Auburn University School of Architecture, Planning + Landscape Architecture

Auburn alum Dennis Findley ‘81 was elevated the American Institute of Architects (AIA) College of Fellows for his service to society after a long career of disability advocacy.

“Auburn taught me to think critically, challenge assumptions and approach complex problems with curiosity and discipline,” Findley said. “Rather than focusing solely on individual symptoms, I sought to understand the underlying systems producing those outcomes and then work to improve them. In many ways, my advocacy work has been an extension of the same problem-solving mindset Auburn helped develop.”

aub.ie/FindleyAIA

This summer, (ARIA) thesis students helped the Archives Department (Birmingham Public Library System) envision a Memory Lab that makes community history more accessible.

Their ideas and visual representations could eventually support fundraising for the adaptive reuse project at the Linn-Henley Research Library.

aub.ie/ARIALinnHenley

Eight projects completed by faculty were recognized in the 2026 American Society of Landscape Architects, Alabama Chapter awards this summer.

“We are honored to have the work of our faculty recognized by our professional colleagues,” said Rob Holmes, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Landscape Architecture Chair. “The quality and breadth of the built landscapes, planning studies and scholarship cataloged in these awards speaks directly to both the excellence that we as faculty aim to prepare our students to achieve and the faculty’s desire to stand alongside those professional colleagues in advancing landscape architecture in Alabama.”

aub.ie/ASLAALAwards

As the fall semester kicks off, four faculty members are boasting new titles that recognize the exemplary work they have been doing across their coursework, in their research and in service to the College. Congrats to Professor Il Kim and Associate Professor David Shanks of !

CADC is proud to announce that the following faculty members have received promotion and/or tenure, effective Fall 2026:

David Shanks of has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure.

Wesley Collins of , Il Kim of Architecture and Courtney Windham of have been promoted to Full Professor.

aub.ie/FacultyPT26

alumnus John Starr '83 has been elevated to The American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.

Starr, Design Principal and Director of Education and Arts & Culture practice areas at Lord Aeck Sargent, has built a career creating buildings that help people learn about the world around them. His design philosophy of creating "buildings that teach" carries through projects focused on formal and informal learning that educate and inspire.

aub.ie/StarrAIA

Assistant Professors Isaac Cohen and Sarah Coleman are studying new approaches to the maintenance and preservation of Indigenous earthworks in North Alabama.

In partnership with Florence Arts and Museums, tribal representatives, regional site managers, historians and community members, their research aims to communicate the Florence Mound's history and articulate a critical politics of care that will guide future site maintenance.

aub.ie/FlorenceMound

📸: Abraham Rowe Photography

Introducing our final speakers for APLA Continuing Education!

Join us August 6 to hear from Sarah Coleman, Assistant Professor; Alex Krumdieck, Director of Auburn University Urban Studio; and Marshall Anderson and Kris Nikolich, founders of DESIGN INITIATIVE.

Register now at the link in bio.

The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA) is expanding its leadership in sustainable building innovation with a new Architecture master’s focused on mass timber design.

Led by Architecture Graduate Program Chair David Shanks with Architecture Professors of Practice Tom Chung and Kiel Moe, the three-semester program offers students two distinct pathways after graduation: professional practice with leading mass timber firms or continued academic research and teaching.

In 12-credit hour semesters, students will study material fabrication and assembly in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction Research Shop, explore forest ecology and sustainable management practices in the field and develop research-driven design solutions through a capstone experience.

aub.ie/MassTimberMSA

The School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture is launching a new Master of Science in Architecture program, with a focus on Mass Timber Design, starting this month.

The one-year degree program is split into three semesters, with the first cohort of students graduating in May 2027. The first semester will focus on mass timber tectonics, and the second will cover mass timber ecologies. In the final term, the students will complete an externship with a professional firm at the forefront of Mass Timber practice and capstone research project.

aub.ie/NewMSA