In the fall of 2015, Assoc. Professor Chris Harnish was invited to South Africa for the International Trans-disciplinary Workshop “Transforming Johannesburg: Reshaping Socio-Ecological Landscapes Through Collaborative Practices” in Johannesburg, where he led a research group on Eco-incremental Housing.  He also presented a lecture at the University of Witswatersrand titled “Housing as an Incremental Process: Designing for Customization and Adaptability”.

Assoc. Professor Kihong Ku led a cross-disciplinary team of faculty and practitioners that was awarded a 2015 NCARB Award to develop strategies for architectural textile composites for building envelopes.  Dr. Ku’s team received $34,208 in funding for an interdisciplinary and experimental architecture design studio to explore innovative approaches to architectural textile composites.  Dr. Ku was also named the Volpe Chair for Architectural Innovation by Philadelphia University

New Assistant Professor Jeffrey Kansler will be joining the architecture faculty from UIUC in the fall of 2016 to coordinate and teach the structures curriculum.

Assoc. Professor David Kratzer is leading a community outreach studio in which his students are working with Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) on a proposal for a new train station for the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia.

John Hubert, adjunct professor, has had four teams from PhilaU (out of a total of 30 national participating teams) selected as finalists in the US Department of Energy (DOE) 2016 Race To Zero Student Design Competition that asks students to generate creative energy efficient design solutions for sustainable homes in four separate housing categories.

Professor James Doerfler, Director of Architecture, is hosting a special session at the 2016 International Conference on Structures and Architecture (ICSA) in Guimaraes, Portugal titled “Beyond Disciplines: Building Transdisciplinary Teams” 

As result of speaking as a panelist at the 3rd Hemispheric Meeting of Deans in Guatemala, Assoc. Professor Craig Griffen’s article “The Online Studio Problem: Assessing the Role of Distance Learning in Design Pedagogy” was published in the UNAM, Mexico City journal Bitacora 30.