School News
10.20.09 Global Studios Program Featured in Exhibit
An annual exhibition in Hayes Hall, a landmark on Main Street, showcases work by students who studied abroad in China, Costa Rica, Germany, and Spain in 2009 as part of UB'S School of Architecture and Planning Global Studios.
08.15.09 Faculty Member Receives Tenure
Samina Raja, Ph.D., has been promoted to associate professor with tenure, effective fall 2009. Dr. Raja’s teaching and research interests include planning for healthy communities, food justice, the influence of food and built environments on health, fiscal and economic impacts of development, international development planning, and research and planning methods.
05.11.09 UB SA&P Alum Elected AIA President
Clark Manus, B.A. '74, was recently elected as the AIA First Vice President and the 2011 President-elect. He has held a number of positions on the AIA Board in the past, including president of the San Francisco Chapter in 1994. Full details can be read in AIArchitect's online article.
05.09.09 2009 Commencement Ceremony
The School’s 37th Annual Commencement Ceremony took place on Saturday, May 9, 2009, in Diefendorf Hall. Over 160 students participated in the ceremony. The degrees were conferred by Dr. John Simpson, UB President.
03.29.09 Buffalo Featured in New York Times
in a NYT article entitled "Reinventing America's Cities: The Time Is Now," Buffalo was selected as one of four cities in the US as perhaps the most intriguing test case for reimagining our cities.
11.16.08 Buffalo Featured in New York Times
In his article on November 16, 2008, the architectural correspondent of the New York Times described Buffalo as "founded on a rich tradition of architectural experimentation." The article goes on to highlight some of America's greatest architecture that is located in the city and suggest that "its architectural heritage embodies an America that thought boldy about the future" and which "believed deeply in the city as a democractic forum." (Photo by Tony Cenicola)
School Video Featured by Buffalo News
The School of Architecture and Planning was featured in an article and video by the Buffalo News recently. New equipment was added to the School's Digital Workshop in the spring semester including a 3-D printer and a CNC Router.
Study Abroad Program Wins Award
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning’s international comparative studio in Stuttgart, Germany and Buffalo, NY has been cited a ‘best practice’ in study abroad and honorable mention for the prestigious Andrew Heiskell Award, conferred by the Institute of International Education. The studio is designed to offer a new model of collaboration for students, research opportunities for faculty and broaden understanding of Buffalo’s significance as a world city. Fifteen MUP students from UB joined 12 German students to collaborate on projects in both Buffalo and Stuttgart under the direction of Professors Wolfgang Jung, Walter Schönwandt, Niraj Verma and William Page.
Planning Faculty Receive Grant
Samina Raja and Li Yin have received a three-year $1.4 million NIH grant to expand research on the relationship between the built environment and physical activity among children. The research will be conducted in collaboration with colleagues in the Health Sciences at UB. In addition, Samina received a $105,000 grant from the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus for her project, “Evaluating the Effect of Infrastructure Improvements in Workplaces on the Physical Activity of Employees.”
Williams + Tsien: Art + Use
The book of the 2007 Martell Lecture, given by Tod Williams + Billie Tsien, Martell Distinguished Visiting Critics at the School of Architecture and Planning, is now available from the School and architectural bookshops in North America and Europe.
Faculty Receive Research Grants
The Center for Virtual Architecture has been awarded a grant in the amount of $553,000 from the US Department of Education. The proposal will develop educational materials for architecture students related to the integration of technology in building design.
The Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA Center) in the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning received a $5 million grant from the US Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to fund a second five-year cycle of its Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design and the Built Environment.
The Center for Urban Studies received a three-year, $359,050 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund a comprehensive, university-assisted community development plan for two Buffalo neighborhoods.
Student Projects Featured in Wood Design & Building Magazine
An architecture thesis by graduate student Matthew Hume, which explored the use of veneer, was featured in Wood Design and Building Magazine. His project explores how changes in moisture that cause twisting and bending in wood could be directed to enhance the structural performance of the material and prompt new uses for the material. By carefully studying the grain within the veneer tiles and using light sprays of water, he was able to develop these forms to create dynamic moving structures.
Ishtiaq Rafiuddin, a graduate from the Master of Architecture program, was featured in the Wood Design and Building Magazine. His bench project, built as part of a design thesis, was based on the idea of the unit conceived as a primary thing, as the smallest common denominator. When viewed singularly, it is simple; yet when composed in multiples, it generates various levels of complexity. Ishtiaq is now working for REX Architects in New York City.
