Archinect - News

Get Lectured: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Spring '24

2024-01-29T11:26:00-05:00

The School of Architecture & Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has shared its Spring '24 events lineup as part of our Get Lectured rundown of different public programs in store on campuses in the new academic term.

The events begin on January 31 with a presentation on aging strategies and livable cities from the AARP’s Darrin Wasniewski and Suleyman Bahceci. The focus on cities and transportation continues with a talk from planning expert Barry Gore on February 21. Joseph Altshuler follows his appearance on February 23, preceding another on the topic of affordable housing from Matt Wachter and Larry Kilmer II on March 6.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil researcher Tabitha “Tab” Combs continues with the transportation focus on March 27, followed by a presentation on placemaking and equity from Hanna Love, a Senior Research Associate for the Brookings Institution, on April 17. Dr. Petra Hurtado and Dr. Sagar Shah from the American Planning Association w...

Get Lectured: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Fall '23

2023-10-20T17:54:00-04:00

The School of Architecture & Urban Planning at UW-Milwaukee (SARUP) has shared its slate of Fall semester public programming as part of our Get Lectured series.

Events began on October 10 with author Building Power: Architecture and Surveillance in Victorian America author Anna Andrzejewski and continued with an appearance last week from Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) preservation expert Michelangelo Sabatino.

The lectures continue on November 2 with Future Firm founder Anna Lui’s presentation ‘Future / Practice: Coauthoring the Equitable City.’ She will be followed by American Indians and the American Dream author Kasey Keeler’s book talk and discussion on December 1. National Center for Sustainable Transportation Director Susan Handy follows Keeler on December 6, and the semester concludes with University of Technology Sydney School Architecture Head Daniel A. Barber’s presentation 'When Modern was Solar' December 7.

A new exhibition by Joseph Altshuler titled Creates Are S...

UW-Milwaukee SARUP appoints Krisann Rehbein as director of Community Design Solutions

2023-08-08T18:02:00-04:00

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s newly-formed College of the Arts and Architecture has announced its appointment of Chicago-based artist and nonprofit leader Krisann Rehbein as the new director of Community Design Solutions (CDS).

The position, which is organized within the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP), will engage with local community organizations to ensure the continued delivery of pro bono planning services such as the Turnkey Housing initiative and Green Schoolyards project that have, in addition to nearly 230 others, helped to garner praise for the institution over the past decade.

Mo Zell, the new ASCA President and Interim Dean of the College of the Arts and Architecture, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Krisann as the new director of CDS. Her vision for the future of the organization, which includes expanding the role that faculty will play in projects, and her expertise in design and community engagement will help advance the work of CDS and u...

Mo Zell is named 2023-2024 ACSA president

2023-07-07T11:41:00-04:00

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) has just named architect and academic Mo Zell as its 2023-2024 president.

In April of 2023, Zell was appointed interim dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s newly-established College of the Arts and Architecture comes to the position with an impressive list of past experiences both within the organization and in the world of architectural academia overall.

As a former ASCA regional director and fall conference co-chair, Zell has been able to expand on her on-campus efforts to spearhead a number of different initiatives, including the SARUP externship program, SUPERjury, Women in Design Milwaukee, and the SARUP Mobile Design Box.

Zell was also the first female department chair, Associate Dean, and faculty member at UMW’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning and holds degrees in architecture from the University of Virginia of Yale University, respectively.

In a statement, Zell said: "Architectural education p...

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee creates new 'College of the Arts and Architecture' with Mo Zell as interim dean

2023-04-05T17:17:00-04:00

In October 2022, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee released details of its strategic 2030 Action Plan. This initiative outlined plans for several UWM schools and colleges to be realigned. During this process, the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP), which originally operated as an individual school, has since been combined with the Peck School of the Arts to create the newly formed College of the Arts and Architecture. Through this reorganization, the school has announced Mo Zell as the College's new Interim Dean.

In July 2022, Archinect reported on Zell's appointment as SARUP's Interim Dean after she held the position as the school's first woman to be a Department Chair back in 2018. Zell's extensive background in academia and education at SARUP began during her time as an assistant professor back in 2008, in addition to previous teaching positions at Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and Northeastern University. Her dedication to architectural...

Get Lectured: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Spring '23

2023-02-16T11:54:00-05:00

Today, our Get Lectured series continues with a list of events and lectures happening at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning this spring.

The semester starts on February 22 with a visit from Dapham Maraoane of The Architecture Lobby hosted by Architectural Activism Fellow Sam Schuermann. The next week includes a look at downtown placemaking (including the vaunted Deer District by Gensler) on February 28.

Bernheimer Architecture’s Christopher Beck comes to campus on March 8 to speak at another event hosted by Schuermann. Princeton University Assistant Professor Erin Besler follows on March 10 to discuss her recent award-winning work as co-founder of Besler & Sons. Finally, the month concludes with the HGA Firm Leadership Panel hosted again by Schuermann on March 22.

April sees the semester’s conclusion with a trio of events beginning on April 5 with Paul Preissner of UIC United. His visit will be followed on April 20 with a lecture from Bi...

Get Lectured: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Fall '22

2022-10-24T16:15:00-04:00

For Archinect's latest Fall '22 Get Lectured series installment, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP) shares its upcoming events.

In September, the school welcomed lectures from the 2021 Marcus Prize winners Ensamble Studio and Laxmi Ramasubramanian (Professor and Chair of San Jose State University's Urban and Regional Planning department). From September 15–16, SARUP's Historic Preservation Institute held an APT TC-DOC Documentation Workshop. A faculty exhibition by Lindsey Krug titled "Supreme Privacy" opened on September 29 and will be on display until October 28. On October 21, the Ithica-based experimental design and research studio, HANNAH office, presented their lecture.

On November 1, Lydia Statz (Transportation Planner and Project Manager with Kimley-Horn in Minneapolis) will present as part of the school's Innovative Cities Lecture series. On November 4, there will be a presentation from the architect Paul Andersen (foun...

Mo Zell appointed UW-Milwaukee's School of Architecture & Planning Interim Dean

2022-07-07T13:12:00-04:00

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Architecture and Planning (SARUP) has announced Mo Zell as its Interim Dean.

Zell has been an impactful fixture at SARUP, starting her career at the school as an assistant professor in 2008. Since then, she has taught several foundational design studios, acted as Associate Dean from 2012–18, and in 2018 was SARUP's first woman to be a Department Chair.

Before working at SARUP, Zell taught at Yale University, South Carolina School of Arts and Humanities, Clemson University, North Carolina State University, and Northeastern University. Her extensive background as an educator and academic leader is paired with her experience as a licensed architect. In addition, she runs the award-winning design and research practice bauenstudio with her partner Marc Roehrle.

Previously on SARUP's Archinect school profile: Mo Zell named chair of architecture at School of Architecture & Urban Planning at UW-Milwaukee (2018)

"The School of Architecture a...

UWM’s Mo Zell on the significance of Calatrava’s Quadracci Pavilion 20 years on

2022-01-26T16:38:00-05:00

Two decades later, the Quadracci Pavilion remains one of the most significant works of architecture in Milwaukee. The project changed the conversation about the city and fueled a vision of molding the area into an arts and entertainment destination. Simply referred to as “The Calatrava” by locals, the game-changing project has made the Milwaukee Art Museum a must-see for residents and tourists alike. The structure has been the backdrop remains a symbol of the city’s continuing renaissance.

The iconic 2001 structure has become synonymous with the city’s skyline and is seen as the originator of an influx of modern buildings that includes the new Northwestern Mutual Tower and Populous-designed Fiserv Forum downtown. Mo Zell, the Senior Associate Dean of UW Milwaukee’s architecture department, says the impacts brought about by the $121 million pavilion are only beginning to be felt, and that she looks forward to seeing how the future of the city’s built environment will bear its influence.

“Twenty years feels like a long time, but it’s not,” she explained. “It’s youthful in terms of building change. I’m super excited because I think we’re on the cusp of seeing that design culture pay off in the not too distant future. The next 10 years is where you are going to see a lot more of the translation of that design in the city. I think we’re poised to have a different kind of conversation around how buildings play a significant role for the city and what it means to have good d...

Get Lectured: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Spring '22

2022-01-24T19:20:00-05:00

Continuing with Archinect's Get Lectured Spring '22 edition, we share the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture & Urban Planning's upcoming lectures, events, and exhibitions programming via Zoom and in-person.

Kicking off SARUP's lecture series is "Now What?! Advocacy, Activism & Alliances in American Architecture since 1968" on February 25. The lecture will be joined by Sarah Rafson and Roberta Washinton (in-person) and Lori Brown + Andrea J. Merrett (via Zoom). The presentation is in conjunction with an exhibition that will run from February 4 through April 29.

On March 4, Kimberly Dowdell (HOK) will present a lecture titled "Leading By Design." March 18 will feature a lecture presentation from Julia Gamolina (Madame Architect and Ennead Architects) titled "Towards Madame Architect: Intuitive Evolution on Two Parallel Tracks."

Jennifer Newsom (Dream the Combine) will present her lecture "Making (IT) Work" on April 1. April 8 will feature a lecture from Emanual ...

Ensamble Studio named recipients of the 2021 Marcus Prize

2021-09-13T19:22:00-04:00

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning has announced the recipient of the 2021 Marcus Prize. Established in 2005 as a biennial, international architecture award, the Marcus Prize recognizes and honors architects for their work within the field in addition to recognizing "the promise of their future contributions to the field of architecture." This year's Marcus Prize is awarded to architects Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa of Ensamble Studio.

Architects Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa on site - Ca'n Terra. Image courtesy of Ensamble Studio

From a pool of nominees across five continents and 19 countries, the jury selected Ensamble for their work balancing "imagination and reality, art and science," a body of work innovating "typologies, technologies, and methodologies to address issues as diverse as the construction of the landscape or the prefabrication of the house."

The list of past Marcus Prize recipients includes Tatiana Bilbao (201...

Telling Milwaukee's Story Through Architecture

2020-01-27T13:04:00-05:00

This article was written by Genaro Armas

UWM’s School of Architecture is marking its 50th anniversary in a yearlong celebration that concludes with a gala weekend in April. To commemorate five decades of education, research and community engagement, architecture faculty members picked the most important structures built in Milwaukee during each decade since the school was established in 1969.

Milwaukee’s most iconic structure might be the Quadracci Pavilion at the Milwaukee Art Museum along Lake Michigan. Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and completed in 2001, the pavilion’s signature characteristic is the Burke Brise Soleil, a moveable, wing-like sunscreen that rests on top of the glass-enclosed Windhover Hall. Its wingspan is similar to a Boeing 747.

The pavilion’s futuristic design stands out in a downtown skyline dominated by more traditional architecture.

School of Architecture & Urban Planning faculty (from left) Whitney Moon, Mo Zell and Kyle Reynolds.

“What I...