Associate Professor Jeff Day has been promoted to Full Professor.

Mr. Day’s architectural practice Min | Day (www.minday.com) received an AIA National Small Project Award of Excellence for their “L Residence” in Omaha NE.  The “L Residence” also received a 2012 ACSA Faculty Design Honorable Mention award.  Min | Day received two 2011 AIA Nebraska design awards: an Honor Award for the Soft Cube in Omaha NE and a Citation for Fogscape / Cloudscape in San Francisco CA. Soft Cube was a collaboration between Min | Day and Mr. Day’s FACT course (Fabrication and Construction Team), which is a graduate level Architecture elective.  The firm was also named Designer of Distinction by the San Francisco Design Center.

Mr. Day has delivered several lectures recently including the University of Idaho, AIA Omaha, the University of Kansas, the ACADIA regional conference at UNL, AIA South Dakota, Omaha Volume 10, South Dakota State University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Newcastle.  Furthermore, Min | Day has work published in several new publications in Canada, Bulgaria, Sweden, the UK, and the USA.

Min | Day’s Faux Gardens project in Zhengzhou, Henan, China is featured in an exhibition titled “UnMade in China: Architecture Undone in PRC” in both Shanghai and Beijing China.  Other selected projects were authored by UN Studio, MVRDV, Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, NADAA, and De Architekten Cie among others.

Min | Day is currently one of five architecture firms (Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, el dorado inc, Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects and VJAA) selected to participate in the 1% Habitat Initiative intended to bring good, sustainable design to the Habitat for Humanity house. The firm’s first home is the Patio House, which is being first built in Sheridan WY.

During the Spring 2012 semester, Mr. Day has coordinated our London Program, now in its 42nd consecutive year.  The theme for this semester-long immersive experience is Olympic Urbanism, and both London and Barcelona are being investigated where urban development has spanned 20 years.

Wayne Drummond FAIA was awarded the 2011 Harry F Cunningham Gold Medal by the AIA Nebraska chapter in recognition for his “profound effect on the profession of Architecture in the state of Nebraska.”  After (11) years of administrative service to the University of Nebraska, Mr. Drummond has resigned from his role as Dean of the College of Architecture effective Aug 2011.  As Dean Emeritus, Mr. Drummond remains a member of the Architecture faculty and is now Director of the UNL College of Architecture Healthcare Initiative.  In Aug 2011, James O’Hanlon from the UNL College of Education became Interim Dean for one year.  A national search brought two finalists to campus in April 2012 but ultimately did not result in an external hire.  On April 26, Kim Wilson ASLA was appointed Interim Dean for a period of three years.

Associate Professor Chris Ford (www.chrisfordoffice.com) presented his research / design proposal titled “REIs: Renewable Energy Infrastructures” at the 100th Annual Meeting of the ACSA.  Mr. Ford also had examples of student work selected from a 5th / 6th year Vertical studio titled “Destination: NEW YORK” for the ARCHIVE 100 project.

Professor Rumiko Handa presented a paper titled “"Architecture of the Everyday: Theorizing the Performance of the Incomplete, Imperfect, and Impermanent," at the Experiencing the Everyday: Atmosphere Symposium at the University of Manitoba.  Furthermore, she presented "Learning from the Ruins: Theorizing the Performance of the Incomplete, Imperfect, and Impermanent" at the Architecture Culture Spirituality Forum in Isla Mujeres Mexico. 

Associate Professor Steve Hardy presented a paper titled “A Computational (Sub)Urban ReMix, Design Experiments in Poly-Variable Formations’” at the 2011 PUARL conference in Portland OR.  Mr. Hardy also co-authored two papers with Urban Future Organization colleague Jonas Lundberg (www.urbanfuture.org) for the 2011 ACADIA conference at the University of Calgary and the 2011 IAPS conference at the Architectural Institute of Korea.

Assistant Professor Peter Hind has been selected to Chair the Nebraska Innovation Campus Architecture Review Committee.  Mr. Hind (www.foundarchitects.com) received two 2011 AIA Nebraska People’s Choice awards for their 1980 Residence design in both Architecture and Architectural Detail categories.

Assistant Professors David Karle, Brian Kelly, and Peter Olshavsky presented papers at the 2012 National Conference on the Beginning Design Student at Penn State University in March 2012.  Mr. Olshavsky also presented a paper titled “La Maison Suspendue: An Everyday Pataphysical Machine” at the Experiencing the Everyday: Atmosphere Symposium at the University of Manitoba. 

After (3) years of service as Director, Professor Tom Laging FAIA has resigned from his role as Director of the Architecture Program.  Professor Jeff Day was appointed Interim Director for a period of one year.  A national search for a new Director is expected during the 2012-2013 academic year.