e-SPAN Alumni Newsletter
Carnegie Mellon Architecture’s e-SPAN Alumni Newsletter features exclusive interviews with current students, faculty and alumni to highlight how the school community is tackling the three challenges of climate change, artificial intelligence and social justice. Published six times per year, the digital newsletter showcases design, research, travel, projects, coursework and alumni news for an audience of over 3,000 subscribers.
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e-SPAN Newsletter v030 | November 24, 2023
In our final e-SPAN newsletter of the year, we talk to two alumni who have dedicated their careers to working for justice in the built environment: Ashley Archie (MUD ‘15) and Lizzie MacWillie (B.Arch ‘07). We also take a look at photographs and sketches from Tommy CheeMou Yang’s Common Imaginaries studio, including the class’s trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand this past summer. Finally, we delve into the New Pedagogies courses, new to the school this fall semester.
e-SPAN Newsletter v029 | October 27, 2023
In this edition of the e-SPAN newsletter, we introduce the Revolutions/Resolutions Public Programs theme and talk to Carnegie Mellon Architecture alumni about what revolution means in their careers. Stephen Wilder (Master of Science in Architecture ‘04) shares how he built his firm, Think Wilder, to be a point of architectural contact in his community. Elizabeth Monoian (MFA ‘00) and Robert Ferry (B.Arch ‘98), founders and principals of the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), tell us how they’re taking a fresh approach to the renewable energy revolution.
e-SPAN Newsletter v028 | September 29, 2023
We look forward to an already invigorating academic year in the latest edition of the e-SPAN newsletter. We talk to Erica Cochran Hameen, the director of the historically successful UDream program which re-launched this summer after a multi-year pause. We also share stories about student and faculty summer travel, photographs from the EX-CHANGE 2023 launch and a welcome to new faculty at the school.
e-SPAN Newsletter v027 | May 26, 2023
In this edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter, we reflect on the Spring 2023 Public Programs series which explored the relationship of architecture to the extraction of materials. We have a conversation with Christine Mondor, a faculty member whose Urban Ecology seminar led the opening and closing discussions for the semester. We also hear from a few of the Master of Urban Design (MUD) students about how their perception of extractivism evolved over the course of the lecture series. Finally, we look back on a memorable spring and celebrate our newest graduates.
e-SPAN Newsletter v026 | March 31, 2023
In this edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter, we explore how social justice work can happen in the architecture field. We speak with two alumni who put these principles to work in their professional lives: Nina Barbuto (B.Arch ‘07), Executive Director of Assemble in Pittsburgh, and Paúl Moscoso Riofrío (MUD ‘18), whose work at the US-Mexico border pursues cross-border solutions to environmental and social challenges. We also showcase student work tackling social justice issues, advised by Stefan Gruber and Jonathan Kline, and look forward to the relaunch of the UDream program and Spring Carnival.
e-SPAN Newsletter v025 | February 24, 2023
In this edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter, we speak with two computational design leaders within the field of architectural design, Ardavan Bidgoli (PhD-CD ‘22) and Ji-Hyun Lee (PhD-CD ‘02). Both researchers embrace the unknowable potential of artificial intelligence while training emerging designers to keep their own ingenuity at the center of the process. We also highlight compelling examples of computational design work being done by the Creative AI + Design Launchpad (CRAIDL), a research group founded within the CMU SoA by Bidgoli, Manuel Rodríguez Ladrón de Guevara (MAAD ‘18, PhD-CD expected ‘23), Jinmo Rhee (MSCD ‘19, PhD-CD expected ‘23), and Pedro Veloso (PhD-CD ‘22).
e-SPAN Newsletter v024 | November 25, 2022
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter discusses the link between materiality and climate change with a particular focus on sustainable building materials and how architects can advocate for eco-friendly building practices at all stages of their careers. We hear from two SoA alumni who are leaders in sustainable design: Lola Ben-Alon (PhD-AECM ‘20) and Arathi Gowda (B.Arch ‘02). This issue also highlights student and faculty work in sustainability, including PhD-BPD student Suzy (Zekun) Li’s Smart Surfaces Guidebook and SoA Assistant Professor Azadeh Sawyer's virtual reality demonstration at the recent Global Clean Energy Action Forum.
e-SPAN Newsletter v023 | October 28, 2022
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter explores the intersection of materiality and virtuality with profiles of two SoA alumni: Yumiko Yamada (B.Arch ‘99) and George Wang (MSCD ’15). Their work engages with questions of the material in the built environment and virtual spaces, respectively. We also highlight ongoing faculty and student research with a look at CRuMBLE (Construction Rubble Manufacturing for Building Lifecycle and Environment) and hear from school head Omar Khan with reflections on his recent trip to Boston to connect with SoA alumni.
e-SPAN Newsletter v022 | September 23, 2022
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter ushers in a new year at the SoA. Summer’s Pre-College Architecture program brought dozens of high school students to campus, where they experienced dynamic learning-through-making in a studio environment. The opening of EX-CHANGE 2022 highlighted projects from first year through PhD with an immersive exhibition in the CFA and an accompanying catalog. We look ahead to the 2022-23 Public Programs organized around the theme of Materiality. This year’s e-SPAN Newsletter series will feature profiles of alumni doing critical work and exploring how their SoA education prepared them for their multivariate careers.
e-SPAN Newsletter v021 | April 22, 2022
In this edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter, we celebrate the careers of Irving Oppenheim and Ramesh Krishnamurti as they prepare to retire at the end of this academic year. For 50 years, Irving has bridged the fields of architecture and engineering through teaching, advising PhD students, and pursuing his own scholarship across both fields. For over 30 years, Ramesh has been an integral part of the school’s Computational Design program, from coining the name in the early ‘90s to advising doctoral students and fighting to get the program its STEM designation. We spoke with students and alumni and gathered their reflections about the lasting impact both professors have had on generations of students.
e-SPAN Newsletter v020 | March 25, 2022
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter highlights our new Poiesis studio sequence. Professors Hal Hayes, Eddy Man Kim, and Laura Garófalo have crafted an introductory studio sequence that facilitates students’ transformation from recent high-school graduates into thoughtful young architects ready for the challenges of upper-level coursework. We have included audio excerpts from our interview with Laura, Hal, and Eddy. We also spoke with first and second year students on their experiences in the studios. Their work demonstrates how the new Poiesis sequence enlivens fundamental competencies with a sense of inspiration, collaboration, and joy.
e-SPAN Newsletter v019 | February 25, 2022
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter highlights the School of Architecture’s awards program, all made possible by the generous support of alumni and friends of the school. We encourage our students to apply to these awards, which provide travel support, recognition of studio projects, and funding for design research. In this month’s issue we share projects by Sharleen Devjani (M.Arch '21), Kirman Hanson (B.Arch ’21, MSSD ’22), and Rachel Lu (B.Arch ‘21), and a selection of audio excepts from our interviews.
e-SPAN Newsletter v018 | November 26, 2021
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features T. David Fitz-Gibbon Professor of Architecture Sarosh Anklesaria. As the new Track Chair of the Master of Architecture (M.Arch) program, Sarosh seeks to foreground Design Ethics and its intersections with technology, justice, and ecology to consider the uneven impacts of global changes at the local scale. This edition of e-SPAN also features Kirman Hanson (B.Arch ‘21, MSSD ‘22), whose master’s thesis project focuses on adaptive reuse methodology and materials. The newsletter now also features audio excepts from our interviews for this story, and highlights several of our upcoming spring 2022 courses that are exploring materiality and construction techniques.
e-SPAN Newsletter v017 | October 22, 2021
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features the School of Architecture’s 2021-22 visiting faculty. Tommy CheeMou Yang, recipient of the 2021-22 Ann Kalla Professorship in Architecture, is a Hmong designer and researcher who explores insurgent urban and architectural growth through fieldwork, oral storytelling, and cartography. Jackie Joseph Paul McFarland, recipient of the 2021-22 Joseph F. Thomas Visiting Professorship, creates space in architecture institutions for Black and “othered” voices and challenges institutions to allow agency for those who are marginalized. For the first time, the newsletter now also features audio excepts from our interviews for this story, and highlights several of our 2021 studios that are tackling issues of social justice.
e-SPAN Newsletter v016 | September 24, 2021
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features the School of Architecture’s new governance leaders. In his first year as SoA Head, Omar Khan is applying the school’s strengths in design and research to tackling the challenges of social justice, climate change, and artificial intelligence. In support of this effort, he has broadened the school’s leadership to include Mary-Lou Arscott, Associate Head for Design Fundamentals, Joshua Bard, Associate Head for Design Research, Kai Gutschow, Associate Head for Design Ethics, and Erica Cochran Hameen, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The new leadership team will work to promote new ideas that push boundaries and translate into actionable solutions to address a wide range of challenges.
e-SPAN Newsletter v015 | May 28, 2021
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Associate Professor Kai Gutschow, a historian of modern architecture and theory. Kai relaunched the SoA’s NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture (M.Arch) program and recently served as co-coordinator of the Race and Inclusion Pedagogy. Kai advised Elena Marzina (M.Arch ‘22) in her thesis research focused on interventions in design and policy to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. Additionally, Sharleen Devjani (M.Arch ‘21) expanded her expertise in climate change gentrification and resilience for low-income coastal communities during her thesis research.
e-SPAN Newsletter v014 | April 23, 2021
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Special Faculty Valentina Vavasis. She teaches and pursues social justice and community development in real estate and is co-coordinator of the Race and Inclusion Pedagogy. Her student Jordan Takumi Davis’ (B.Arch ‘21, MUD ‘22) favorite course projects focus on community engagement; he co-designed and constructed Woodhenge for Community Forge in Wilkinsburg. Sean O’Connor (M.Arch ‘21) was advised by Valentina in the 2021 ULI Hines Competition, where his team’s KC Knot proposal won honorable mention. Valentina’s former TA Ian Friedman (BA ‘18, MSCD ‘20) now works as a data product engineer, leveraging machine learning to enrich data on commercial properties in the U.S.
e-SPAN Newsletter v013 | March 26, 2021
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features University Professor Vivian Loftness. As climate change and the pandemic expose the need for a different approach to architecture and design, Loftness envisions a three-pronged creative catalyst for the profession: environmental delight, a shared quality of life, and the renaturalization of architecture. She feels honored to advise students pursuing cutting edge thesis research, including Gunn Chaiyapatranun’s laboratory design, Christina Brown’s research on externalizing program, and PhD-BPD candidate Suzy Li’s taxonomy of smart surfaces.
e-SPAN Newsletter v012 | February 26, 2021
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Associate Professor Laura Garófalo, whose research explores biophilic and bioclimatic applications of ceramic systems tied to the resilience, up-cycleable nature, thermodynamic qualities, and inherent formal and material plasticity of the material. In Laura’s Environment, Form, and Feedback studio, Hardik Makrubiya (M.Arch ’22) developed a housing project that incorporates stormwater management, a green roof, and interior gardens to mitigate highway pollution in the neighborhood, and Kashmala Imtiaz (M.Arch ’22) developed a hybrid model that responds to the floods and erosion experienced along the river in Sharpsburg.
e-SPAN Newsletter v011 | January 22, 2021
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Associate Professor Stefan Gruber, whose work promotes design justice and the discourse on commoning – a grassroots process transforming cities through collaboration, resource pooling, and collective care. In Stefan’s Commoning the City studio, Cassie Howard (B.Arch ’21) bridged architecture with art and activism in the service of others. In her thesis, Sameedha Mahajan (MUD ’21) applies commoning principles to the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh to improve daily life for the refugees. Chun Zheng (MUD ’18), a PhD researcher in Transition Design at the CMU School of Design, explores bottom-up commoning and its deep-scaling effects through projects such as the Atlas of Commoning.
e-SPAN Newsletter v010 | November 25, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Associate Professor Jeremy Ficca, whose teaching investigates connections between materials and architecture to reveal the cultural, environmental, and experiential potential of materiality. For Jeremy’s Fall 2019 ASO Studio, B.Arch students Christoph Eckrich and Ryu Kondrup designed innovative interventions for the site of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. This past spring, Thomas Chen and Meghan Pisarcik expanded their representation skills designing a hostel in Jeremy’s second-year studio.
e-SPAN Newsletter v009 | October 23, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Associate Professor Dana Cupkova. She develops novel models for integrating her teaching with research, an approach exemplified in her work at EPIPHYTE Lab, an architecture design and research platform situated at the intersection of academia and practice. For Dana’s “Lithopic House” studio, B.Arch student Colleen Duong designed an innovative building that responds to the steep environment of its site. PhD-CD candidate Pedro Veloso collaborates with Dana on using machine learning to test the thermal behaviors of building surfaces made of different concrete shapes. Dana’s former student, recent MSSD graduate Pragya Gupta, explored digital tools for vernacular architecture in her thesis “Architecture of Rammed Earth.”
e-SPAN Newsletter v008 | September 25, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Associate Professor Daniel Cardoso Llach, PhD. His work draws from computation, history, and science and technology studies to examine how digital technologies shape architectural practice and the notion of design itself. He worked with PhD-CD student Jingyang Liu and MSCD student Yi-Chin Lee on Algotecton, a generative fabrication project that uses geometry to create a buildable set of components. Daniel is also advising PhD-CD student Jinmo Rhee in his PhD dissertation research, which uses machine learning to analyze architectural form within the urban context.
e-SPAN Newsletter v007 | August 28, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features incoming visiting professors Sarosh Anklesaria, T. David Fitz-Gibbon Professor of Architecture, Kyriaki Goti, 2020-21 Ann Kalla Professor in Architecture, and Trevor Ryan Patt, 2020-21 Joseph F. Thomas Visiting Professor. Anklesaria is interested in an expansive notion of architectural agency that synthesizes architecture’s formal and tectonic capacities with questions of socio-ecological pertinence across various scales and geographies. Goti is an architectural designer, educator, and founder of the design studio SomePeople, which focuses on the integration of emerging technologies in architectural design and construction. Patt’s current research argues for a retheorization of the relationship between the monadological objects of architecture and their extension across the urban realm.
e-SPAN Newsletter v006 | August 14, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Assistant Professor in Building Technology Azadeh Sawyer, PhD, LEED AP. Her research investigates how building standards affect physical and psychological wellbeing. This past spring, Azadeh’s course “Shaping Light” incorporated mixed reality (MR) to explore both the quantity and psychology of light. She is currently collaborating with PhD-CD student Ardavan Bidgoli to develop a robotic heliodon, and is designing a human-centric shading device that mimics the behavior of a light-sensitive plant in collaboration with PhD-BPD student Jiarong Xie.
e-SPAN Newsletter v005 | July 31, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Nida Rehman, PhD, Lucian & Rita Caste Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urban Design. Nida’s research focuses on the ecological, political, and historical dimensions of urban environmental design, landscape, and infrastructure. Through her teaching and research she seeks to broaden architectural discourse by paying close attention to uneven processes and histories of urbanization. This edition of e-SPAN also features the work of Nida’s Master of Urban Design students Harvest Su (MUD ’21) and Yiya Wang (MUD ’21).
e-SPAN Newsletter v004 | July 10, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Andrew Mellon Professor of Architecture Doug Cooper. Doug is a School of Architecture alumnus, world-renowned muralist, and first-year drawing instructor. Doug’s most recent book, Knowing and Seeing: Reflections on Fifty Years of Drawing Cities, chronicles the stories and intellectual roots of his work. This edition of e-SPAN also features the work of five of Doug’s drawing students: Tory Tan, Jerry Zhang, Mai Tian, Gabrielle Benson, and Anishwar Tirupathur.
e-SPAN Newsletter v003 | June 26, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Associate Professor Gerard Damiani, whose work focuses on the interplay between the craft of building and design. This edition also showcases two of Gerard’s students: Gil Jang, a rising 5th year B.Arch student studying the social, political, and cultural impact of building typologies once they leave their region of origin; and recent B.Arch graduate Keon Ho (Hugh) Lee, who is focused on understanding the global context of different approaches to architecture.
e-SPAN Newsletter v002 | June 12, 2020
This edition of the e-SPAN Newsletter features Assistant Professor Joshua D. Lee, whose research investigates flexibility and adaptability as an approach to sustainable design. This edition also showcases two of Joshua’s students: PhD-AECM candidate Bobuchi Ken-Opurum’s dissertation focuses on a decision support tool she is developing to help the occupants of self-built homes who cannot afford professional services to incorporate climate and site-specific designs for their homes; and PhD-AECM student Lipika Swarup, whose current research builds off her Master’s thesis to explore the effect of interdependencies between projects on project and portfolio outcomes.
e-SPAN Newsletter v001 | May 29, 2020
The inaugural issue of the digital e-SPAN Newsletter features Assistant Professor Erica Cochran Hameen, who was recently recognized by the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) for her decades of commitment to the organization and social justice. This edition also features two of Erica’s students: Nika Postnikov, who is researching transit infrastructure for her MSAECM thesis; and Lola Ben-Alon, a recent graduate of the PhD-AECM program who gets her hands dirty researching earthen building materials as sustainable alternatives to conventional construction techniques.