|
| Dora Epstein Jones will join CU Denver effective July 1, 2026. (Photo courtesy of CU Denver News.) |
|
|
|
Dora Epstein Jones, PhD, Appointed Chair of the Department of Architecture at CU DenverThe College of Architecture and Planning is pleased to announce the appointment of Dora Epstein Jones, PhD, as the Department of Architecture chair, effective July 1, 2026. “I am excited to join the team at CU Denver at a time when many architecture schools are thinking about the nexus between accessibility and excellence,” said Epstein Jones. “CU Denver has been exemplary in this respect, and I am committed to bringing visibility to an already great school. I’m also very interested in engaging and working with Denver’s architectural professionals who are helping us grow insights into building within fragile ecosystems and deep regional cultures. Denver has the potential to lead the world in terms of understanding resiliency, and I see my role as supporting that.” |
|
| Master of landscape architecture students explore the woods around Echo Lake. (Photo courtesy of CU Denver News.) |
|
|
|
Four Projects That Took Landscape Architecture Students Off Campus and Into the OutdoorsLandscape architecture is the discipline through which licensed professionals design outdoor spaces that are structurally safe and that best facilitate the desired ecological outcome or human experience—or both. When CU Denver master of landscape architecture students graduate, they’re experienced in exactly the sort of things they’ll do in their careers. They’ve already done it in the classroom—and beyond. |
|
| Jesse Kuroiwa joins landscape architecture students at the Amache National Historic Site near Granada, CO. (Photo by CAP VRC.) |
|
|
|
Jesse Kuroiwa Presents Research on Gardening as Resistance in Japanese Internment CampsDirector of CAP’s Visual Resource Center (VRC) and Lecturer Jesse Kuroiwa recently presented the research paper Gaimenteki Doka: Gardening as Resistance in Japanese Internment Camps at the Society of Architectural Historians conference in Mexico City. Gaimenteki Doka is a belief by Japanese immigrants of conformity only through outward appearances. Kuroiwa took on this research to explore and understand the ways in which gardens served as a quiet form of resistance during World War II. |
|
From left: Jen Skidmore facilitated a panel discussion featuring students Rikki Riojas, Shenarra Acquah, and Gillian Ford on April 16, 2026. (Photo by CAP VRC.) |
|
CAP's Centennial Celebration, honoring 100 years of built environment education in Colorado, kicked-off with a student panel led by Director of Professional Development and Internships Jen Skidmore. Students Rikki Riojas, Shenarra Acquah, and Gillian Ford shared their personal journeys and insights into the student experience with CAP donors and supporters on April 16, 2026. We send our heartfelt thanks to alumni Harsh and Jeru Parikh of Santulan Architecture for hosting the event!
CAP graduate student Andrew Kauffman (M.Arch, May '26) was selected as one of CU Denver's student employees of the year. His service to CAP is unparalleled, and this recognition highlights his hard work, dedication, and positive impact. Andrew was celebrated at the annual Milo Awards ceremony on April 24. Congratulations, Andrew!
Associate Professor and Director of ColoradoBuildingWorkshop Rick Sommerfeld was the keynote speaker for the European Association of Architectural Education’s Dean’s Summit in Prague, Czech Republic, on April 16, 2026. His presentation, opening the summit, focused on design–build as a pedagogical model that contributes to curricular integration, material awareness, and learning through making, while also strengthening connections between education, practice, research, and innovation.
Professor Jody Beck was featured on PBS12's program Studio Twelve in a segment titled Teahee Climate Innovation, Seed Starting, and More. In the interview, beginning at 21:30, Jody discusses the Denver Urban Gardens program designed to help people learn how to start seeds to grow confidence and community.
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Shirley Dongwei Chen whose exhibition DoZa: Home Elevation, will be on view at the CU Denver Experience Gallery from May 6 through May 8. The exhibition, by Chen and Maria Espinoza, asks what kinds of spatial, ecological, and sociotechnical transformations the practice of home elevation enact, and who is afforded the ability to rise above the floodplain? The gallery is open Wednesday through Friday, 4-7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 12-7 p.m.
Congratulations to recent MURP alums Avery Knese and Aislinn Droski who were recognized with the Capstone Award, a top honor recognizing excellence in student-led planning work that demonstrates professional-level research, analysis, and community impact, at the National American Planning Association Conference in Detroit from April 25-28.
Alum Jenna McKnight, PhD, currently works as an editor, journalist, and researcher in the San Francisco Bay Area. McKnight's new book Design: Mid-Century Modern, an illustrated guide that traces the development of the mid-century modern style, from its early roots in the 20th century to its peak period and later years, has been published and is available for purchase. Congratulations, Jenna!
|
|
| BS Arch Student Myles Rule Researches Ways Our Buildings Address Climate Change |
With the help of the EURēCA! Grant Program, a competitive grant program managed by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities at CU Denver, Myles has developed a bio-integrated facade system of 3D-printed ceramic tiles combining clay, mycelium (mushroom root networks), and living algae designed to capture carbon dioxide from the air. The system is designed to be entirely biodegradable and carbon negative, and to be implemented on the facades of existing buildings. On Friday, April 24, Myles presented this work at the CU Denver Research and Creative Activities Symposium (RaCAS) and was recognized as a finalist in the event’s Climate Change Symposium. |
|
|
|
|
| MURP Student Peyton Robbins Takes Advantage of Hands-On Experiences |
Peyton Robbins earned her undergraduate degree in urban community and regional planning at the University of Washington before attending CU Denver to complete her master of urban and regional planning degree. Peyton received the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) Scholarship at CU Denver, and since starting her master’s program, has had hands-on experiences in the planning realm taking on roles as a planning technician for Boulder County, interning with the City and County of Denver as a neighborhood planning and regulatory intern, and working at Confluence as a planning intern. Read More About Peyton Robbins. |
|
|
|
| | Building Systems' students visited Wells precast concrete factory.(Photo courtesy of Danny Wills.) |
|
|
|
|
| Building Systems The undergraduate core courses Building Systems I and Building Systems II are grounded in the belief that a deeper understanding of environmental systems is essential to architectural thinking—not as technical afterthoughts, but as foundational to how buildings perform, feel, and endure. Students explore how energy, matter, and climate move through space, materials, and boundaries and how these flows can be understood, measured, represented, and thoughtfully engaged.
Led by Assistant Teaching Professor Danny Wills, the courses examine the fundamentals of building science by understanding how regulatory and performance-based criteria shape architectural form and function. Additionally, the course pushes students to critically engage the complex histories behind these systems, through lectures and reading assignments that offer alternative perspectives to codified norms that have shaped the architectural discipline.
While the course builds technical fluency through weekly lab assignments, it also offers interactive opportunities for students to learn more about their built environments through field-trips, guest lectures, and observational drawing. One featured project, Exquisite Detail, adapts the Surrealist “Exquisite Corpse” method into a collaborative drawing exercise, where students combine individual assembly details into unexpected composite systems—highlighting both the complexity and creativity inherent in building construction. |
|
| |
|
|
%%=BeginImpressionRegion("01__Default_Content__DW_Systems_02.gif")=%%
 %%=EndImpressionRegion()=%% |
| %%=BeginImpressionRegion("02__Default_Content__DW_Systems_03.gif")=%%
 %%=EndImpressionRegion()=%% |
|
|
|
The ‘Exquisite Detail’ was an in-class sketching exercise where students mixed and matched their reference building details with each other as a warm-up to creating their own building assemblies. (Illustrations courtesy of Danny Wills.) |
|
| |
|
May 5 - 15, 2026 | College of Architecture and Planning Join us for CAP Final Reviews from Tuesday May 5 through Friday, May 15. Reviews are the perfect opportunity to view student work and engage in the review process. May 6 - 16, 2026 | CU Denver Experience Gallery DoZa: Home Elevation, an exhibition by Shirley Dongwei Chen and Maria Espinoza, asks what kinds of spatial, ecological, and sociotechnical transformations does the practice of home elevation enact, and who is afforded the ability to rise above the floodplain? On view at the CU Denver Experience Gallery from May 6 through May 16—Wednesday through Friday, 4-7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 12-7 p.m.May 14, 2026 | College of Architecture and Planning The Department of Urban and Regional Planning invites you to attend the MURP Capstone Celebration, a showcase of spring 2026 projects. This year, the program will also celebrate its first annual MURPAA Capstone Poster Awards ceremony beginning at 5:15 p.m. From 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. in the CAP second-floor gallery. |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
