Newsletter
Dean’s Update
Welcome back to campus! Spending time with family and friends is a terrific way to rejuvenate our minds and bodies. It puts us in the right place to resume our work together.
To promote excellence, the University President, Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, has asked us to challenge our tendency to compartmentalize knowledge into specialties. He wants us to build a holistic worldview by focusing on integrating knowledge. You do this when you take courses outside the school, connect ideas between courses, collaborate with your peers, and engage in conversation outside the classroom to test your thoughts in a comfortable environment.
Conversation expands our understanding of a pluralistic world and inspires fresh ideas. Opening our minds to people, ideas and things that are different from our own and reconciling them with our own experience, ideas and things, helps us become better people, scholars, and architects.
The accreditation process was a catalyst for the faculty to think critically about the school's curriculum. Over the next few years we will fine-tune the program to intensify our focus on the core competencies required to meet the needs of contemporary society.
To advance this process, we will create more opportunities for conversation in the school. Please stay tuned for announcements of roundtable discussions, guest lectures, a symposium, studio reviews and other opportunities for dialogue with your peers, faculty and guests.
Wishing you all a great semester,
Mark Ferguson, Dean
Building Affordable Assisted Living for Seniors
Oussama Souadi’s (B.S. Arch ’08, M.Arch ’10) passion for building affordable assisted living residences was sparked when he first discovered he wanted to be an architect while waiting tables as an undergrad at Northern Virginia Community College. The math major happened to be watching “Mega Structures” on TV when they presented a feature on the largest one-span bridge in the world. “I was absolutely riveted. I knew right then that was what I wanted to do with my life,” Souadi said.
Upon his graduation from NVCC, Souadi, who immigrated with his parents from Morocco as a child, started working as a draftsman at Gauthier, Alvarado and Associates while taking classes full-time at CUA to earn both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Architecture. He credits his real estate expertise to lessons learned from retired CUA professor Dr. Judith Meany, who taught him “you have to say no to a lot of very bad deals.”
After obtaining his degrees at CUA he joined AMEC Foster Wheeler, a British company with an office in Chantilly doing general contracting. In 2016 he left AMEC to form a partnership with fellow CUA Architecture alumni Juan Cardona B.S. Arch ’02, to create their dream of providing affordable housing for DC area residents. They soon joined forces with Gragg Cardona Partners LLC, a firm that has been supporting and investing in the positive transformation of DC area neighborhoods for two decades.
Their many projects include the Ellington Apartments at 13th and U Streets NW, Highland Park and Park Place in Columbia Heights and the renovation of several apartment complexes in the greater D.C. area. However, the project he is most excited about is The Residences at Kenilworth Park, an affordable community centered assisted living community for seniors in Ward 7 that is scheduled to open in February.
The Residences at Kenilworth Park will house 127 seniors on Medicaid with low incomes to create the first affordable option for senior care through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program. “We’re not just building a balance sheet, we want to do well while doing good,” Souadi said. “We are building Bethesda quality housing in Ward 7 because our residents deserve it.” In addition to a world-class building, residents will receive three meals a day, housekeeping, transportation, and other amenities such as private studio and one-bedroom apartments and spacious common areas.
Gragg Cardona Partners believes that all seniors deserve a safe, clean, comfortable place to live, good food to eat, professionals to respectfully assist them in maintaining their health, and a chance to live a purposeful and enjoyable life. “The Kenilworth Park development reflects our our mission to create innovative and sustainable spaces and places for people to live, work, and play,” Souadi stated.
Ehsan Hajabbassi B.S. Arch ’11 and Souadi at the Residences at Kenilworth Park.
Spring Lecture Series
It is our practice to add new voices to our school conversation through a public lecture series, which will begin February 13 with Andrew Gould. It will continue with talks by Anna Heringer, Toni Griffin, Delma Palma, and Julio Bermudez on Mondays through April 17 at 5 p.m. in the Koubek Auditorium of the Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies at CUA and via Zoom.
A featured part of this Lecture Series will be a Templeton-funded Symposium on “Neurophenomenology & Sacred Architecture, Toward an Experimental Theological Aesthetics” on March 23-25. This symposium will feature national and internationally recognized speakers and panelists covering the empirical dimension of neuroscience, phenomenology, and architecture with the focus on sacred buildings and arts. Access is free but registration is required. To register contact symposium director Julio Bermudez, Ordinary Professor, at bermudez@cua.edu via email and include the following information: full name, affiliation, area of expertise or interest.
http://www.sacred-space.net/ASU-symposium/
Smithsonian Collaboration
The School of Architecture and Planning entered into a collaboration with The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on a short-term exhibition entitled "Reconstructing 'Weatherbreak' in an Age of Extreme Weather." This collaboration, led by museum curator Abeer Saha and assistant professor Tonya Ohnstad, will reconstruct the “Weatherbreak” – the first large-span geodesic dome to be erected in North America.
The Dome is a 25 foot high, 49 foot wide spherical structure that has captured the imagination of architects and designers around the world since 1950. It remains relevant today because it speaks to the challenges of affordable and sustainable housing in an age of climate change and extreme weather. The dome will be assembled in public view by Catholic University Architecture students July 2023 in the National Museum of American History's Flag Hall.
Creating a more inviting front door
Those approaching Crough Center from the front will soon enter a much more spacious, inviting light-filled space when construction is finished in February. The new entryway will be a gracious place that encourages collaboration and reflection. Imposing walls in the lobby will soon have windows to provide views of artwork hung inside the Dean’s waiting room and the front office. An inner wall in the front office was demolished to provide access to natural light, and space was reconfigured to locate the School’s administrative offices in one place. The central space will be used to display three-dimensional objects and there are plans to create a landscape in front of the building that will include a gravel plaza and movable furniture.
Foreign Studies Student Work at AIA and Italian Embassy
Lavinia Fici-Pasquina, associate professor, will lead two exhibits this semester that highlight student achievements in the Foreign Studies Program. The Italian Embassy and the AIA District Architectural Center (DAC) in Washington D.C. will each host presentations and display an array of innovative design projects, ranging from Sustainable Inhabitable Bridges; Equitable Halfway Homes; Immigration-Integrating Facilities in Rome; and Portrait Galleries in Malta.
Fici-Pasquina, M.Arch ’99, and a licensed architect in Italy, has leveraged her experience in directing foreign studies and her professional contacts within Europe to restart successful study abroad programs which had been suspended due to the COVID pandemic.
“I have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to expose students to different cultures, especially in Europe, which has a deep history in architecture. I focus on teaching them how to incorporate the lessons of the past into contemporary building and design,” Fici-Pasquina stated. “I have witnessed the transformational effects that foreign studies has on the personal, professional and spiritual growth of our students.”
The intersection of different cultures, geographical areas and disciplines -- mixed with new technologies in design, building materials and various media -- will continue to shape the way space is conceived, created, designed, manipulated and experienced. “Allowing students to experience this first-hand and share the product of their work with a wider audience at these prestigious venues is extremely rewarding,” she explained.
Our Faculty
Joining us in the classroom this spring semester are three new studio instructors: Elizabeth Emerson, AIA and Mark Lawrence, AIA, both principals at EL Studios PLLC, Brooklyn NY, and Donald Lococo, Donald Lococo Architects, Washington, DC.
Faculty Outside the Classroom
Lorenzo De Almeida, director, facilities and fabrication; Tonya Ohnstad, assistant professor; and Jack Mastrantoni, alumnus, architecture and planning, were interviewed for a Voice of America feature on the Notre-Dame Cathedral truss project.
Patricia Andrasik, associate professor, signed a contract to publish Plumbing, Electricity, Acoustics: Sustainable Design Strategies Towards Net Zero Architecture, 2nd edition for a 2024 release.
Andrasik’s 302 studio is collaborating with the Sisters of Life to design a Net Zero-ready multi-family housing complex for expectant mothers and families. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QrZ5nmyihB0epUoY_CkSR5ZXs0Q9Ov7x/view?usp=sharing
Andrasik was selected as a juror on the ACSA 2023 HDE Awards. https://www.acsa-arch.org/awards/housing-education-design/
Julio Bermudez, ordinary Professor, was mentioned in Archdaily, as organizer of the March 25 symposium, “Neurophenomenology & Sacred Architecture: Toward a Theological Aesthetics.”
Bermudez will be a member of a panel at Beauty at Work, an international symposium at CUA May 26-27 about the role of beauty in science and seeks to examine how aesthetic factors shape work in a variey of fields.
Bermudez published Spirituality in Architectural Education Twelve Years of the Walton Critic Program at The Catholic University of America
https://www.cuapress.org/9780813234816/spirituality-in-architectural-education/
Bermudez will host an exhibition of the complete body of work done in the Walton Studios over the last 12 years at CUA in April.
https://www.academia.edu/37623566/The_2018_Walton_Critic_Program_10th_Anniversary_Exhibit
Mark Ferguson dean, was quoted in a Catholic Standard article about the visit from the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral architects. The article was accompanied by photos from Catholic News Service.
Ferguson and his firm, Ferguson & Shamamian Architects, were among the winners of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art (ICAA) 2022 McKim, Mead & White Awards for Excellence in Classical and New Traditional Design. These awards recognize achievement in architecture, interiors, landscape, urbanism, and building craftsmanship and artisanship throughout New York, New Jersey, and Fairfield County, Connecticut.
CJ Howard, assistant professor, presented Civic Art, Justice and Inclusion at the Morton B. Gulak Lecture in Urban and Regional Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Adnan Z. Morshed, professor, wrote a piece on mid-sized cities as the new urban frontier for The Daily Star (Bangladesh).
Morshed published The Paradox of Invisibility: Teaching Architectural History in the fall 2022 issue of the Journal of Architectural Education, the flagship journal of the Association of the Collegiate Schools of Architecture in the USA.
Morshed published “Mysteriously Handcuffed to History” in the May issue of Places, the Journal of Public Scholarship on Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism.
Jason Montgomery, associate professor, was the guest editor of Special Journal Issue: Architecture MPS Vol 23(1), UCL Press: https://www.scienceopen.com/collection/AMPS-reimagining-the-city
Montgomery published The production and destiny of public space in an American city: examining the emergence and disruption of Brooklyn City Hall Square in Architecture_MPS. Vol. 23(1). DOI: 10.14324/111.444.amps.2022v23i1.004
Montgomery was the editor of Place-based Sustainability: Research and Design Extending Pathways for Ecological Stewardship. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2022. ISBN13: 978-1-5275-9081-6
The School of Architecture and Planning was highlighted in a Fox News Channel feature on the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and the visit of the architects arranged by Tonya Ohnstad, assistant professor and associate dean for graduate students.
Ohnstad was a guest for the “Lighthouse Faith” podcast hosted by Lauren Green, religion reporter for Fox News Channel.
Ohnstad was a guest on LA Catholic Radio (Alabama), discussing the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and the involvement of students in building a replica of Truss 6.
Ohnstad was quoted in a Wall Street Journal column about the Truss rebuilding and a visit to Catholic University.
Timothy Smith and Jonathan Taylor, visiting scholars, in the capacity of their professional practice Timothy Smith & Jonathan Taylor Architects, were awarded the Royal Institute of British Architects Traditional Architecture Group building award 2022 for the Georgian Townhouse in Hoxton, London.
http://traditionalarchitecturegroup.org/awards
http://www.smithandtaylorllp.com/index.php/projects/project/georgian_townhouse
Smith and Taylor were invited by the ICAA’s Southwest Chapter to present a talk to their members on the subject of their teaching and practice. Titled “Translations.” the presentation explored the subject as both idea and as act; through historical movements and building precedents, designs by their practice, and projects by their students.
Victorian Visions of Suburban Utopian Utopia, Abandoning Babylon, a book by Nathaniel Walker, associate professor, was named to the short list for the Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion. This Medallion is awarded to a monograph that makes an outstanding contribution to the study of architectural history.
Potomac Valley Brick- CUA Masonry Day
Last fall students in my construction course had a chance to lay bricks during a one-day demonstration with Potomac Valley Brick. Lectures and books are no match for hands-on learning. Why is this important? Lessons seem to stick (pun intended) when we get involved with our hands! --- Tonya Ohnstad, assistant professor and associate dean of graduate studies
Trevor & Mark Truss Raising
Dean Mark Ferguson and alumni Trevor Resurreccion B.S. Arch ‘01 chat after Trevor participated in raising a replica of a Notre-Dame Cathedral truss at CUA on Sept. 26, 2022.
First Ever Zero Energy Designation
The School of Architecture and Planning’s Master of Science in Net Zero Design/Master of Architecture Joint Degree received the U.S. Department of Energy’s first ever Zero Energy Design Designation (ZEDD). Catholic University is one of 12 institutions of higher education worldwide -- and the only Catholic university -- to receive this designation which recognizes leading sustainable building academic programs. Dean Mark Ferguson said the recognition is a reflection of the commitment of the faculty, especially Patricia Andrasik, associate professor and director of the MSNetZ Program, to incorporate environmental stewardship into building design for a more sustainable future.
In Memoriam
Seymour Auerbach, longtime faculty member in the School of Architecture and Planning, died on October 10, 2022.
Professor Auerbach, known to his friends as Sy, was born in 1929 in New York City to the late Jennie (Norman) and Nathan Auerbach. He graduated from the Yale University School of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1951 and then served in the US Army Corps of Engineers as a Sergeant First Class. From there, he moved to the DC area and launched a successful career in architecture and academia.
Professor Auerbach devoted his professional life to designing spaces that were both functional and pleasing to the eye. He began his career as a designer, associate and then partner in several architectural firms. He joined the faculty of the Department of Architecture and Planning at The Catholic University of America in 1960, earned tenure in 1974, and continued teaching until his retirement in 1999. He also went into private practice in 1971 and was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. His commissioned projects included residences, resorts, religious institutions, schools and university buildings, as well as financial institutions and office buildings.
Seymour was President of Kamak Enterprises, Inc., which he created to pursue patent commercialization and develop his many inventions. He received numerous awards for his work and enjoyed entering design competitions. He was a member of the Cosmos Club and served on various boards throughout his career.
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