The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture

The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture UTSOA is a community of architects, landscape architects, planners, preservationists, and designers

Exploring Unfinished Edges in Australia 🇦🇺 This summer, Aaron Pendergast (M.Arch) visited seven cities in Australia to e...
09/02/2026

Exploring Unfinished Edges in Australia 🇦🇺

This summer, Aaron Pendergast (M.Arch) visited seven cities in Australia to examine the edges, or “forgotten zones,” and hone his research on what makes these locations meaningful and effective. This hands-on experience was made possible with support from the Boone Powell Family Prize in Urban Design.

“Reading about and standing in a place are two completely different kinds of understanding,” said Pendergast. “Our job is not to invent something new for every place, rather it is to understand how and why people love the places already in front of us and design around that.”

Read more about his experience at the link in our comments!

Beginning August 28, architect and urbanist Paola Viganò's exhibition "THE BIOPOLITICAL GARDEN" is on display. Paola Vig...
08/28/2026

Beginning August 28, architect and urbanist Paola Viganò's exhibition "THE BIOPOLITICAL GARDEN" is on display. Paola Viganò will present a virtual opening talk on September 3.

Through deep reading of existing situations, multiscale approach and interdisciplinarity challenge, the exhibition explores the role of urban design and urbanism, of open space and landscape design in the frame of the actual socio-ecological transition, whose biopolitical dimension concerns living entities and bodies within space. The exhibition features the work of StudioPaolaViganò in Europe and includes some of the research developed by the Habitat Research Center and the Lab-U, both directed by Viganò.

The future city, here investigated in visions and projects, will be the product of delving into new ways of coexistence and redefinition of borders, distances, porosity among contrasting and disparate proximities: of individuals, groups, society, species, and practices in space. The Biopolitical Garden interrogates those modalities not only as a control apparatus exerted over a population, but as a powerful reservoir of possibilities for the subjects to emancipate themselves, redefining actual relations of power in space, among humans and non-humans. In such a transition, space as a collective capital is paramount: as a support, a rationality, as an agent.

📅 September 3 (opening talk)
🕒 5 pm
📍Mebane Gallery (Goldsmith Hall)

Paola Viganò is a full professor in Urban Theory and Urban Design at the EPFL (CH) and a professor at IUAV University of Venice (IT). She was the first woman to receive the Grand Prix de l’Urbanisme in France and recipient of multiple awards, including the Flemish Culture Award for Architecture in 2017, and the Golden Medal for the Career of Milano Triennale in 2018. In 2022, she was appointed the Schelling Prize for Architectural Theory. Together with Bernardo Secchi, she founded Studio (1990-2014) and later StudioPaolaViganò. In 2025 StudioPaolaViganò has been recompensated with the Brussels Architecture Prize for Public Spaces and the Lifetime achievement Award to Paola Viganò.

Do not miss this exciting exhibition opening. Link in bio for all of the details!

Image Credit: Teresa Cos

Community and Regional Planning Associate Professor Alex Karner and Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Mueller will classify n...
07/30/2026

Community and Regional Planning Associate Professor Alex Karner and Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Mueller will classify neighborhood types in Austin and evaluate their specific needs, rather than simply labeling areas as high opportunity or not.

➡️ Swipe through to learn more! Head to our website for the complete article.

Wood Design: Summer 2026 🪵 Led by lecturer Mark Macek, students in this six-week summer course developed foundational wo...
07/15/2026

Wood Design: Summer 2026 🪵

Led by lecturer Mark Macek, students in this six-week summer course developed foundational woodworking skills while exploring wood’s cellular structure and the role of the maker’s perspective in the design process. Most students began the course with little to no woodworking experience, yet by its conclusion, gained a wide range of skills, including tool sharpening, millwork, joinery and sanding.

For their final project, students were challenged to design and build a table centered around a specific activity. The piece was required to be mostly solid wood, with no digital fabrication. With just three weeks to complete the project, students transformed their ideas into thoughtfully crafted piece. Below is a selection of final projects:

▪️Photos 1-2 feature M.Arch student Summer Aberle’s Console table, made out of solid mahogany boards. The design features a beveled front face and mitered corners for a clean and simplistic look. The legs are made from the same boards as the main body and have been hand-turned into spheres on the lathe.

▪️Photos 3-4 feature LAR student Jared Standefer's entry way table. Made with native Texas Mesquite, a hardwood tree that grows in chaotic ways, Jared's goal was to tame the tree and create a polished and organic entry into the home.

▪️Photo 5 features MID student Lore Edwards’ game table, crafted entirely from solid white oak, showcasing the versatility of a single material. By utilizing various structural joinery techniques, including exposed mortise and tenon joints, wooden splines, and miter joints, the design highlights the diverse characteristics of white oak and celebrates its grain patterns from every angle.

On display: INDEX. Showcasing student work from the 2025-2026 academic year, INDEX. creates a calm, embodied environment...
07/07/2026

On display: INDEX.

Showcasing student work from the 2025-2026 academic year, INDEX. creates a calm, embodied environment that activates architecture and grounds our abstractions and creations in reality.

The layout is equally as thoughtful. Instead of a traditional, vertical viewing experience, patrons view INDEX. horizontally, like a book. The models and objects are placed across a series of pedestals at varying heights. Work is organized alphabetically across the twelve altars and models with name cards alongside them can be used to cross reference with the books.

Curated and built by M.Arch students Jeremy Atticus Smith and Evan Altenburg, INDEX. is on view through the end of the month. Come by the Mebane Gallery in Goldsmith Hall to check it out!

Studies in Asia 🇯🇵🇰🇷 Associate Professor Danelle Briscoe’s Mayterm trip to Asia focused on immersing students in the res...
06/29/2026

Studies in Asia 🇯🇵🇰🇷

Associate Professor Danelle Briscoe’s Mayterm trip to Asia focused on immersing students in the resilient design cultures of Japan and South Korea. Through site visits, conversations with local practitioners, and analyzing the urban landscapes around them, students experienced firsthand how these communities integrate design thinking into daily life. Through their travels, students witnessed the importance of developing resilient, technologically advanced responses to changing climates in pursuit of a sustainable future.

Over four weeks, students traveled through Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kaga, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, and Seoul!

Highlights included meeting with KTU students, visiting the Kanazawa Castle, exploring the architecture near St. Mary’s Cathedral in Gokokuji, and experiencing notable sites like Ishikawa Prefectural Library, Bukhansan National Park, and Doseonsa Temple. Students deepened their experience by visiting museums including the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Meiji Jingu Museum, Sumida Hokusai Museum and Leeum Museum of Art.

We are deeply grateful to Takeshi Hosaka Architects for showing our students the LoveLove House and spending time with us. We would also like to thank the faculty at TAMA Art University for meeting with our students and Dr. Arno Suzuki at Kyoto Tachibana University for the wonderful lecture at Kyoto Tachibana University.

Swipe through to see photos of their trip!

06/16/2026

In this alumni profile, students Peter Hebda and Hannah Ongmanchi spoke with David Harrison (B.Arch '79) about his professional successes, the role of travel in architecture school, and his favorite parts of being back on campus. Catch the full interview on our YouTube channel - link in our bio!

06/02/2026

Our buildings have seen many generations of students and changes. One thing remains steadfast: we always miss you when you’re gone. Enjoy your summer break, and come back to us ready to make memories! ☀️📚

Finding and making instruments of care for Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 Earlier this spring, students in Carlos Blanco's studio explor...
05/19/2026

Finding and making instruments of care for Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

Earlier this spring, students in Carlos Blanco's studio explored how architecture can support care, resilience and ecological systems, with Puerto Rico at the heart of their investigation. During a week of exploration, students visited rural and urban sites to grasp a more layered and grounded understanding of the island. Swipe through the photos to see some of their exploration!

Learn more about the studio at the link in our comments!

Introducing the next generation of architects, designers and planners.🤘 Congratulations to UTSOA Class of 2026! We can't...
05/14/2026

Introducing the next generation of architects, designers and planners.🤘 Congratulations to UTSOA Class of 2026! We can't wait to see what you do next. 🎓

📸 : Tico Mendoza

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