Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment

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Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment

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Welcome to the Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment!

This is the official page for Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment, dedicated to keeping students, faculty, alumni, and friends up to date with the latest news and events. We are the Place to BE - where we influence and inspire a holistic world of placemaking and environmental impact. Our community fosters innovation through research, design, preservation, and sustainability, shaping the future of the built environment across six diverse programs. We offer a dynamic and supportive environment for students to engage in cutting-edge projects, collaborate with renowned faculty, and contribute to meaningful community initiatives. Join us in redefining placemaking as a creative and collaborative pursuit that extends beyond physical spaces to societal transformation. With a commitment to academic rigor and personal growth, we are forging uncharted pathways for you to BE the future leader that the built environment needs.

10/09/2026

Alumni, parents, students, supporters, and friends are invited to celebrate Wave 2026 Weekend at a special Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment reception and tailgate!

On Friday, November 6, from 5-7pm guests will have the opportunity to tour the newly renovated and reimagined Richardson Memorial Hall, review student work, and hear an update on the school from Dean Iñaki Alday at the school's Homecoming Reception. Raise a glass, grab a plate, and listen to great music as we kick off the Homecoming weekend!

This year's Homecoming celebration also includes a Tailgate on Saturday, November 7, prior to the Green Wave football game kickoff. Tailgate time and kickoff time are TBA.

We extend a special invitation to alumni celebrating milestone reunions this year: 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021!

Register for the reception here: https://tulane.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8uIhXClGkBpoMUC

10/08/2026

The second-year Intermediate Core Studio recently traveled to the Bonnet Carré Spillway as part of their research for their next project, designing a Research and Visitors Center.

Getting out of the studio and into the landscape gave students the opportunity to study the Spillway firsthand; considering its infrastructure, ecology, history, and relationship to the surrounding region as they begin developing their design proposals.

From site observations to conversations and documentation, the visit is an important step in understanding the complex systems that shape this place and how architecture might help people experience and learn from them.

ARCH 2021
Architectural Design Building and Landscape
Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment

10/07/2026

This year, we’re proud to honor four individuals whose leadership, scholarship, service, and advocacy have made a lasting impact on architecture, design, education, and the vitality of New Orleans. Honorees being recognized at the Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment's 2026 Awards Gala include:

Henry Shane will be receiving the Advocate for Architecture and the City Award in recognition of his outstanding influence on architecture, design, and the cultural life of New Orleans while advancing the built environment at a local, national, or global level.

Our School is honored to present Marc Morial with the Friend of the School Award in recognition of his exceptional support to advance the mission of the School and his contribution to the growth and vitality of New Orleans.

Carol McMichael Reese will be honored with the Faculty Luminary Award to celebrate her dedication to teaching, mentorship, and scholarship that inspired generations of students and elevated the School's' academic excellence.

Wellington "Duke" Reiter will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for his professional accomplishments, leadership, and service that reflects the highest values and aspirations of Tulane and the Built Environment.

Join us in celebrating this year’s honorees and their remarkable contributions to our community. Learn more about the awardees and the 2026 Awards Gala at the link in our bio.

10/06/2026

Join us for our online Fall Open Houses next week to learn about our graduate programs! Sign up on our website, under events.

Landscape Architecture and Engineering: D
Tuesday, October 13 at 11 am CT

Architecture:
Thursday, October 15 at 11 am CT

Historic Preservation:
Thursday, October 15 at 12 pm CT

Discover how our programs prepare students to creatively manage complexity and transform the world and built environment. Learn more about the curriculum, faculty, research opportunities, student experiences, and real career outcomes of our alumni through the link in our bio.

10/05/2026

Join us for our next lecture in our Fall 2026 "Emergency Planning and Adaptation" series featuring Simon Demeuse, Partner at Herzog & de Meuron (H&dM), on Monday, October 12th.

Simon began collaborating with H&dM in 2005, working between Basel and California to oversee the design and construction of the Kramlich Residence and Collection in Napa Valley. Simon continues to work across both continents on a variety of projects in the US and Europe including the Sixth&Blanco development in Austin, Texas, the Eames Institute in Marin County, California, the San Antonio Museum of Art Master Plan in Texas, and a large urban plan for South-East Amsterdam. Simon’s overall project experience spans a diverse range of scales and typologies, including large urban plans, cultural institutions, single-family residences, and interiors.

In addition to his architectural work, Simon is actively involved in the arts and cultural community in Basel and has been a member of the Kunsthalle Basel Association Board since 2022.

Simon studied architecture at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. In between his studies, he worked at AMO in Rotterdam and Morphosis Architects in Los Angeles.

10/02/2026

FRIDAY FROM THE ARCHIVES | ORPHEUM THEATRE

Rising from the corner of University Place and Canal Street, the Orpheum Theatre has been part of New Orleans’ entertainment landscape for more than a century.

The theater opened in 1918 as a vaudeville house, designed by architect William R. Wood. Its Beaux-Arts design brought an elaborate interior to the downtown streetscape, with ornate plasterwork, grand staircases, decorative details, and a richly ornamented auditorium designed to immerse audiences in the experience of the theater.

Over the decades, the Orpheum hosted vaudeville performances, concerts, films, and other forms of live entertainment, reflecting the changing ways New Orleanians experienced popular culture. Its location near Canal Street placed it at the center of one of the city’s busiest commercial and entertainment corridors.

After decades of use, the building was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The theater underwent an extensive restoration, preserving many of its historic architectural details while adapting the building for contemporary performances.

Today, the Orpheum continues to welcome audiences in the heart of downtown New Orleans. Its ornate interiors and long history serve as a reminder of the city’s enduring relationship with performance, architecture, and public gathering spaces.

Sources: Historic New Orleans Collection, Orpheum Theater New Orleans

10/01/2026

Meet Santiago Ocampo Palacio, Pre-Doctoral Teaching Fellow at the Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment.

Santiago holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín and an Advanced Master of Urbanism, Lanscape & Planning from KU Leuven in Belgium, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

He is currently an Urban Design Studio and Design Media Fellow at Tulane University. His work explores how landscape and infrastructure can be integrated ad framerowks for addressing contemporary challenges, including global warming, environmental degradation, and social inequality.

He is particularly interested in how landscape systems can inform processes of urban transformation and support more adaptive relationships between natural and built environments.

His practice operates across Architecture, Landscape and Urbanism, with a focus on climate-responsive design and socio-ecological justice.

09/30/2026

Following their initial research, students in ARCH 3030 are learning about the Urban Analysis stage of the design process.

Working in smaller groups, students are drawing and analyzing Kansas City and its environs across multiple scales, gradually moving from the larger urban context toward detailed site analysis. These investigations will ultimately inform proposals for a visionary urban plan for downtown Kansas City.

By combining observation, mapping, analysis, and speculation, students are exploring how architecture and urban design can respond to the complex systems that shape a city.

ARCH 3030
Architecture and Urban Design Studio
Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment

Instructors: Xixi Chen, Irene Keil, Andrew Liles, Juan Diego Martinez, Santiago Ocampo, Wendy Redfield
Teaching Assistants: Sophia Atkins, Sophia Drozd, Owen Kidd

09/29/2026

Designing with community in mind.

This fall, students in the Small Center design-build studio are returning to Grow Dat Youth Farm in New Orleans City Park. Working alongside Grow Dat staff, students are developing a master plan for the site and designing a new shade structure to support gathering, education, and community programming.

Watch as students present and receive feedback on their building design, a step toward bringing the project from the studio into the community.

ARCH 4041/6061
Small Center Design Build
Grow Dat Farm Review

09/28/2026

Darryl Glade, professor of practice in Tulane’s Real Estate Development Program, and co-founders John Renne, director of the Real Estate Development Program, and Kevin Truong took first place and $3,000 at the Tulane Innovation Institute’s Open Season pitch competition on Sept. 15 for OralExam.ai. The team also earned the $250 People’s Choice Award.

OralExam.ai addresses a growing challenge for educators in the age of artificial intelligence: how can instructors better understand what students actually know when AI tools are increasingly part of the writing process?

The platform gives students a brief, spoken conversation with an AI examiner about an assignment they have submitted. Within minutes, professors receive insights into the student’s understanding of the material and authorship, which can then support their grading process. OralExam.ai does not grade the assignment itself. The company is currently piloting the platform in high schools, at Tulane University and at other institutions.

Congratulations to Darryl, John and Kevin on this exciting recognition and on bringing an innovative approach to the future of education to the Open Season stage!

Address

6823 St Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA
70118

Telephone

+15048655389

Website

http://architecture.tulane.edu/, https://linktr.ee/TulaneArch

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