On November 15, 2012, our school suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of friend, benefactor, and treasured Distinguished Alumnus Cal Stuckeman.

As recently as this past April, Cal inspired students, faculty, and staff with a visit to campus. For four days he met with students, alumni, and faculty, participating in end-of-year reviews and banquets. His untiring interest in the lives of Penn State students left us impressed and energized.

Born in 1914, H. Campbell “Cal” Stuckeman donated considerable time, resources, and energy to his alma mater. He and his wife Eleanor, who passed away in 2002, made their first gift to Penn State in 1953, and now rank among the five most generous donors to the University. For full story, click here.

His contributions are evident across the College of Arts and Architecture, most notably in the school and building that bear his name. Most recently, he made a $20 million gift to the Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture to encourage further cross-disciplinary learning opportunities for students in those two departments.

Penn State’s undergraduate and graduate Landscape Architecture programs, part of the Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, have received top rankings in the annual DesignIntelligence survey, in which leading practitioners across the country rank the best schools for preparing students for practice in architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and industrial design.  For full story, click here.

A new book on the design and construction of high-performance homes includes two chapters by Lisa D. Iulo, Penn State associate professor of architecture, Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

Design and Construction of High-Performance Homes: Building Envelopes, Renewable Energies and Integrated Practice, published by Routledge, offers a comprehensive guide for professionals and students committed to achieving high-performance metrics in the design, construction, and operation of residential buildings.  For full story, click here.

Graphic Design student Jing Wu designed the THON 2013 logo, which was revealed at the “Family Carnival” for Four Diamonds Fund families on December 2. The theme of THON 2013 is “Inspire Tomorrow’s Miracles.” Wu explains her design process in a video at http://youtu.be/gCtBADirSd4.

Professor John Dixon Hunt will join the Stuckeman School for two years, beginning in Spring 2013, as the next Eleanor R. Stuckeman Chair in Design. Hunt is professor emeritus of the history and theory of landscape, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Pennsylvania, and a widely recognized and published expert in the literature, history, and theory of gardens and landscapes.  For full story, click here.  

The Gardens of Suzhou, a book by Ron Henderson, professor and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture, Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Penn State, has recently been published by University of Pennsylvania Press.

The book is published in the Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture, a series edited by Professor John Dixon Hunt, Eleanor R. Stuckeman Chair in Design at Penn State.  For the full story, click here.

Penn State’s Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library and The Eberly Family Special Collections Library are sponsoring an event Sunday, January 13, 2013, from  3 to 5 p.m. in 104 Paterno Library to celebrate the gift of Hajjar drawings and the public release of a new database documenting local architecture.

Activities include:

• A display of original plans and drawings of local houses designed by A. William Hajjar, a former Penn State faculty member who challenged the conservative look of the State College community in the 1950s and 1960s with his contemporary-style homes. More than fifty years later, these forty-plus buildings still delight those who appreciate post-war modern design, and their owners are proud to play a part in conserving a significant part of local history.

• The unveiling of “Central Pennsylvania Architecture and Landscape Architecture,” a new digital collection that documents the work of Hajjar and many other designers active in the region, including buildings by modernists Philip Hallock and Kenneth Heidrich. Comprising online exhibitions and a growing database of 1,000 well-documented images, it includes research and photography contributed by Robert Malcom and Arthur Anderson, Jr.