School of Architecture and Planning

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The Power of Two: Architecture Plus Planning Equals Path-Breaking

We are proud to be one of only a handful of schools where architecture and planning work purposefully together. Creating greener, cleaner, healthier places to live and work. Innovating materials and construction systems for a more sustainable built environment. Planning communities that promote safe and healthy food and water. With your help, we are leading the way for a better, smarter, healthier, more efficient and equitable world.

Here Is How We Train Students to Contribute Around the World

At UB, our students travel far and wide, including to prestigious exhibitions like the historic Venice Biennale, to tackle real-world challenges—and gain real-world skills. There’s no substitute for experience, and your investment will allow us to provide more study-abroad opportunities, endow more scholarships, and offer more internships and practicum placements. Your support will provide critical funding to undertake the continued restoration of historic Crosby Hall, will enhance our student studio experiences and will help us create better prepared, more engaged professionals.

Here Is How We Turn Groundbreaking Research Into Real-World Solutions

We’re already one of the nation’s most research-intensive schools of architecture and planning, tackling real-world challenges including sustainability, energy efficiency, affordability and accessibility. With your support, we’ll grow our impact by establishing endowed professorships in key areas of leadership, create solutions in the field of environment and health, and continue our life-changing impact in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo—where we’re utilizing our expertise in inclusive design to provide new economic opportunities for local workers.

Students work on restoring the nave of a church.

Here Is How Our Work in Buffalo Addresses Global Problems

Our home welcomes modernization and experimentation that will have global relevance and impact, and philanthropy already has helped us make great strides in demonstrating solutions through planning, research and grassroots partnerships. Now, with your support, we will collaborate with the residents of Buffalo’s historic East Side to help them reshape that community’s future. We also look to our supporters to endow the UB Regional Institute to enable us to share all the lessons we’ve learned—in Buffalo, across the state and around the world.

We are seeking your investment in designing and building a better world.

News from the School of Architecture and Planning

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Playing against type: the adaptive reuse of Buffalo's East Side
5/1/20
This semester our Inclusive Design Graduate Research Group has been exploring the spatial implications of a community who inherited housing that was not developed with their needs in mind.
Mary D. Cohen: Former UB scholar devoted life to humanitarian causes
9/10/20
Mary D. Cohen, a lifelong educator and former researcher with UB’s Health in Housing Institute (HIH) who passed away earlier this summer at 91, leaves a diverse legacy of community-building work.
Student propsal for a border market along Haiti-Dominican Republic border wins this year's thesis prize for architecture
6/11/20
Samendy Brice (MArch '20) has been awarded the 2019-20 ARCC King Medal, the Deptartment of Architecture's Thesis Prize, for her proposal of a border market as a structural element and condition of exchange along the contested border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Featured work from Fall 2020 senior architecture studio
12/7/20
In the culminating studio of the BS in Architecture program, Urban Life - Self + Society focuses on the urban dwelling as a threshold between self and society, between local and global, and between nature and culture.
"See It Through Buffalo" being screened at United Nations forum
2/12/20
Buffalo’s story of place is being shared with mayors, ministers, journalists and thousands of others attending the United Nations’ 10th World Urban Forum this week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
"Off the Grid" summer studio leverages the geographic diversity of remote study
8/27/20
Among several studios and seminars offered by the School of Architecture and Planning over the summer was “Off the Grid,” taught by UB adjunct instructor Jon Spielman.
UB’s Daniel B. Hess contributes to viewpoint series on urban planning's response to the pandemic
11/30/20
Daniel B. Hess, UB professor and chair of urban planning, is co-editor of a viewpoint series on the planning discipline’s response to a changed world, published this month by Town Planning Review (Liverpool University Press).
Dean Robert Shibley on COVID-19-related transition to distance learning
3/12/20
Our priority is to support the health and safety of our community, maintain continuity in our academic and research programs, and ensure students can complete their course requirements on schedule.
UB architect Joyce Hwang invited to Exhibit Columbus program to explore future of America’s “middle cities”
10/29/20
UB architecture professor Joyce Hwang will explore the future of cities in America’s heartland as one of 12 designers selected to participate in the prestigious Exhibit Columbus program.
New student coalition connects underrepresented students to the community around them
2/24/20
A network of African American students and students of African descent in the School of Architecture and Planning are facilitating engagement of underrepresented students with minority communities in the City of Buffalo.
Samendy Brice applies design to bridge food access along Haiti, Dominican Republic border
2/5/20
Samendy Brice, a second-year Master of Architecture student and winner of the inaugural Watts Scholarship, shares her passion for building diverse and inclusive spaces and communities. She is currently completing her thesis research on structural enablers of food access along the border of Ouanaminthe, Haiti, and Dajabon, Dominican Republic.
Adaptations in studio during COVID-19 include return to drawing
9/22/20
Professor Brian Carter recently reflected in "Drawing Matter" on how the coronavirus pandemic changed methods of teaching and making in studio at the School of Architecture and Planning.
UB students explore feasibility of a rapid transit line along the New York State Thruway
10/16/20
Environmental design students at UB will work this semester with regional leaders to conduct a feasibility study for an intercity high-speed bus line along the New York State Thruway.
Urban planning student Daniela León builds equitable development from the ground up
10/6/20
Daniela León, a second-year student in the Master of Urban Planning program at UB, is an ardent advocate for building equitable and inclusive economies for urban communities.
Urban planning students apply lessons in scenario planning to COVID-19 crisis
6/3/20
Graduate urban planning students exploring how to plan for complex, highly variable challenges got a timely, real-world lesson this spring with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most disruptive crises to hit the globe in decades.
Latest design-build project adds to Silo City’s regenerating landscape
1/6/21
In a barren field in the shadows of towering grain elevators at Silo City, a group of University at Buffalo architecture students have created a beautiful structure that will continue to evolve and take shape. And they did it amid the stops and starts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Banham Fellow in architecture explores air quality crisis through design
8/24/20
UB's Department of Architecture is pleased to announce designer and researcher Zherui Wang as the 2020-21 Peter Reyner Banham Fellow.
Should architecturally significant low-income housing be preserved?
7/9/20
The recent demolition of the Paul Rudolph-designed Shoreline Apartments in Buffalo, NY, highlights one of the key tensions of preserving modern architecture: how to balance the needs of occupants with historically significant designs.
Why being unable to hang out in cafes and bars drains our creativity
12/22/20
While the pandemic has caused thousands of small businesses to temporarily close or shutter for good, the disappearance of the corner coffee shop means more than lost wages.
Standing in unity and action: Black Lives Matter
9/9/20
Along with our faculty, students, staff, and alumni, we are enraged by and grieve the recent killing of Mr. George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. In support of racial justice and building on the School’s collective commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity, we wil execute an explicitly anti-racist approach across all our operations.
Extended orientation program “pivots” new graduate students toward UB, Buffalo and the current moment
8/18/20
The prospect of beginning a new graduate program, on a new campus, and perhaps in a new city, is challenging enough under normal circumstances. Add to that the disruption of an historic pandemic and social unrest across the U.S., and you have a recipe for heightened anxiety.
Empowering communities through literature and design
5/29/20
UB student Nicole Little has put her design skills to work for Buffalo’s Fruit Belt community, helping residents to visualize alternate futures for their built environment through the creation of their own graphic novel.
UB architecture students use design to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in New York City
11/18/20
UB architecture students are leveraging the power of design to help New York City (NYC) build awareness of COVID-19 safety guidelines among a particularly at-risk population: residents of multi-family housing.
Intersight 22 explores intellectual currents of school through lens of its 50-year history
5/26/20
We are pleased to unveil this year's annual publication of student work - Intersight 22 - which captures the present intellectual and cultural moments of our school.
IDEA Center receives another 5-year cycle of national funding
10/1/20
A quarter of a century. That’s how long a UB center that specializes in advancing universal design has been continuously funded.
Cold War-style preparedness could help fight future pandemics
4/27/20
A key group of allies is missing in the U.S. effort to face the coronavirus pandemic: the American people.
Standing in unity and action: Black Lives Matter
6/5/20
Along with our faculty, students, staff, and alumni, we are enraged by and grieve the recent killing of Mr. George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. In support of racial justice and building on the School’s collective commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity, we wil execute an explicitly anti-racist approach across all our operations.
UB Regional Institute's Chiwuike Owunwanne recognized among 2020 class of "Buffalo Black Achievers"
10/22/20
We’re proud to share that Chiwuike "Chi-Chi" Owunwanne of the University at Buffalo Regional Institute has been recognized among the 2020 class of Buffalo Black Achievers. Chi-Chi serves as the Program Director for the East Side Avenues initiative, which provides capital and organizational support to transformational projects in targeted areas along four commercial corridors on Buffalo’s East Side.
Resilience in a time of crisis: Dean Shibley's message to students
3/22/20
Our priority is to support the health and safety of our community, maintain continuity in our academic and research programs, and ensure students can complete their course requirements on schedule.
As coronavirus threatens food security, UB Food Lab works with community partners to respond
4/27/20
Researchers in UB's Food Lab have created a map of food resources in Buffalo to help people locate and access food during the coronavirus pandemic
Alumni network at Gensler offers career advice to students, recent grads in time of uncertainty
10/6/20
Seven UB alumni practicing with Gensler offices across the U.S. recently came together with current students to share their career trajectories and work experience at the world’s largest architecture, design, and planning firm.
Omar Khan departs UB for lead role at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Architecture
6/5/20
Associate professor and former chair of architecture Omar Khan is headed to the School of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, where he has been appointed head of school, effective Aug. 1.
Dean Robert Shibley updates School community on preparations for fall 2020
7/14/20
I write today to update you on our preparations for the fall 2020 semester as we work to implement university guidelines for a return to campus in a modified in-person capacity.
Team of urban planning and architecture faculty awarded $1 million grant to advance urban agriculture
11/20/20
A team of UB researchers has received a nearly $1 million grant from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) to test inclusive organizing models that advance policies supporting urban agriculture.
Dean Robert Shibley reflects on the promise of a new year
1/27/20
Welcome back to a new semester, a new year, and a new decade. As we reflect on a rewarding and successful fall - and acknowledge all that we accomplished together - another semester awaits with promise and potential.
Re-imagining a quiet campus space for the sound of music
10/6/20
On the first day of class on the last day of August, Eric Huebner, associate professor of music in the College of Arts and Sciences, was seated at the chair of a grand piano on the sidewalk outside of Slee Hall on the North Campus. He was performing two Chopin preludes and a snippet of Bach’s D minor keyboard concerto, a piece that he would soon be performing as part of an upcoming concert with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Virtual Award’s Day “sir-prizes” students with parade and costumed faculty
5/7/20
If there’s ever a time for comic relief and celebration of our students, this is it.
Student profile: Zachary Korosh (BAED '20)
2/29/20
Zachary Korosh is a senior double major in environmental design and political science at UB and an active force in the community. His goal is to become an advocate-planner, working to change systemic issues affecting communities.
Reflections on Zhu Pei and contemporary architecture in China
3/30/20
In his latest book, UB Professor of Architecture Brian Carter explores Beijing-based architect Zhu Pei’s museum for the Imperial Kiln in Jingdezhen, China, a globally significant example of contemporary civic architecture that preserves and celebrates the remains of the region’s porcelain industry, dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties.
UB, CannonDesign work to improve DIY fabric mask production
6/18/20
A UB partnership with local industry has engineered a DIY fabric mask that is not only a potentially high-performing alternative to industrial solutions like the N95 mask, but is affordable and scalable.
Making a better mask
6/4/20
Buffalo architect Mike Tunkey (BPS ’00) is mobilizing a diverse network of partners to make more effective DIY masks for at-risk community members during the COVID-19 crisis.
MUP student aspires to bring integrity to planning and development in the Global South
2/11/20
Kennedy Alexis is a first-year Master of Urban Planning student at the School of Architecture and Planning who is also pursuing a Master of Arts in Economics in UB's School of Management. As an aspiring international development consultant, she is interested in creating "conscious infrastructure" that will support the economic, human and social sustainability of undeserved communities, particularly in the Global South.
Center for Architecture award recognizes student with non-traditional pathway into architecture
8/14/20
It is a place that Leticia Avila describes as having a “magical atmosphere” and ties together a dynamic career path the Master of Architecture student has been on.
Top MArch student earns prestigious Allwork Scholarship
8/26/20
For Stanicka Mathurin, the study of architecture and preparing for a successful career in the profession began before she even completed high school. The second-year MArch student was just a sophomore when she helped design a children’s mission home and later a school in Haiti as part of a project for His Work International to help orphans.
The ‘old world is gone.’ Protests express a vision of the society people want after COVID-19, UB expert says
6/3/20
Henry Louis Taylor Jr., professor of urban and regional planning, is available to speak with media about the impassioned protests occurring across America against racism and social injustice following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.
Architecture student works to diversify the profession and built environment
2/18/20
Aleiya Als, a senior in UB's BS Arch program, reflects on building diversity in the profession and practice of architecture.
Historic preservation program shapes city around us
2/28/20
Since its inception half a century ago, the UB School of Architecture and Planning has been a champion for the preservation of our urban and architectural heritage. Now it has degree and certificate programs in preservation practice so others might carry the work forward.
Architecture students apply design skills to keep safe distance
10/12/20
A group of graduate architecture students recently gathered on UB's South Campus in graceful dance - all at a safe distance - as they tested out their creations in wearable spatial distancing devices.
John Paul Eberhard, founding dean of UB’s School of Architecture and Planning, dies at 93
5/7/20
John Paul Eberhard, path-breaking architecture educator, researcher, and practitioner, and founding Dean of the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, died on Saturday, May 2.
Urban planning program adds two tenure-track faculty
9/17/20
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning has announced the addition of two tenure-track faculty bringing expertise in inclusive planning and design of pedestrian environments.
Welcome to a new academic year: A message from Dean Robert G. Shibley
9/1/20
Welcome to all - students, faculty and staff - to the start of a new academic year as we return to campus and a ‘new normal’ of learning together. We are ready, after months of careful and intensive planning to ensure that we can learn together – in place – while supporting the health and safety of our community.
Welcome to a virtual School of Architecture and Planning
3/19/20
We will miss all of you when school starts again on Monday, March 23. You and your interactions bring so much life and excitement to this school. Your education is always central to our focus, but your health and safety, and that of the faculty, staff, and our campus/regional communities, are our top priority. So we will welcome you to the conclusion of the Spring semester through a virtual UB School of Architecture and Planning.
Student emergency fund application opens
4/22/20
Thanks to the generous support of our faculty, the School of Architecture and Planning is pleased to announce the formation of a new Student Emergency Fund for students of the School of Architecture and Planning.

The Power of Your Investment

For 50 years we’ve embraced the power of two: Architecture and Planning, which creates a synergetic whole that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. Now, with your help, we can go beyond adding, to multiplying: Architecture and Planning multiplied by Investment. Please join us—invest in us—as we lead the way.

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When you give to the UB Fund, your gift today is made available to help support students today. It’s that immediate. Giving to the UB Fund helps ensure our students have everything they need to become thoughtful global citizens, with 100 percent of gifts used to enhance the student experience, including crucial support for research, study abroad, student emergencies and community service opportunities.

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Freshman studio students in UB architecture hammer in some pieces of a structure.