Hyunwook Woo, M. Arch. '05 and team win 2nd prize in Bering Straight Project international competition

Hyunwook Woo, M.Arch.’05, was the leader of a team of five professional architects who won 2nd prize in the Bering Strait Project international competition selected by the International Union of Architects. The Bering Strait Project aims to link railroad systems and ocean driveways from around the world by connecting the Bering Strait between the North American and Eurasian Continents. Woo and his team submitted an entry entitled Bridge the Memory. The jury “admired the inventive and original way their scheme used non-architectural elements to produce a stunning and evocation solution for bridging the continents.” Learn more more about the competition here.

Casey Jones, M.Arch.'92, appointed Director of the General Services Administration's Design Excellence Program

Casey Jones, M.Arch.’92, has been appointed Director of the General Services Administration’s Design Excellence Program. Jones worked with the GSA’s Design Excellence Program prior to establishing the Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based design-competition advisory firm jones|kroloff in 2005 with Reed Krollof, director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. At GSA, he served as a client, participating in architect selections, shepherding the design of a broad range of new construction and modernization projects, and shaping policy for what is essentially the world's largest development organization.

According to archpaper.com, Jones will “oversee the architect selection and design process for the GSA, one of the nation’s largest development organizations, responsible for building and maintaining everything from border stations to federal courthouses.” The article suggests his return to the agency “will likely raise the design debate that some observers said languished during the Bush years, when it received little support from the administration.” Prior to joining the federal government, Casey helped establish and manage the Van Alen Institute, a leading architectural and urban design research center. As the institute’s associate director, he executed a complex program of competitions, lectures, exhibitions, and workshops aimed at improving the quality of the built environment. The institute received an AIA New York Chapter award in 1997, during his tenure. In May 2007 Architect Magazine identified Casey as one of the "hidden powers" practicing in architecture today and put him on their cover.

Casey Jones returned to Taubman College in winter 2009 to teach a graduate studio with Mojdeh Baratloo. The combined architecture and urban design studio was entitled Urban Networks:Energy, economy, and ecology as agents in the design process. He holds degrees in architecture from the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan and has worked in architectural practice in Washington, D.C. and New York City.

Alumna Susan Massey (M. Arch '08, M.S. '09) awarded a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission

Susan Massey (M. Arch '08, M.S. '09) has been awarded a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholarship from the Australian-American Fulbright Commission to undertake 12 months research with the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute in Melbourne. Massey will study Australia’s affordable, environmentally sustainable housing. Her project aims to address the unintended environmental consequences of regulating architectural style in low-income housing in the U.S through examining the Australian experience. Susan is the only scholar in the field of architecture of the 19 American Fulbright Scholars traveling to Australia in 2009/2010. Read more.

Mukul Arora, M.U.D. ‘02, wins international competition for Delhi, India

Mukul Arora, M.U.D. ‘02, joins other award-winning master of urban design alumni with his first-prize competition entry for the design of the new campus for the School of Planning and Architecture in Delhi, India. Arora is principal and founder of DADA Architecture and Urban Design in Delhi and his design was selected from among 130 entries by a jury headed by Charles Correa. The 20-acre site is located on a ridge preserve running through the city. After graduating from the M.U.D. Program, Arora practiced urban design for several years in the office of Sasaki Associates in the United States. He then returned to India to establish DADA. For more examples of alumni work, visit Alumni Updates.

B. Arch '70 Joseph Valerio, principal at Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, interviewed by ArchNewsNow.com

Joseph Valerio, B. Arch '70, was interviewed by ArchNewsNow.com about his firm, Valerio Dewalt Train Associates. Valerio calls the firm - located in Chicago and Palo Alto, Cal. - "a company of generalists" where principals are expected to design, manage, and market. He goes on to discuss the UC San Diego dorm project Valerio Dewalt Train recently completed and how the firm believes that "before you decide what the answer is, you work with the client to figure out what the question is." Valerio explains that this method means that he has to "work harder for every client than if he was simply following the QBS rules" but that clients respond well to this intense approach. Learn more about Valerio, his firm, and his work in the full interview here.

Alumna Janet L. Attarian Named Woman of the Year by WTS Greater Chicago Chapter

Janet L. Attarian, B.S.’90, M.Arch.’92, was named Woman of the Year by WTS Greater Chicago Chapter. WTS is an international organization dedicated to excellence in transportation through the achievement of professionals in technical, policy, financial, and political sectors. The Greater Chicago Chapter provides access to top industry leaders, as well as a variety of engaging programs, professional development and networking opportunities designed to encourage and support professionals in transportation.

As Project Director for Streetscapes and Sustainability Coordinator for the Chicago Department of Transportation, Janet works to turn Chicago's streetscapes, riverwalks, and pocket parks into great urban places. She has overseen the design and management of over 70 streetscape projects including the city's Streetscape Guidelines, the Wacker Drive reconstruction project, and the Millennium Park Bicycle Station. Janet’s ability to meld the concepts of complete streets and ecological design led to the development of the City's Sustainable Streets Program and Green Alley Program, which has won numerous awards, including the 2007 Chicago Innovation Award.

Janet speaks around the country on sustainable infrastructure and her work has been featured in numerous publications including the New York Times. She has been honored with the South East Chicago Commission’s Special Service Award and serves in many capacities to help Chicago’s public school children. These efforts include the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Newhouse Competition, classroom partnerships with high school drafting teachers, Gallery 37 and WITS, and mentoring numerous high school and college interns.

Prior to working with the City of Chicago Janet had her own design firm and worked for several architectural firms including DLK Civic Design.

Alumni Honored by American Institute of Architects Michigan for Architectural Excellence

The American Institute of Architects Michigan presented awards for architectural excellence to the owners, architects and constructors of 10 buildings at its annual Celebration of Architecture on May 15 at the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit. Alumni Douglas C. Hanna, (B.Arch., M.Arch.'73), Elisabeth Knibbe (M.Arch., M.U.P. ’78),and Thomas R. Mathison, (B.S.'73, M.Arch.'75) were among those honored for their achievements. Hanna received the President's award, given to an individual that practices in the education or corporate field and has made exceptional contributions to the profession and their community through academia, business or government. Knibbe was recognized for her achievement of induction into the AIA College of Fellows. The Robert F. Hastings award was given to Mathison for his distinguished and significant service to the profession. In addition, Hobbs + Black Associates, founded by William S. Hobbs, (B.Arch.'59), and the late Richard Black, (B.Arch.'64), was honored as firm of the year. Read more here.

Environmental Design Research Association 40: Presentations by Design Studies Faculty, Students, Alumni, and UM Reunion

Several current faculty, PhD students and alumni from the design studies area of doctoral studies in architecture will be participating at the upcoming EDRA (Environmental Design Research Association) meeting in Kansas City on May 27-31, 2009.

Participants include:


-Fusun Erkul (student), "A Cross Cultural Analysis of New Urbanist Community Model" (paper)


-Tara Flaningham Dell (student), "Educational Environments: The Life of the Lab: Creating Collaborative Workspaces for Scientists" (poster)


-Ipek Kaynar (student), "Museum Gallery Morphology and Overcoming Orientation Problems: An Inquiry on the YCBA, the MoMA New Extension (NY), and the HMA" (poster)


-Robert Marans (professor emeritus), "Urban Neighborhoods: The Potential for Research on Signs in Downtowns and Mixed Use Districts" (paper)


-Laura Smith (student), "Sustainable Design: Exploring the Potential of Green Buildings as Environmental Educators" (paper)


-Laura Smith (student) and Jean Wineman (professor), "Sustainability in the Architecture Building: A Case-Study of Environmentally Responsible Attitudes and Behaviors at the University of Michigan" (paper)


-Dina Battisto (UM 04), et al., "Research Experiment to Study how Nature Images Impact Physiological and Psychological Responses when a Person is Subject to Pain" (paper)


-Joongsub Kim (UM 01), "The Role of Agriculture in Design and Planning: Literature Review and Case Study in Detroit" (paper)


-Brian Schermer (UM 02), et al., Forget the Gap, Let's Visit the Other Side Symposium (symposium)


-Nancy Wells (UM 99), et al., Designing to Bring out the Best in People: Examining Particular Contexts Symposium Part One (symposium)

The design studies area will also be holding a University of Michigan Reunion at the EDRA 40 Meeting, on Friday, 29 May, 6:00-8:00pm in the Hyatt Regency Crown Center Hotel (Milano, 2450 Grand, First level), Kansas City, MO. All alumni and friends are invited to attend, as well as students interested in learning more about the Doctoral Studies in Architecture at U-M. For further information, please contact PhD candidates Diaan van der Westhuizen (dlvander@umich.edu) or Kush Patel (kshpatel@umich.edu).

Alumni Association Unveils Economic Response Package

The University of Michigan Alumni Association is working to help Michigan alumni and their families deal with the challenges of today's economy. The association has created a new webpage (http://www.umalumni.com/economicresponse) that focuses on the benefits that alumni most need now. These include job postings, career counseling, career-focused podcasts, short-term health benefits, and other savings and discounts.

In addition, the site has a section highlighting ways that employed alumni can help others in the Michigan network by volunteering as career mentors and posting jobs at their companies. Alumni who have the means are encouraged to join the Association and contribute to the Economic Hardship Fund. Member dues and the emergency fund subsidize these complimentary memberships and all of the Association's programs and services.

The Alumni Association continues to support its members and future members in various ways, including outreach to students and the development of new programs and extension of current programs to respond to alumni needs. Please feel free to contact them with any questions.

John Comazzi to Receive AIA Education Honor Award for "Remediation as Urban Catalyst"

John Comazzi, M.Arch.'98, M.S.'99, has been announced a recipient of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)'s Education Honor Awards program. The program recognizes excellence in course development and architectural teaching. Recipients will be presented with awards during the AIA National Convention in San Francisco April 30 - May 2, 2009. This year five courses were selected for the award. Below is a short description of Comazzi's winning project. For more information, visit AIA.

"Remediation as Urban Catalyst: A Collaborative Reworking of Post-Industrial Landscapes" by John Comazzi (assistant professor of architecture), Lance Neckar (professor and head of landscape architecture), and Vince deBritto (lecturer in landscape architecture) at the University of Minnesota College of Design

Join Taubman College at the American Institute of Architects 2009 National Convention and Design Expo

Please join your fellow alumni on April 30 at 5:30PM for a Michigan Reception at the AIA National Convention in San Francisco. Help us celebrate the elevation of Elisabeth Knibbe, B.S.'76, M.Arch./M.U.P.'78 to fellowship in the AIA. If you live in the are please come, whether or not you are attending the convention.

We hope our urban planning and urban design alumni in the Bay Area plan to join us, as well. You are welcome to bring your spouse, a colleague, or friends and family. Let us know who and how many will be attending the reception.

RSVP to Beth Berenter at 734-764-1301 or berenter@umich.edu.

Knibbe Named 2009 AIA Fellow for Economic Development, Historic Landmark Preservation Practices

Elisabeth Knibbe, B.S.’76, M.Arch./M.U.P.’78, a principal at QUINN EVANS | ARCHITECTS in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The 2009 Jury of Fellows elevated 112 AIA members to its prestigious College of Fellows, an honor awarded to members who have made significant contributions to the profession. Lis Knibbe was the only architect from the Michigan AIA to receive the award this year.

For 30 years Lis has pioneered the use of historic preservation as an effective economic development tool to save endangered landmarks, serve low-income communities, and recycle valuable resources and architectural treasures. By building strong relationships with community development organizations, private developers, and economic development consultants, Lis has repeatedly revitalized buildings viewed as unsalvageable by the traditional development community. She is also the leading architect in Michigan to apply federal and state historic preservation tax credit programs to extend the life of historic buildings, ensuring that future generations will benefit from our architectural legacy. And long before sustainable design became the norm, Lis has been recycling buildings, returning well over two million square feet of vacant and abandoned space to active use.

Throughout her professional career Lis has been an active member of public boards, ranging from a local historic district commission to the Michigan Historic Preservation Review Board. Her leadership has directly resulted in the establishment of successful community revitalization strategies, the adaptive use of historic buildings, and the investment of millions of dollars in school improvements.

International Architecture Workshop Publishes Entropia to Document Borderlands Workshop

In the November 2007, Taubman College hosted the International Architecture Workshop. The workshop, which was directed by assistant professor Gretchen Wilkins, was called "Borderlands," and the proposals and symposium proceedings have been released in the publication Entropia.The Borderlands workshop explored urbanism in Detroit, and Entropia is the product of that discussion.

Borderlands brought together over eighty architecture students and faculty from around the world to join students here at Taubman. The International Architecture Workshop is a consortium of architects and educators researching contemporary issues of architecture and urbanism through design and teaching. It is a collaboration between Taubman College at the University of Michigan; Tohoku University, Miyahi University, and Tohoku Institute of Technology (all from Sendai, Japan); the Royale Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT) in Australia; the Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Architecture de Montpellier (ENSAM) in France; and the Universitat Internacional de Cataluna, Barcelona, Spain. Hosted annually by one of the participating universities, each workshop focuses on architecture and urbanism as influenced by current technological, economic, or environmental shifts.

The Borderlands workshop included not only the students and faculty of the aforementioned universities but also representatives from four Detroit-area nonprofit organizations to develop proposals for a site in southwest Detroit. These proposals were the subject of a public exhibit and symposium at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit (MOCAD) and the UM Detroit Center in December 2007.

Entropia, published in both English and in French, is the culmination of the proposals for Detroit, but it is also the result of having so many people speaking different languages working together for a common goal. As Gretchen Wilkins discusses in her forward to the publciation, "the Borderlands workshop...was an exercise in translations. French, English, Spanish, Japanese, and Swedish were the first languages for the students making the common language not one of words but of drawings...Most significantly, perhaps, and unforeseen, were the many translations of the term 'urbanism.'...In the end, what became evident during this workshop was that if the word urbanism 'was taken through the languages of the world, translating from one to another in turn until in the end you returned back to English,' it would not return to the same point. But perhaps potential is revealed by defining what something is not."

Call for Booth Traveling Fellowship Applications

The George G. Booth Traveling Fellowship was first awarded in 1924 and is offered annually by Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning. The fellowship presently carries a stipend of up to $8,000 and provides the opportunity for recent alumni/ae to research some special aspect of architecture that requires international travel. To be eligible, applicants must be 30 years of age or under before the March 31,2009 application deadline and must either expect to graduate by August 2009 or be a master of architecture graduate of the University of Michigan.

To apply, applicants must submit a proposal that includes a well-documented plan of study on the subject matter of his or her research (two-three pages) and how the work is intended to be accomplished. In addition, applicants must submit three additional items: a one-page abstract of the plan that includes location of travel with the time period and projected expenses, a sample portfolio of not more than 5 pages (8.5 x 11), and a current CV.

Applicants must sign the abstract and include their social security number, date of birth, and mailing address. For more details, please contact Keria Chuhran at 734-763-0658 or krossin@umich.edu, or visit the Taubman College alumni/ae + friends.

Submit proposal and abstract to:
Keria Chuhran
Taubman College
2000 Bonisteel Blvd.
Ann Arbor MI 48109-2069

Denise Arnold Announces Exhibit Opening in Vienna

Denise Arnold, B.S.’89, M.Arch.’91, announces an exhibit which opened in Vienna in December and runs through February 22, 2009. Titled "Housing Models: Experimentation and Everyday Life," it explores the question of how experiments in architecture bearing upon everyday life might play out. The exhibit book is available at Catalogue Accompanying the Exhibition: Wohnmodelle - Housing Models, edited by Oliver Elser, Michael Rieper, and Künstlerhaus. Approximately 300 images, abstracts, and essays by local Housing Models' correspondents and by the participants of the symposium in 2007, and extensive design material afford a comprehensive overview. Published at Folio Verlag ISBN 978-3-85256-490-6 www.folioverlag.com.

The exhibit showcases 11 international housing projects from farm worker housing in Colorado and Chile to high-end market-rate housing in Tokyo. The inhabitants and the dwellings are the focus of attention. Denise participated in the symposium at the Künstlerhaus Vienna in September 2007 which undertook the selection of these projects from over 60 shortlisted sites. Others who participated in the selection process architecture critics were Fernando Diez (Argentina), Hans Ibelings (Netherlands), Taro Igarashi (Japan), Ivan Kucina (Serbia), Susanne Schindler (United States and Netherlands), Axel Simon (Switzerland), and the curators of the exhibition Oliver Elser (Germany) and Michael Rieper (Austria). Denise contributed an article to the book, which she co-authored with Susanne Schindler. The book catalogues the buildings architects design through the eyes of the occupants. For more information visit www.wohnmodelle.at.

Marshall Purnell Selected to Compete for Design of African-American History Museum

The National Museum of African American History and Culture has named Marshall Purnell, B.S.'72, M.Arch.'73, among the six award-winning architecture teams that will compete to design its signature building on the Mall in the shadow of the Washington Monument. Purnell's firm, Devrouax & Purnell, is based in Washington, DC and designed the Washington Nationals Park.

Each architectural team is receiving a $50,000 stipend from the Smithsonian. One of the hurdles is that the architects have to demonstrate they can complete the project in three years. Construction is to start in 2012, and the museum is scheduled to open in 2015.

The architect will be selected in mid-April by an 11-member jury that includes Robert Kogod, a Smithsonian regent and president of Charles E. Smith Management; Adela Naude Santos, dean of the MIT school of architecture; Richard D. Parsons, co-chair of the African American museum's council and former chairman of Time Warner; and two former chairmen of Fannie Mae, James A. Johnson and Franklin D. Raines.

For more information, visit www.washingtonpost.com.

Abraham Kadushin Featured in Ann Arbor Business Review

Abraham Kadushin, M.Arch.'73, D.Arch.'96, of Kadushin Associates Architects Planners in Ann Arbor, has been featured in the Ann Arbor Business Review for his work on a low-income housing project in Florida that "that incorporates design elements meant to foster a sense of ownership among residents." Kadushin discussed the need for the affordable housing industry to develop a new approach to design.

Wes Janz Speaks in Panama

Wes Janz, Ph.D. '95, lectured at the Universidad Catolica Santa Maria la Antigua USMA in Panama. He was also invited to give his talk "Towards a Humane Architecture" at the Allegro Gallery in downtown Panama City. Janz is currently an architectural educator at Ball State University.

Matthew Battin Appointed Visiting Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University

Matthew Battin, M.Arch '05, has been appointed visiting assistant professor at the College of Architecture, Art, and Design at Mississippi State University. He was most recently working on hurricane recvoer as a consultant to FEMA in New Orleans. Battin has worked for firms in Washington, D.C. and Ann Arbor, Michigan, dealing with residential, commercial, and government projects at various scales. His research is currently focused on tactical approaches to architecture and suburban housing.

Dana Buntrock Published in Tokyo from Vancouver 2

Dana Buntrock, M.U.P/M.Arch. '88, recently had a review of the exhibition "Toyo Ito: The New 'Real' Architecture," published in Tokyo from Vancouver 2 (University of British Columbia, 2008), a volume edited by George Wagner. Her article is entitled "Build" and was also published earlier in CAAReviews.com, the online refereed publication of the College Art Association. Buntrock is associate professor at University of California, Berkeley.

John Comazzi Speaks at Children of Nature in Minneapolis, MN

John Comazzi, M.Arch. '98, M.S. '99, professor at University of Minnesota, participated in the design and planning of the Children in Nature event sponsored by the Children, Youth, and Family Consortium and the Minneosta Landscape Arboretum. The conference took place November 6, 2008 at the Minneapolis Arboretum.

Dr. Joongsub Kim's Detroit Studio Visits Korea

Dr. Joongsub Kim, M.S. '97, Ph.D. '01, is associate professor of architecture and design at Lawrence Technological University. Dr. Kim was one of the keynote speakers at the International Urban Design Workshop entitled "Marginal City Reciprocal City," held at Chungju University in Korea in spring 2008. he and his counterpart in Korea developed the workshop. Dr. Kim's graduate students from the Detroit Studio Community Outreach Program participated in the week-long workshop and toured several cities in Korea. Detroit Studio in directed by Dr. Kim, and each of his students from the studio led a team of foreign students at the workshop to develop urban design proposals fro selected sites in Korea. As one of the positive outcomes of the workshop, Detroit Studio's partnering students in Korea are working on sites in Detroit in the fall of 2009, and their proposals for the Museum of HIP will be exhibited at the Club Technology Building located in Detroit's Hope District in 2009.

Edward Steinfeld Presents at Confereces

Edward Steinfeld, M.Arch. '69, participated in a panel discussion on visitable housing at "CNU XVI: New Urbanism and the Booming Metropolis," the annual meeting of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). The conference was held in Austin, TX on April 3-6, 2008. The panel provided an overview of progress in the adoption of visitability in the New Urbanist movement. Steinfeld presented the IDEA Center's work on developing a Pattern Book on Inclusive Housing Design.

Steinfeld also participated in the 2008 Conference of the National Council on Aging and the American Society on Aging (NCOA-ASA), which was held in Washington, D.C. on March 26-30, 2008. His session on "Emerging Housing Choices for an Aging Society" discussed new trends in design of independent housing and community planning for seniors. The focus was on how universal design can support aging in place in housing and neighborhoods. A case-study method was used to describe and evaluate leading examples from the U.S. and abroad from the perspective of universal design.Edward Steinfeld is professor at the University of Buffalo's School of Architecture and Planning.

John Ronan Architects Receives 2009 AIA Honor Award for Architecture

John Ronan, B.S. '85, has received a 2009 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). This award is the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in architecture, interior architecture and urban design. Selected from over 700 total submissions, 25 recipients located throughout the world will be honored in April at the AIA 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition in San Francisco.

The 2009 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture recognize nine unique projects. The types of projects range from cathedrals to trend-setting residential projects. These projects have a tremendous impact on the social and physical fabric of the communities they serve. Many were designed with budget constraints and a number of projects were a reuse of existing buildings or an integration of old with new.

John Ronan Architects' project that won was Gary Comer Youth Center in Chicago. This 74,000-square-foot youth center, located in one of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods, demonstrates a commitment to social progress in providing a constructive environment for area youths to spend their after-school hours. The center provides support for the programs of a 300-member drill team/performance group for children of ages 8 to 18 and provides space for various youth educational and recreational programs for disadvantaged children to better their chances of success in life.

Anselmo Canfora Director of Uganda's Building Tomorrow Academy

In September 2008, ground was broken in Uganda for the Building Tomorrow Academy of Gita. University of Virginia's Assistant Professor Anselmo Canfora, M.Arch. '96, is directing the project, which is the first-ever permanent public school structure within a nine-mile radius. It will open by mid-2009 and serve approximately 325 children. The school's design was created by 15 architecture students in collaboration with engineering students with Canfora's direction. Canfora's project, Initiative ReCOVER, focuses on research, design, and fabrication of humanitarian designs that are shared with the general public, disaster relief agencies, and those in need of assistance with an ultimate goal of designing and building safe, healthy, and sustainable communities around the world.

Rosa Shin Lee Featured in Ann Arbor News

Rosa Shin Lee, B.S.’93, M.Arch.’95, was featured in The Ann Arbor News for her business My Urban Toddler, which caters to expecting parents and to families with children up to age 5. "The play space is designed to be a mini-city for kids and their parents. The store sells everything from strollers to maternity clothes to toys. The learning center offers classes for children and parents."

Perrin T. Emanuel Elected President of Michigan Economic Developers Association 2009 Board of Directors

Perrin T. Emanuel, M.U.P. '80, has been appointed president of the Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA) Board of Directors for 2009.

Perrin Emanuel is a native of the city of Highland Park and was an honors graduate of the Highland Park School District, class of 1974. He holds a bachelors degree in general studies and a masters degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan. He is currently the president of HP Devco, Inc., the nonprofit economic development agency servicing the city of Highland Park. He has been instrumental in generating more than $300 million in new residential, commercial, industrial, and public infrastructure redevelopment in Highland Park since 1989. Emanuel has more than 25 years of professional experience in economic development and has worked for such organizations as New Detroit, Inc., Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, City of Ann Arbor, City of Ypsilanti, Wayne County Economic Development Corporation, and the Detroit Minority Business Development Agency. Current boards and affiliations include being a MEDA board member, Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency board member, Highland Park Boys and Girls Club vice president and board member, a member of the City of Highland Park School Superintendent's Advisory Council and the Reggie McKenzie Foundation Advisory Council, and a City of Southfield Building Authority commissioner.

Emanuel has been a valued member of MEDA for many years. During his time, he has served on the MEDA Board of Directors as secretary and vice president, as well as serving on the Education Committee, two years on the Annual Meeting Committee, and on the former Land Use Task Force. Emanuel's commitment to the economic development profession is a great example for all MEDA members.

The Michigan Economic Developers Association has been the leader of economic development in Michigan for almost 50 years. Consisting of members who strive to build and retain business in Michigan, MEDA makes it possible for professionals to do their job more effectively and efficiently. For more information regarding Michigan Economic Developers Association, please call the MEDA office at (517) 241-0011 or visit www.medaweb.org.

Alumnus Wil Marquez's Shufa Chair Receives Attention

Taubman College alumnus Wil Marquez, M.Arch. '05, has been interviewed for several Indianapolis publications for his work at A2SX, where he is director, and, more specifically, for his Shufa chair. Wil has been featured in both Indianapolis Monthy and Indy.com.

The Shufa chair is "much more than a chair;" rather it represents the firm's "new way of thinking about how furniture could be produced." Wil says they are "trying to find a really slick way to mass-customize furniture instead of mass-produce furniture." A2SX is a digital-design division of Indianapolis's own local architecture firm A2SO4. Wil, also adjunct professor for Ball State University's College of Architecture, plans to make the Shufa chair available this summer. The prototype is currently on display at Broad Ripple Art and Design in Indianapolis, IN. Once available, the Shufa chair will be made to order from regionally sustainable materials, as it was designed to minimize waste in production.

June Manning Thomas Talks About Race and Faith

June Manning Thomas was featured in the Ann Arbor News on December 28, 2008 for her Baha'i faith. Thomas, Taubman's Centennial Professor of Urban + Regional Planning, converted while in high school during the 1960's. She says she was drawn by the religion's message of racial unity. The Ann Arbor News has recorded Thomas speaking about her memories and faith at www.mlive.com.

Faculty and Alumni to Present at Society of Architectural Historians Meeting in April 2009

The Architectural History + Theory area of the Architecture Doctoral Program will be well-represented by faculty and alumni at the next meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians in Pasadena (1-5 April, 2009). The following faculty will be presenting papers:
Claire Zimmerman, "Photographic Architecture, Cold War Export"
Will Glover, "Mid-20th-century New Towns in India and Changing Conceptions of the Social"
Lydia Soo, "A Restoration Academy? The Places of Architectural Discourse in late 17th-Century London"
Andrew Herscher, "Cultural Heritage and Political Activism in Post-Yugoslavia"

Recent graduates of the area will also be participating:
Itohan Osayimwese (University of Washington, Seattle), co-chairing the session "German Architecture and the Non-Western World During the Kaiserreich and Weimar Period"
Vandana Baweja (Oberlin College), presenting the paper "Koenigsberger’s Exile in Mysore and Tropical Architecture"

The H/T area will also be holding a University of Michigan Reunion at the meeting, on Friday, 3 April, 6-8 pm in the Westin Pasadena Hotel (Living Room, Upper Level Bar). All alumni and friends are invited to attend, as well as students interested in learning more about the Architecture Doctoral Program at the University of Michigan. For further information, please contact PhD candidates Kristina Luce (kluce@umich.edu) and Stephanie Pilat (spilat@umich.edu), who are organizing the event.

Local Alumnus of College of Architecture & Design Retires

David Osler, alumnus of the College of Architecture & Design in 1943, retired this fall after more than 50 years of working as an architect in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His career is highlighted in the Ann Arbor News.

According to the article, Osler's company, David Osler, Architect AIA, has "won more awards than any other office of its size in the state: 22 Michigan Society of Architects awards, including the Michigan AIA Gold Medal, the highest honor the American Institute of Architects confers, and the title Firm of the Year." In addition, Osler's design for the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., was given an honorable mention, and he received a cash prize in the competition, from a field of 1,800 entries.

Sim Van Der Ryn Calls for Action Toward Greener Jobs

Sim Van Der Ryn, B.Arch.'58, believes in a "renewable energy future," but calls for action sooner than later, according to his opinion article in the Press Democrat on Tuesday December 9, 2008. He says that "[w]hile today's focus is on bailing out the financial system whose excesses and lack of regulation created the economic mess we're in, we need to focus on creating green jobs that can provide not only work for the millions of unemployed, but create a path for a locally based livable future....None of this is a dream. It's necessity for us, our communities, our children, our grandchildren, our country, and our planet."

Read the entire article at www.pressdemocrat.com.

Arch Alumnus Peter May Receives Grammy

The Paul Winter Consort's latest release, CRESTONE: A Celebration of the World of Crestone, has just received a Grammy® nomination for Best New Age Album. The album was produced by Winter and Peter May, B.S. '88 and native of St. Clair Shores, Michigan. A total of 13 albums featuring Paul Winter have been nominated for a Grammy Award over the years. CRESTONE is May’s first Grammy nomination.

“I was fortunate to find in Crestone, Colo., an extraordinary guide in Peter May, a natural architect who knows the mountains intimately and who also happens to play trumpet,” commented Winter. “Peter and I hiked to several places and played our horns to test the acoustics, but found no magical-sounding spaces. Peter volunteered to continue making reconnaissance trips and over the next year he hiked to fifteen sites, recording his trumpet on a video camera and sending me the cassettes so I could hear the acoustics.”

The primary recordings for this new release were done in the natural acoustics of North Crestone Lake, at an altitude of 11,800 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The album introduces to the world the voice pow-wow drum and cedar flute of John-Carlos Perea, a young singer of Apache heritage, who sings in the Northern Plains Indian tradition. The album also features the sounds of the Mountain Bluebird, Red-winged Blackbird, Whooping Crane, Meadowlark, Sandhill Cranes, Coyotes, and Buffalo.

On scouting locations and natural background sounds Peter May commented, “we found Buffalo, in remote parts of a ranch in the San Luis Valley, but weren’t able to get close enough to record. One evening I decided to play my trumpet for them. Three of them were very attentive, and we were able to drive our pick-up within twenty feet of them. We quietly set up our recording equipment. Gradually the Buffalo began to come around us, until we were surrounded by perhaps 200 of them, making gentle grunts and chuffing sounds.”

The Consort includes Paul Winter, soprano sax; Paul McCandless, oboe and bass clarinet; Eugene Friesen, cello; Glen Velez, percussion; Don Grusin, keyboard; Koji Nakamura, Japanese taiko drum; Peter May, conch shells; and Richard Cooke, voice.

www.livingmusic.com/catalogue/albums/crestone

About Peter May:

May lives in Crestone, Colo., where he practices architecture, leads wilderness education programs, and is chief of one of the fire departments. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he has a degree in architecture from the University of Michigan.

For more information, contact Kevin Curtis at krc-ink@comcast.net or (313) 617-3036.

UMAA Announces the University of Michigan Association of Jewish Alumni

The University of Michigan Alumni Association (UMAA) is pleased to announce the launch of the University of Michigan Association of Jewish Alumni (UMAJA) in partnership with the University of Michigan Hillel. Together, UMAA and UMAJA are able to offer numerous benefits and opportunities. Please check out the website at www.umaja.org, join, and tell all your friends. UMAJA is free to join, and they have many exciting plans in the works, including a mentorship program and a great Homecoming weekend. Members of UMAJA will also receive a monthly e-newsletter (the e-JewBlue), which will include updates on Jewish alumni, students, and campus events.