Cal Poly College of Architecture & Environmental Design

10/07/2026

What happens when a love for design, art, and a little glow-in-the-dark inspiration comes together?

For Vellum 23, Cal Poly CAED Architecture student Kristin Pham of Studio Washington created the Smiski Table - an interactive, customizable piece inspired by the small glowing Smiski figures she encountered while spending time in Japan.

The tabletop features a mosaic scene of a Smiski crossing a bridge, drawing inspiration from Monet’s Water Lily Pond. Built-in lighting illuminates the Smiski, recreating the glow of the original figures.

The tabletop can be removed, and the Smiski sleeve can be swapped out, allowing different characters, poses, and tabletop designs to transform the piece. Like opening a blind box, each combination offers something new.

It’s creativity, craftsmanship, and experimentation brought to life through Learn by Doing - exactly what Cal Poly CAED students do every day.

10/06/2026

What happens when creativity, sustainability, and Learn by Doing come together? You get innovative works by Cal Poly CAED students like the Piano Loom.

For Vellum 23, CAED students Madison Chou (pictured), Michael Balmat, Donovan McPeck, and Jorleni Cisneros transformed a repurposed piano into a fully functioning loom - giving new purpose to an unexpected material through inventive design and hands-on making.

At the CAED, students don’t just imagine what is possible. They build it.

10/05/2026

Last weekend, the Cal Poly College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) hosted Vellum 23, showcasing nearly 200 works designed, fabricated and displayed by CAED students. The event was co-sponsored by Vellum Design Build, a San Luis Obispo design-and-build firm.

Throughout the exhibition, visitors packed the space to experience students’ creativity and craftsmanship firsthand.

Stay tuned this week as we highlight student projects from Vellum 23 and the Learn by Doing process behind them.

09/30/2026

Cal Poly students, parents, alumni and community members: Experience Learn by Doing this weekend at Cal Poly CAED’s 23rd Annual Vellum Furniture Competition and Exhibition on Friday, October 2 from 6:30 – 10:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 3 from 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Explore original pieces designed and physically built by CAED students, and experience one of our most celebrated traditions of creativity, craftsmanship and hands-on learning.

Student entries in the Vellum Furniture Competition and Exhibition will be judged on function, individuality and beauty and the student or team who designs the top project will get an all-expenses paid trip to travel to Milan, Italy next April for Saline International del Mobile, the largest furniture faire in the world. The second-place finisher will also attend the Salone del Mobile in Milano. Winners will be announced at the end of the day on Friday and the people’s choice award winners will be announced at the end of the event on Saturday.

Vellum 23 is free and open to the public.

Learn more about Vellum by reading about last year's competition at https://caed.calpoly.edu/The-Largest-Vellum-Design-Competition-Yet

09/28/2026

Applications for Fall 2027 admission to Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design open October 1, 2026! Don’t miss your chance to join one of the nation’s highest-ranked colleges for architecture and environmental design.

Learn more about our departments at https://caed.calpoly.edu/content/prospective/index and the Cal Poly application process at https://www.calpoly.edu/admissions/

05/08/2026

From concept to canyon! in action 👏

01/23/2026

01/20/2026

You are cordially invited to the winter quarter Hearst Lecture Series! The lecture series invites visionary thinkers and designers to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) who focus on socially engaged and culturally expansive design practices across various scales.

𝗟𝗔𝗨𝗥𝗔 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗭𝗔𝗥 𝗔𝗟𝗧𝗢𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜
An assistant architecture professor at Pratt Institute and an architect and cofounder of SalazarSequeroMedina, her work spans civic projects engaging diverse communities to publicly funded affordable housing.
📍Jan. 30, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the Business Rotunda (03-213)

𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗔𝗡 𝗝𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦
A founder and principal architect of Seattle-based Atelier Jones, her award-winning, all-woman-owned and woman-led architecture firm drives new lower-carbon pathways within architecture and construction at scale.
📍Feb. 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the Business Rotunda (03-213)

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗧 𝗦𝗡𝗬𝗗𝗘𝗥
A principal of Cheng+Snyder, an experimental architecture studio based in Oakland, and graduate program chair and associate professor of Design at UC Davis, Snyder works at the intersection of architecture and graphics.
📍Feb. 27, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the Business Rotunda (03-213

We hope to see you there! 📢

12/11/2025

For more than 60 years, the Honored Alumni Award has served as the highest honor bestowed upon Cal Poly Alumni. And this year is no exception!

Please join us in celebrating John Donahoe (City and Regional Planning, '84) as the CAED's 2025 Honored Alumni. 🏆

Most recently, John has served as an adjunct faculty member and vice chair of the CRP Advisory Council. His experience leading complex and impactful land-use projects is matched by his influence on the CRP department, where he has strengthened the bridge between academia and industry.

Check out John's spotlight below! 🌟📹

11/05/2025

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design welcomes visitors to the 22nd annual Vellum Furniture Design Exhibition and Competition, a juried competition of hundreds of original student furniture designs, in downtown City of San Luis Obispo Government on Nov. 7-8.

The reception will begin on Friday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m. The display will remain open on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. This year’s venue is the former California Pizza Kitchen, located at 876 Marsh Street.

Come for the furniture and stay for the food and libations. The Vellum Furniture Design Competition will coincide with San Luis Obispo’s “Art After Dark,” so visitors are in for a creative evening of functional and visual art.

We'll see you there!