary Ga Wing Braaten, B.Arch

Katie Margaret Schultz, B.Arch

Graduate Leadership Award: Rebecca Lynn Dunn, M.Arch

Thesis Commendations:

Zachary Ga Wing Braaten, B.Arch

Kelsie Donovan, B.Arch

Luke Escobar, M.Arch

Nicholas Lane George, B.Arch

Lauren Adele McGrath, B.Arch Valentina Mancera, B.Arch

Johnathan Beckett Michka, B.Arch

Eliott Martin Jones Moreau, B.Arch

Alec G. Paulson, B.Arch

Malina Merth Slade Pickard, B.Arch

Design Excellence Award: Gabriel Darley, BA

HISTORIC

PRESERVATION

Distinguished Thesis Award: Lynette Marie Johnson, MPS

Outstanding Community Engagement Award: Lynette Marie Johnson, MPS

Outstanding Pursuit of New Directions in the Field Award: Emma Elizabeth Mooney, MPS

Outstanding Practicum Report Award:

Laurel McCullough Fay, MPS

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

GPA Award:

Nicholas Alexander Pappas, BS

Academic Achievement Award: Joseph Connelly Nicholas Alexander Pappas, BS Sydney Seale Kate Vannini, BS

Academic Distinction Award: Hayley Ann Tilton Solsky, MSRED

Leadership Award: Marc E. Schwartz, MSRED

Service Award: Daniel Robert Forrester, MSRED

Research Awards: Bhumika Shirole, M.Arch, MSRED

Jacob Thomas Stansberry, MSRED

FACULTY

Malcolm Heard Award for Excellence in Teaching: Margarita Jover Biboum, M.Arch

Student Digest

Architecture students Belinda Chau, Hongning Fu, Emilia Bertoli, and Avanti Patel visited the Univer sity of Virginia School of Archi tecture, along with faculty Edson Cabalfin and José Cotto to partic ipate in the 2022 Design Futures Forum from May 31 – June 4, an event focused on student leader ship development in the area of public interest design.

Graduate student Giuliana Vac carino received the prestigious 2022 RAMSA Travel Fellowship, a $10,000 prize awarded annually by Robert A.M. Stern Architects

to a graduate student in architec ture for the purpose of travel and research in an area that balances tradition and innovation. Giuli ana will travel to Sicily to study the architecture and preservation techniques of tuna fisheries in Syracuse, Palermo, and Trapani.

Two groups of TuSA students were Barcelona-bound in Fall 2021. Fourth-year B.Arch stu dents Alyssa Barber, Leah Bo hatch, Andreea Dan, Camille Kreisel, Tiger Thepkanjana, and Tess Temple studied at the Institute for Advanced Archi tecture of Catalonia through the

CIEE study abroad program. A group of five students participat ed in the Spring Scholars pro gram, spending the first semester of their freshman year studying architecture at the Internation al University of Catalonia (UIC) before beginning their spring se mester at Tulane.

Places Journal published “The Discomforts of Home: Seattle’s Legacy of Restrictive Covenants,” an essay by Summer Fellow and fifth-year undergraduate archi tecture student Zach Braaten. Senior Editor Frances Richard described Zach’s writing as “mak

ing design thinking vivid and per sonal, both for himself and for a reader.” Zach was also selected as a “Tulane 34” honoree and named to the William Wallace Peery Society.

Fifth-year thesis student Hugh Jackson led a team including ar chitecture student Bryce Winter and engineering students Nate Robinson, Keelan Collins, and Ben Vasquez in creating ‘A Machine for Thermal Com fort,’ a project that competed in ASHRAE’s annual Integrated Sus tainable Building Design Compe tition in Sydney, Australia. With this data-driven design, the team aimed to achieve sub-net-zero emissions.

The accomplishments of gradu ating architecture student Kelsie Donovan (M.Arch ‘22) were fea tured in a Commencement pro

file, highlighting the impressive intern and leadership roles she held during her Tulane tenure, in cluding two years as an intern at the Albert and Tina Small Center and positions in the Architecture Student Government and Tulane Women in Architecture.

The TuSA Beaux-Arts Ball was resurrected after a four-year hi atus, held this year on April 30 at the Red Eye Grill. The event is loosely modeled after the an nual costume ball given by the students of Paris’ École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and has become a tradition across many American architecture schools.

Two seniors received recogni tion for their Capstone Projects, created by graduating students to marry design with another major area of study. Estefania Del Car-

men Brostella Sosa, a double major in psychology and design, received the Capstone Award. Es tefania’s project referenced a Psy chology course focused on infan cy, and she created a line of plush bean objects and a storyline com paring humans to beans, born full of embedded information that will sprout with care and nurturing. Estefania is planning to contin ue her studies at Columbia Uni versity. Gabriel Darley won the Design Excellence award. Gabe, a double major in computer science and design with a minor in math ematics, submitted a Capstone project that involved redesigning a chapter of his sixth-grade math textbook to be more graphic and visually inclusive. Gabe plans to attend Yale University to pursue a Master’s in architecture.

Zach Braaten and work from his essay “The Discomforts of Home: Seattle’s Legacy of Restrictive Covenants,” featured by Places Journal

Kelsie Donovan and her thesis “Central City Storm Shelter: Social Infrastructure for Disaster Relief + Recovery,” showcased at the Small Center

Alumni Updates

Hannah Bannister (A *20), Annie Davis (A ‘21) & Olivia Pontiff (A ‘15) recently completed an adaptive re-use project for Kronberg Urbanists + Architects, which received the At lanta Urban Design Commission 2022 Award for Adaptive Use. The project features the adaptive re use of an existing warehouse into a new law office that celebrates local design and community. The design highlights the original in dustrial character and is comple mented by contemporary design and murals by local artists. Since the completion of the project, Google has generated 360° views of the building interior.

be involved in their design pro cess and feel valued.

Maziar Behrooz (M.Arch ‘85), founder of MB Architecture and member of the TuSA Dean’s Ad visory Council, is the recipient of this year’s Inaugural Angela O’By rne Alumni Award. The award is presented to an alumnus coming from a diverse background who demonstrates incredible leader ship in the architecture field.

Danielle Vachon Bell (MSRED ’13) was promoted to Develop ment Director at MGL Partners in Denver, CO.

Rebeckah Blossman (M.Arch/ MSRED ’15) is an Owner and In terior Designer at Master & Man Design in New Orleans, LA.

Remi Bourque (MSRED ’21) was promoted to CRE Portfolio Manager at Hancock Whitney Bank in New Orleans, LA.

Partners in Nashville, TN.

Caroline Garfield (M.Arch/ MSRED ’19) was hired as a De signer at Multistudio in New Or leans, LA.

Daniel Gersh (MSRED ’22) was hired as an Analyst at Townhouse Partners in New York, NY.

Eugene Goldberg (A ’75), a retired architect living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has published a children’s book: Once Upon a Pizza: Eight Crazy Ways Pizza Wasn’t Really Invented, And One It Might Have Been.

Daniel Feinberg (MSRED ’17) was hired as Development Officer – Southeast at The Michaels Or ganization in Atlanta, GA.

James Fox (MSRED ’17) was hired as Assistant Project Manag er at Impetus in New Orleans, LA.

Calla Bardwell (M.Arch/ MSRED ’17), Calvin Gallion (M.Arch ’17), and Mark Heck (M.Arch ‘06) have partnered as studio^RISE. studio^RISE collab orates with clients in a creative process that guides them through the nuances of design, at multiple scales. Focused on creating a dy namic design based on intention al choices and unbounded oppor tunities, the result responds to the needs of the client while be ing immersed in the community. Current projects include residen tial renovations, early learning centers, and assisting the devel opment team of Charity Hospital. studio^RISE strives to encourage clients with projects of all sizes to

Thomas (Tom) C. Brutting, FAIA (M.Arch ‘77) recently pub lished a memoir that includes his time at Tulane School of Architec ture, his professional career, plus a chapter on his time in the Soviet Union in 1976 investigating their architectural heritage after receiving the John W. Lawrence Fellowship through the School. Unlocking Cousin Daisy’s Cabi net was published by The Conrad Press in the UK.

Reed Campbell (M.Arch/ MSRED ’21) was hired as an Ar chitectural Designer at Cannon Design in Baltimore, MD.

Rob Denham (MSRED ’18) was hired as Development Manager, Economic Development Division at the City of Cincinnati in Cin cinnati, OH.

Patrick Dougherty (MSRED ’21) was hired as a Development Manager at Kupperman Compa nies in New Orleans, LA.

Brandon Dughman (MSRED ’17) was hired as a Senior Project Manager at Nelson Community

Jacques Fuselier (MSRED ’21) was hired as a Commercial Real Estate Agent at Marcus & Millichap in Austin, TX.

Austin Hogans (M.Arch/ MSRED ’20) was hired as an Ar chitectural Designer at TrapolinPeer Architects in New Orleans, LA.

Hank Hopkins (MSRED ’13) is a Principal at Yukon Develop ment in Dallas, TX.

M. Haynes Johnston (M.Arch/ MSRED ’19) was hired as a De velopment Associate at Redfern Properties, LLC, in Portland, ME. Michael Kahn (A’13, SLA’13) received an industry-based PhD from the University of Technolo gy Sydney. His research focused on the role of architecture in the delivery of large-scale urban in frastructure projects, based on his experience in practice assist ing to deliver Sydney’s new air port and metro system. Follow ing the completion of his PhD, he joined DesignInc Sydney as a se nior urban designer and was ap pointed to a lecturer position at the University of Sydney – where

Atlanta Urban Project

he studied abroad while at Tulane – recently serving as the coordi nator for third year studio.

On May 1, Kraig Kessel (M.Arch ‘86) celebrated 12 years in busi ness with his firm Kraido. Addi tionally, after over 11 years in the Hearst Building in San Francisco, Kraig and his business partners Dave Oldman and Tom McCune decided to move their physical office from San Francisco to Tuc son, Arizona as of May 1, 2022.

Kronberg Urbanists + Archi tects, led by Tulane graduate Eric Kronberg (A ‘97), will be wrapping up construction this fall on the self-developed housing project at Finley St. in Atlanta, GA. Finley St. Cottages is a creative infill communi ty of 16 homes in the Edgewood neighbor hood. The by-right development of fers workforce housing options without subsidy and serves as a model for afford able, neighbor hood-scale infill. Located on two R-5 (single-fami ly) lots, the inno vative development rethinks what is possi ble with our existing pol icies. The project consists of 2 renovated historic homes (3bed/2bath), 2 attached duplex es (3bed/3bath), 6 guest suites (1-2bed/1bath), 2 guest houses (1bed/1bath), 4 accessory dwell ing units (2bed/2bath), and 0 offstreet parking spaces.

Advancement Report

Your support allows the Tulane School of Architecture to build an environment of excellence, provide transformational teaching, and work with our community to promote meaningful change.

Every gift is important and makes a difference. With your continued help, we are poised to move to a new level of achievement by building on our strengths and capitalizing on the momentum of our successes.

in Memoriam

Frank R. Seavey (A‘51)

J. Schulingkamp Jr. (A ‘55)

Sam Levison (M.Arch/MSRED ’18) was hired as Project Archi tect at Williams Architects in New Orleans, LA.

Kasey Liedtke (MSRED ’12) was promoted to Senior Housing Developer at Bellweather Hous ing in Seattle, WA.

Ming Ming Lin (MS.Arch/ MSRED ’20) was hired as a Proj ect Analyst at Gulf Coast Housing Partnership in New Orleans, LA.

B. Montgomery (A‘74)

Smith (A‘84)

P. Dillard (A‘07)

B. Noland III (A‘61)

J. Hudson (A‘68)

J. Villa (A‘81)

H. Barbosa (A‘83)

D. Rouchell (A‘89)

Nathan Lipson (MSRED ’17) was promoted to Transportation Planning Analyst at TMG Con sulting in New Orleans, LA.

Erik Luthringshausen (M.Arch /MSRED ’22) was hired as an Ar chitectural Designer at MKRED in New Orleans, LA.

Andrew Mayronne (MSRED ’12) was hired as an Impact Offi cer – Housing at Dogwood Health Trust in Asheville, NC.

John McGourty (MSRED ’20) was hired as an Account Execu tive at Pricemoov in Austin, TX.

John Moore (MSRED ’12) was hired as a Policy and Develop ment Manager at Primestor De velopment in Los Angeles, CA.

John A. Newcomb III (A ’89) recently returned to Newcomb + Associates, a New York-based architectural planning and de sign consultancy with extensive experience in the United States, throughout Mexico, Colombia, and other key Latin American countries that he runs with his partner and spouse. Known for having a collaborative service mindset, Newcomb + Associates provides leadership, guidance, commercial strategy, develop ment proforma, architectural planning, and design services to developers and clients for their strategic needs and projects wherever they may be.

Teddy Newmyer (MSRED ’15) was promoted to Associate Direc tor of Real Estate Development at Eden Housing in San Francisco, CA.

William Neild (MSRED ’21) was hired as a Development Co ordinator at The Morgan Group in Austin, TX.

Martie Elliott Notestine (MSRED ’18) was hired as Assis tant Real Estate Manager at CBRE in San Antonio, TX.

Lindsay Poppenhagen (MSRED ’21) was promoted to Senior Fi

nancial Analyst at Greysteel in Dallas, TX.

Noah Russin (MSRED ’18) was hired as an Architectural Drafter at Delson Or Sherman Architects in Brooklyn, NY.

Laura Rutledge (MSRED ’21) was promoted to Property Manag er at Felicity Property Co. in New Orleans, LA.

Ben Samuels (MSRED ’16) was promoted to Corporate Develop ment Manager at OmniTRAX in Denver, CO.

Koley Scott (MSRED ’21) was hired as an Underwriter at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Denver, CO.

Brinda Sen Gupta (MSRED ’12) was hired as Director of Strategy, Global Enterprise Sales at World Wide Technology in Washington, DC.

Alden Smith (MSRED ’17) is an Owner and Sole Proprietor at Alden Integrates in Washington, DC.

Jonas Sparks (MSRED ’21) was hired as a Financial Analyst at American Campus Communities in Austin, TX.

Veronika Suarez (MSRED ’19) was hired as an Architectural De signer & Planner at Concordia in New Orleans, LA.

Hayley Tilton (MSRED ’22) was hired as Manager of Sustainabili ty and ESG Services at Deloitte in New Orleans, LA.

Max Trinkle (MSRED ’22) was hired as an Underwriting Ana lyst at Arbor Realty Trust in New York, NY.

Kim Ferrari Vallot (MSRED ’16) was hired as an Associate At torney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutch er LLP in Orange County, CA.

Max Warshaw (M.Arch/MSRED ‘19) was hired as an Associate at SHoP Architects in New York, NY.

Garrick Wier (MSRED ’17) was promoted to Land Development

Manager at Toll Brothers in Ra leigh, NC.

Chenbo Xing (M.Arch/MSRED ’20) was hired as a Senior Design Specialist at Seazen Holdings Co. in Shanghai, China.

Bryan Yim (MSRED ’16) is a self-employed real estate investor in Apple Valley, CA.

Alumni from the Tulane School of Architecture Class of 1967 re cently had a mini reunion! This June 2022 reunion picture was at Penland Arts and Crafts Cen ter in the Toe River region of the great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. Pictured: (L to R) David Rittenberg, Weaverville, NC, Mickey Kronsberg Rosenblum, Charleston, SC (Newcomb Col lege ’67), Jeffrey Rosenblum, Charleston, SC, Edward Roehm, Virginia Beach, VA

More than 20 Tulane School of Architecture alumni from the Class Of 1980/81 recently published a book based on what ar chitects from decades and centu ries past and present would serve at a dinner party, based on the architect’s signature style and era. The book, My Dinner with Lawrence, is now available for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Proceeds from the pub lication will benefit the Class of 1980/81 Fund, a vehicle created by the class to help support TuSA and the memories of the ones who taught them to see differently.

“The Cavalers”

Alumni Council

Formed in 2019, the Tulane School of Architecture Alumni Council is a global group of committed alumni. Together they initiate events that strengthen local networks of current alumni, provide mentorship and support to further the careers of students and graduates, and leverage their collective influence to ensure a diverse and inclusive future for the school. The council also has the following three standing subcommittees: Communications, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Student Engagement. The 2021-2022 council was chaired by Adrianne Steichen (A ‘01) and Simcha Ward (A ‘11). The alumni listed below were selected as city co-chairs to lead this initiative.

Adrianne Steichen (A ‘01) AIA, LEED AP BD+C & HOMES

Principal of PYATOK architecture + urban design Oakland, CA

Simcha Ward (A ’11)

Senior Development Manager at Laurel Street Residential Charlotte, NC

ANN ARBOR

Anthony Vanky A *07 University of Michigan

ATLANTA

Stacey Lucas A *00

Collins Cooper Carusi Architects, Inc.

Kyle McCluskey A ‘09 Jacobs

Amber Stewart A *09 Jacobs

AUSTIN

Lucas Elser MSRED *18 Project Management Advisors, Inc.

BOSTON

Leland “Lee” B. Berman A *12

The Berman Company

Jennifer Gaugler A *11 Wentworth Institute of Technology

Arielle Scher A *18 HGA

CHICAGO

Deirdre Clein MSRED *18 Murphy Real Estate Services

Sean McGuire A *12 Gensler

Joshua Mings A’10 Canopy / architecture + design

Me’osha Solsberry A*18, MSRED *18

Fitzgerald Associates Architects

DALLAS

Sarah Cumming A ‘14 Page

Devin Weaver A *11 Perkins + Will

HONOLULU

Frank Xiong A’14 WJE

INTERNATIONAL

Katherine Allen A ‘15 Henning Larsen, Denmark

KANSAS CITY

Michelle Barrett A ‘19 Gould Evans

William Trakas A*12 BNIM

L OS ANGELES

Jake Lazere A *14 Frederick Fisher and Partners Architects

Jeffrey Zolan A ‘16 DLR Group

MIAMI

Alexandra Mangimelli A ‘09 Strang Design

Amanda Rosales A ‘12, A ‘13 Shawmut Design and Construction

NEW ORLEANS

Chris Daemmrich A ‘17

Tulane University

Celeste Favrot MSRED *18 First Lake Properties

Catherine “Katie” Nguyen A *16

EskewDumezRipple

James Rolf MPS *16

Louisiana Recovery School District

Lane Rapier A *18 Farouki Farouki

NEW YORK

Braham Berg A ‘18, MSRED *18 BBB3rg LLC

Alison (Popper) Landry A ‘09 NYC Department of Design and Construction

Wells Megalli A *17 Selldorf Architects

PHOENIX

Chris Cody MPS *14 Arizona State Historic Preservation Office

Nicole Mehaffey A ‘16 Gould Evans

SAN ANTONIO

Corey Squires A *12 Lake/Flato Architects

SAN FRANCISCO

Ian Rosenfield A ‘15 Gensler

SALT LAKE CITY

Kelly Holland A ‘09 Arch Nexus

SEATTLE

Nick Vann A ‘09, MPS *09

Washington State, Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation

ST. LOUIS

Kekeli Dawes A *18 Lamar Johnson Collaborative

WASHINGTON, DC

J. Marshall Brown MPS *16

Loudoun County Department of Planning and Zoning

Brinda Sen Gupta A ‘11, MSRED *12

World Wide Technology

Interested in learning more about or becoming involved in the Alumni Council? Reach out to Kristen Jones, Assistant Director, Student Affairs at kjones41@tulane.edu.

Inaugural Alumni Award Recipient: Maziar Behrooz

The inaugural Angela O’By rne Alumni Award was presented at the 2022 Tulane School of Architecture Commencement to alumnus and award-winning architect Maziar Behrooz (A ‘85 and Dean’s Ad visory Council member). The award recognizes a Tulane grad uate coming from a diverse back ground or community who has become a leader in the architec ture and design field. Behrooz, an Iranian native who came to the U.S. to pursue his education, is celebrated for his remarkable ef forts in sustainable architecture. His innovative designs demon strate a commitment to maintain ing an integrated environment

through mindful building. Since 1996, Behrooz has led his firm, MB Architecture based in East Hampton, NY, in implementing these ideas in their designs.

Behrooz was surrounded by ar chitectural elements from an ear ly age. With his mother working in fashion design, and his father as an engineer, Behrooz quickly became familiar with construc tion and design principles. In his education, he naturally grav itated toward geometric shapes and found particular interest in spatial compositions. He moved away from his home and family in Iran to attend high school in Massachusetts, where he first be gan to seriously consider the ar

chitecture field. Upon applying to colleges, the Tulane architec ture program seemed intriguing, though he did not know anything about New Orleans aside from a general knowledge of its vibrant culture. As he would many more times in his career, Behrooz took a leap of faith and chose Tulane to begin his undergraduate studies.

While earning his Bachelor of Architecture at Tulane, Behrooz gained foundational principles that would stay relevant in his career. He found the studio in Richardson Memorial Hall to be “a place of creativity, surround ed by exceptional faculty and peers” and remembers feeling for the first time the satisfaction of

“working on a project for months on end and seeing it through to completion.” He would later en counter such a feeling many more times, but the initial expe rience, surrounded by his peers and professors, made Tulane feel like home.

Such a community proved to be a critical part of Behrooz’s aca demic experience. While he was pursuing his degree, the Iranian Revolution began in his home country. He recalls the events “affecting every Ira nian student deeply,” as suddenly he could not return home, and his family could no longer send money to financially support his education. With drawing from school became a looming possibility, leading Behrooz to speak with the Assistant Dean, Steve Jacobs, about financial sup port. He did so hes itantly, as he cared deeply about school but “didn’t have A pluses” on his tran script. Jacobs worked with the Office of Financial Aid to offer Behrooz a full scholarship to continue his education. Upon reflection, Behrooz points to this moment as a critical part of his career path. With such a profound connection, he “could not refuse” when asked to become an Adviso ry Council member in 2009.

After graduating from Tulane in 1985, Behrooz earned his Mas ter’s in Architecture from Cornell University and attended the Insti tute for Architecture and Urban Studies. Always drawn to natu ral elements, he moved to East Hampton and started his firm, MB Architecture, in 1996. He

noticed a “not quite untouched, but predominantly green” envi ronment, and began approaching architecture as an opportunity to enhance the area’s natural el ements, rather than take away from them. Behrooz said his firm sees a building as “a mere compo nent, albeit a vital one, of a total environment.”

In designing his buildings, Beh rooz works mindfully to mitigate the environmental impact that construction intrinsically brings. His team planned and construct ed the first green roof in Montauk and used that design to devel op others in the area. In recent years, the firm has experimented with utilizing recycled materials in their construction. They con duct diligent research to measure their initiatives’ impacts, so as to avoid “green washing” in the sus tainable building process.

Because of construction’s en vironmental impact, Behrooz attempts to minimize total recon struction where possible. He finds “great value in preserving build ings,” often pivoting to designing additions or expansions to pre

existing buildings, rather than starting new. The buildings that do get started are made to last. Behrooz emphasizes the impor tance of designing buildings that can “age gracefully,” and sustain natural weathering. He encourag es clients to embrace natural imperfections, minimizing the need for excessive maintenance.

Sustainably minded homes were not always well received, but Behrooz and his team held strong in their mission. When he began designing in East Hampton in the mid 90s, clients found the ideas unrealistic.

Solar panels, com monly used today, were completely out of the question at the time. The firm took the critique as rea son to improve their designs and were never discouraged. In recent years, cli ents have become far more accepting of environmentally conscious designs, and now come to MB Architecture looking for ways to promote sustainability in their homes.

While at Tulane, Behrooz re ceived long lasting advice from professor and mentor Mark Shap iro about advocacy through archi tecture. Shapiro told him, “First learn how to design a building. Once you know how to master the craft, you can begin to bring in other criteria.” Behrooz leads his team with this advice, to be experts in their fields first, and later work to implement environ mental factors where they make sense, eventually making that the mission. Behrooz advises young architects interested in sustain ability to use the same approach.

“As good of an education as I had at other schools, Tulane feels like home for me. It goes back to the story of who I became,” he says. “The support saved me from dropping out of school. And then who knows what [would have happened]?”

-Maziar Behrooz

Photos by Catherine Restrepo / TuSA