Archinect - News

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln names three candidates for its next dean

2022-09-28T14:35:00-04:00

This week, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced its three finalist candidates for its open College of Architecture dean position.

The University of Oregon’s director for the School of Architecture and Environment, Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg; Michigan State University’s School of Planning, Design, and Construction director Ming-Han Li; and the Lawrence Technological Institute’s College of Architecture and Design Dean Karl Daubmann are all in the running to replace Katherine Ankerson, who is stepping into her new role as the University's executive vice chancellor.

Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg is the founder of the influential Institute for Health in the Built Environment and currently directs the University of Oregon’s Biology and the Built Environment center as well as the school’s Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory. Prior to joining the faculty in Eugene, he worked as a professor at the University of Idaho Boise, where he also founded the Integrated Design Lab. A press rele...

Linda C. Samuels on the forces reshaping 21st-century; A discussion on ‘Infrastructural Optimism’

2022-01-26T12:00:00-05:00

In cynical times, optimism gets a bad rap.

In her new book “Infrastructural Optimism” (Routledge 2021), Linda C. Samuels, associate professor of urban design at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, argues that optimism is not simply a reflexive emotional state, but a critical driver of public investment, societal progress and — perhaps — democracy itself.

In this Q&A, Samuels discusses “Infrastructural Optimism,” the current political moment and the resurgence of the common good.

Linda C. Samuels (Photo: Van Vo Photography)

You coined the phrase ‘infrastructural optimism’ in a 2009 article for Places Journal. What was the focus of that piece?

In the wake of catastrophe, infrastructure reconstruction can be a powerful morale builder and a signal for collective optimism — as scholars like Kevin Rozario have pointed out. After the Sept. 11th attacks, the quick resumption of public transit in Lower Manhattan, and ultimately the promise of t...

Get the inside scoop on how to get hired by these 13 currently-hiring architecture firms

2021-07-22T16:53:00-04:00

Each week our editorial team curates a selection of featured jobs from the Archinect Job Board. Not only do we amplify firms and their open employment opportunities but help prospective job seekers learn what positions are available. Comparing the job market between Summer 2020 and Summer 2021 may not be easily summarized in just a few lines. However, the team at Archinect continues to observe employment and professional practice trends to provide resources for the community. This past week the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) for June projected increasing demand for design services. Paired with a report from the Associated Builders and Contractors' (ABC) chief economist who shared the construction industry is rebounding despite issues with materials and skilled labor. As the

As developments in the industry continue to appear, firms seek architects, technologists, and design professionals as they prepare for Q4 and 2022. Learn about your future employer with 13 interviews conducte...

Comedy meets architecture as Michael Ian Black chats with Deborah Berke

2017-04-06T12:18:00-04:00

Although certain architects have attempted to inject humor into the profession, architecture is generally not known for its slapstick and wry timing, which makes the pairing of interviewer Michael Ian Black (formerly of classic comedy show The State) and Yale Dean of Architecture Deborah Berke just...unusual, but great. You can listen to their talk about the role of architecture in everyday life here.

While you're at it, take a listen to Archinect's podcast conversation with Deborah Berke...

Fresh Deans: Picking the brains of a few newly appointed leaders in architecture education

2014-07-21T19:22:00-04:00

Architecture schools saw a fair amount of shuffling this past academic year in their leadership departments. Aside from a handful of high-profile step-downs, including Mark Wigley at Columbia University and Adèle Naudé Santos at MIT, a hefty number of schools across the US appointed new leadership, potentially ushering in a new era in their school's history. As an off-shoot of our Deans List editorial series, we interviewed a few of these new-appointees, to survey their plans for the position at the very beginning of their tenure.

The following interview samples responses from:

Daniel S. Friedman, Dean of School of Architecture, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (effective August 1, 2014)
Peter MacKeith, Dean of the University of Arkansas' Fay Jones School of Architecture
Jonathan Solomon, Director of the department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects at the School of Art Institute of Chicago (effective August 1, 2014)
Marc Swackhamer, Head of the School of Archit...