Environmental Design /cmcinow/ en A better way /cmcinow/better-way <span>A better way</span> <span><span>Amanda J. McManus</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-02-25T11:52:49-07:00" title="Tuesday, February 25, 2025 - 11:52">Tue, 02/25/2025 - 11:52</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-02/Elena%20Sabinson%20portraits_Kimberly%20Coffin_Spring%202025-45_4.jpg?h=c51bde23&amp;itok=AcDn4h09" width="1200" height="800" alt="Elena on a crosswalk"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/24"> Features </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/298" hreflang="en">Environmental Design</a> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/28" hreflang="en">Research</a> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/189" hreflang="en">faculty</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="small-text"><span><strong>By Joe Arney</strong></span><br><span><strong>Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm’18)</strong></span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>There’s a brick paver walkway that crosses 18th Street on the CU 鶹ӰԺ campus by the ATLAS Institute. Thousands of pedestrians use it each day, crossing the brick path while cyclists, e-scooters, buses, emergency vehicles and the occasional car wend their way down the street.&nbsp;</span></p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-right ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p class="lead small-text"><i class="fa-solid fa-quote-right fa-6x fa-pull-right ucb-icon-color-black">&nbsp;</i><span>“Design is a powerful tool to make an impact, because then we’re not telling certain people they’re functionally not correct. Instead, we’re saying, how do we create an environment that actually matches the needs of the user?&nbsp;</span><br><span><strong>Elena Sabinson</strong></span><br><em><span>Director</span></em><br><span>Neuro D Lab</span></p></div></div></div><p dir="ltr"><span>Is it a crosswalk?</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>From the description above, you might assume so. But there’s no signage warning drivers of pedestrian activity, or telling them to stop or yield. And you’ll find none of the striping associated with crosswalks.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“When the students describe it, they’re like, ‘It’s basically Frogger out there,’” said </span><a href="/envd/elena-sabinson" rel="nofollow"><span>Elena Sabinson</span></a><span>, an assistant professor of </span><a href="/envd/" rel="nofollow"><span>environmental design</span></a><span> at CMCI and director of the Neuro D Lab, which explores the intersection of design, neurodiversity, equity and innovation. “That space of ambiguity becomes a place where conflict or confusion happens. The lab looks at how that affects everyone, but especially neurodivergent folks who might rely on clarity and clear signage to understand how to navigate things.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Neurodivergence has become a global point of conversation as a movement builds to both recognize that each brain functions differently and to better understand how to design products, services, buildings and so on that serve everyone, instead of asking people to conform to the built environment.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Design is a powerful tool to make an impact, because then we’re not telling certain people they’re functionally not correct,” Sabinson said. “Instead, we’re saying, how do we create an environment that actually matches the needs of the user?”&nbsp;</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle original_image_size"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/original_image_size/public/2025-02/Elena%20Sabinson%20portraits_Kimberly%20Coffin_Spring%202025-78_0.jpg?itok=VZ6cw2VR" width="4240" height="2051" alt="Elena on a crosswalk"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p class="small-text"><em>Elena Sabinson crosses the street in front of the CASE building. While the brick paver walkway looks like a crosswalk, it lacks striping and signage indicating it's safe to cross, which can confuse both pedestrians and drivers. Part of Sabinson's research work involves assessing wayfinding on the CU 鶹ӰԺ campus for confusing design cues.</em></p> </span> <p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2><span>A new direction for her work</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span>Sabinson is uniquely suited to such challenges. As a PhD student at Cornell University, she was studying self-soothing technologies—especially in the area of soft robotics, like breathing wall panels that help people regulate their biorhythms during stressful experiences—when she received a diagnosis of autism and ADHD.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“That changed the trajectory of my research,” she said. “I’m still focusing on emotional well-being, but with this environmental lens of how to create inclusive, accessible products that are centered around self determination, agency and empowerment.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I make a choice to say I’m an autistic-led lab, and I invite this type of conversation in by making that choice, rather than just being an autistic person doing research.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Bringing students into her lab and giving them opportunities to engage these challenges will, she said, push her to question some of her own assumptions developed after years of working in the field. But it’s also creating opportunities to potentially reshape the campus, such as the wayfinding project examining features like the ambiguous campus crosswalk.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>That work is partially funded by an undergraduate research opportunities program grant issued by the university. Earlier this month, Sabinson’s work was accepted by EDRA56, the influential conference of the Environmental Design Research Association. She’s looking forward to presenting it this May, in addition to helping drive conversations around making the campus easier to navigate.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“One thing we have as a research lab is access to students who are really engaged and passionate about this work, and who want to take on projects that can’t always happen in industry, due to timeline and budgetary constraints,” she said.&nbsp;</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2><span>Industry feedback</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span>Another thing she wants through both the lab and her classes is the chance for ideas from industry to influence her students’ innovation. In a course she teaches on fidgets and stims, one student created the Cacti Clicker, a plastic cactus with moveable segments. When you twist it, it makes a clicking sound, which isn’t always acceptable in a work or school setting.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“So the student redesigned it so some of the spins make noise and some don’t, so you can still get the sensation if you’re in a crowded space,” Sabinson said. “That’s an example of how we field test these products with people, get feedback—and learn to take feedback—to make their products better.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>It also doesn’t look like a traditional fidget toy. That’s also by design—it just looks like a cactus statue on a desk in Sabinson’s office.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“A lot of what I consider in my work, and that we talk about in class, is the social stigma around using a fidget—that a lot of people might want to, but they’re considered to be toys,” she said.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The bigger goal is to eliminate that stigma altogether—but in the meantime, she said, this product is an option for people who need it, while “just living on your desk and looking like a decoration.”</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Can design help those with neurodivergence be more comfortable in their environments? A new lab is searching for answers.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>7</div> <a href="/cmcinow/spring-2025" hreflang="en">Spring 2025</a> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/Elena%20Sabinson%20portraits_Kimberly%20Coffin_Spring%202025-107.jpg?itok=KO_hV8bc" width="1500" height="2246" alt="The cacti clicker"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><em>Elena Sabinson demonstrates using an inflatable sensory band in her office. Part of Sabinson's research looks at inflatable surfaces and products that can be used by people managing anxiety to make them more comfortable in their environment.</em></p> </span> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Elena Sabinson demonstrates using an inflatable sensory band in her office. Part of Sabinson's research looks at inflatable surfaces and products that can be used by people managing anxiety to make them more comfortable in their environment.</div> Tue, 25 Feb 2025 18:52:49 +0000 Amanda J. McManus 1109 at /cmcinow Designer label /cmcinow/designer-label <span>Designer label</span> <span><span>Amanda J. McManus</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-02-19T13:11:50-07:00" title="Wednesday, February 19, 2025 - 13:11">Wed, 02/19/2025 - 13:11</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-02/Landscape%20as%20Fabric_Jack%20Moody_Spring%202025_14_0.jpg?h=5e08a8b6&amp;itok=EnYGGBU9" width="1200" height="800" alt="Landscape as Fabric display"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/24"> Features </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/16" hreflang="en">Communication</a> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/298" hreflang="en">Environmental Design</a> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/44" hreflang="en">Information Science</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><h3><i class="fa-solid fa-question fa-2x fa-pull-left ucb-icon-style-square-rounded">&nbsp;</i><span><strong>All things CMDI</strong></span></h3><p><a href="/cmci/cmdi" rel="nofollow"><span>Visit our CMDI resources page</span></a><span> for more on the college name and FAQs about the opportunities this change will afford to students and alumni.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="small-text"><span><strong>By Joe Arney</strong></span><br><span><strong>Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm'18)</strong></span></p> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2025-02/IMG_0327.jpeg?itok=GhYCTzFj" width="375" height="619" alt="Art by Cuauhtémoc Campos"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><em>Art by Cuauhtémoc Campos</em></p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>A childhood trek to visit Aztec temples in Mexico was the first time Cuauhtémoc Campos thought about a future in architecture.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>It wasn’t the last.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Long before the first-year landscape architecture student set foot on the 鶹ӰԺ campus, Campos helped his father design a porch and a patio area for their home. Now, in his environmental design courses, he’s refining those skills and interests to bring his visions to life, from reusing physical space on campus to a design of his name that borrowed from those Aztec ruins that inspired him.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Most of the projects we do are hands-on and challenge us to experiment with our creativity,” Campos said. “But also, we do a lot of presentations to prepare us for when we need to talk about our work publicly.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>He said he hopes to further strengthen his communication skills once the </span><a href="/envd/" rel="nofollow"><span>environmental design</span></a><span> program becomes fully integrated with the </span><a href="/cmci/" rel="nofollow"><span>College of Media, Communication and Information</span></a><span>. On July 1, Campos and his peers will formally become part of CMCI, at which point the college will rebrand itself as the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information, or CMDI.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I was a little shocked when I first heard we were becoming part of CMCI,” he said. “But I feel like the resources we’ll have from being part of the college will add more to what we’re able to learn, while hopefully introducing CMCI students to what makes ENVD special.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>An important charge for </span><a href="/cmci/people/lori-bergen" rel="nofollow"><span>Lori Bergen</span></a><span>, founding dean of CMCI, was structuring the integration in a way that added value for ENVD students, alumni, faculty and staff without disrupting the cultures of either entity. As a department within the college, environmental design will be able to retain its identity while benefiting from enhanced and expanded services and networks.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“When we created CMCI, we had three concepts that guided our vision—think, innovate and create,” Bergen said. “Now, as we become CMDI, those principles are just as relevant to our identity. If anything, the intensely hands-on nature of an ENVD education reinforces our mission as a college that brings different, but related, disciplines together, to help us bring interdisciplinary insights to increasingly complex problems.”&nbsp;</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2025-02/ENVD%20project%20for%20Dushanbe%20Teahouse%20in%20the%20classroom_Kimberly%20Coffin_Summer%202024-52.jpg?itok=d6dGP5di" width="750" height="501" alt="Azza Kamal, right, works with a student on a project to refresh the 鶹ӰԺ Dushanbe Teahouse."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><em>Azza Kamal, right, works with a student on a project to refresh the 鶹ӰԺ Dushanbe Teahouse.</em></p> </span> </div> <h2><span>First forays at collaboration</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span>Faculty and staff from environmental design became part of the college in July 2024, so some collaboration has already begun. </span><a href="/envd/azza-kamal" rel="nofollow"><span>Azza Kamal</span></a><span>, an associate teaching professor of sustainable planning and urban design, is working with </span><a href="/cmci/people/critical-media-practices/pat-clark" rel="nofollow"><span>Pat Clark</span></a><span>, an assistant professor of critical media practices, to give her students access to the college’s </span><a href="/lab/immersivemedia/" rel="nofollow"><span>Immersive Media Lab</span></a><span> later this semester.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“In my studio, we’re working on a virtual reality/augmented reality model for retrofitting neighborhoods in Denver to comply with green building codes and emission reduction bills, and we’ll use his facility so that students can work on their models, but also to explore and get hands-on with the technology,” Kamal said. “I was going to buy the equipment, but then found out Patrick had everything we needed in his lab. And he’s just amazing—he works around our schedule, students will have access to the lab 24/7, I couldn’t ask for more.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>That kind of collaboration is something Stacey Schulte hopes faculty will build on as the players begin to work together.</span><br><br><span>“No discipline exists in a vacuum,” said Schulte, director of environmental design. “I am excited to see how environmental design will collaborate with communication- and media-related disciplines, and vice versa.&nbsp;</span><br><br><span>“As our students continue to create impactful work, they learn how to tell the story of their projects—the problems their designs are intending to solve, and how those solutions create positive community impact—in ways that resonate with stakeholders.”</span></p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2025-02/Ella%20Seevers%20ENVD%20Student_Kimberly%20Coffin_Spring%202025-43.jpg?itok=lfv7lgZk" width="750" height="501" alt="Photo of Ella"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><em><span>CMCI's emphasis on communication and presentation skills has Ella Seevers excited about environmental design becoming part of the college.</span></em></p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>Kamal said she’s still learning about the players in CMCI who would be good fits for collaboration, “but there is a lot of potential where technology meets storytelling.</span><br><br><span>“Communication has always been a challenge for architecture and planning students—how to communicate in lay terms. Helping students to take technical, complex designs and be able to tell a story through them—so their clients and the public can appreciate their vision—will be incredibly helpful in their careers.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>That’s a need students recognized, as well. Sophomore Ella Seevers, a landscape architecture student, got some professional communication experience last year, when she worked on a project for the city of 鶹ӰԺ and was challenged to make better use of sites along its creek path. Earlier this month, she went on a site tour and presented her vision to city officials and landscape architects working on a pop-up installation for the summer. Hers is one of three student projects that will influence the final design.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“It was an amazing experience to share our ideas and see that they were actually valued by professional designers who have been doing this for decades,” said Seevers, a teaching assistant in ENVD’s design studios and a mentor to first-year students. “So, I’ve had this opportunity to work with the city already, which is very exciting, because that usually doesn’t happen with a first-year project.</span></p><p class="clearfix" dir="ltr"><span>“If you can’t present your design well, and tell other people what you’re thinking and how it’s going to be implemented, then you won’t be a very effective designer,” she said.</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead small-text"><i class="fa-solid fa-quote-left fa-9x fa-pull-left ucb-icon-color-gold">&nbsp;</i><span>Helping students to take technical, complex designs and be able to tell a story through them—so their clients and the public can appreciate their vision—will be incredibly helpful in their careers."</span><br><span><strong>Azza Kamal</strong></span><br><em>A<span>ssociate Teaching Professor</span></em><br>Environmental Design</p><hr><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2><span>‘The story we live in’</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span>While both entities value hands-on learning, critical thinking and creativity, at first glance, it may not be immediately obvious how ENVD and its four majors—architecture, environmental product design, landscape architecture, and sustainable planning and urban design—fit into CMCI. However, “when you think about the stories we hear, tell and watch, environmental design becomes another dimension of the story that we live in,” said </span><a href="/cmci/people/college-advisory-board/stephanie-marchesi" rel="nofollow"><span>Stephanie Marchesi</span></a><span>, president of WE Communications, a global integrated communications firm.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Storytelling is verbal, written and visual—but through their environmental designs, these talented individuals are bringing stories to life in 3D,” said Marchesi (Jour’85), who sits on CMCI’s advisory board. “This will be something very defining for the college, because it’s taking storytelling to new dimensions—literally.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>That’s something faculty in the college are excited to explore in depth.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“My initial reaction to the news was one of intense joy and excitement over what’s possible,” said </span><a href="/cmci/people/college-leadership/bryan-semaan" rel="nofollow"><span>Bryan Semaan</span></a><span>, chair of CMCI’s information science department. “Design intersects so many different spaces. Environmental design researchers are looking at many of the same problems and topics as people across CMCI and within our disciplinary communities, but they’re operating on a scale of how humans will experience and be shaped by the natural and built environments in ways that are important to a sustainable future.”&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>That could be anything from a database that governs an algorithmic system to the impact of a data center on the environment and people who live nearby.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><a href="/envd/elena-sabinson" rel="nofollow"><span>Elena Sabinson</span></a><span>, an assistant professor of environmental design, said an important part of her program’s culture is recognizing and creating things that match the needs of their users. It’s something she works on very closely as director of the Neuro D Lab, which studies how design can trigger innovations that support wellbeing and accessibility to those who are neurodivergent.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I would say my colleagues in ENVD are interested in bridging those mismatches between the environment and the needs of a user,” she said. “And I think CMCI is already doing a lot of that in its own way, whether it’s documentary or information science or any of those spaces.”&nbsp;</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2><span>‘Who needs to learn about argument more?’</span></h2><p dir="ltr"><span>Alumni like </span><a href="/cmci/people/college-advisory-board/chris-bell" rel="nofollow"><span>Christopher Bell (PhDMediaSt’09)</span></a><span> are watching to see how the college prepares students for the kinds of challenges he sees at work. Bell, a consultant and president of CreativityPartners LLC, said he’s excited to see student and alumni collaborations going forward, such as social media managers who can raise money and awareness for life-changing products coming out of environmental design.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“People who believe they are ‘just’ technically focused are the people who need the most instruction in communication,” said Bell, also a member of CMCI’s advisory board and an instructor who teaches courses in screenwriting and cultural studies. “Those are the people who need us the most, because they are making arguments and sending messages.&nbsp;</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Architecture and city planning are arguments. They’re arguments about what matters, who matters and doesn’t, how we see ourselves in relation to other people, and what is important to spend resources on. So, who needs to learn about argument more than environmental designers?”</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="lead small-text"><i class="fa-solid fa-quote-left fa-9x fa-pull-left ucb-icon-color-gold">&nbsp;</i><span>When you think about the stories we hear, tell and watch, environmental design becomes another dimension of the story that we live in.”&nbsp;</span><br><span><strong>Stephanie Marchesi (Jour’85)</strong></span><br><em><span>CMCI Advisory Board member</span></em></p><hr><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Meet the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information. </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>7</div> <a href="/cmcinow/spring-2025" hreflang="en">Spring 2025</a> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/20240304_105643%20%281%29.jpg?itok=2zljS2uh" width="1500" height="1125" alt="Finished communication model"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><em>CMCI and ENVD share a tradition of hands-on learning, a thirst for innovation and a passion for solving problems in ways that move the world. Those shared values will guide them as they join together and CMCI renames itself the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information. Art by Ella Seevers.</em></p> </span> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>CMCI and ENVD share a tradition of hands-on learning, a thirst for innovation and a passion for solving problems. Those values will guide them as CMCI renames itself the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information. Art by Ella Seevers.</div> Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:11:50 +0000 Amanda J. McManus 1106 at /cmcinow Brushing up their skills /cmcinow/2024/08/13/brushing-their-skills <span>Brushing up their skills</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-08-13T15:05:17-06:00" title="Tuesday, August 13, 2024 - 15:05">Tue, 08/13/2024 - 15:05</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/tea_house_cover.jpg?h=27fb1d82&amp;itok=DEYAmd4u" width="1200" height="800" alt="Dushanbe Teahouse"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/90"> View </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/298" hreflang="en">Environmental Design</a> <a href="/cmcinow/taxonomy/term/189" hreflang="en">faculty</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p class="small-text"><strong>By Malinda Miller (Engl, Jour'92; MJour'98)</strong></p> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/block/rbg_dushanbe_teahouse_restoration_envd_kimberly_coffin_summer_2024-91_0.jpg?itok=gDRCGyUa" width="375" height="421" alt="student painting"> </div> </div> <p>High up on scaffolding, students meticulously&nbsp;paint bright floral patterns on the west side of the 鶹ӰԺ Dushanbe Teahouse. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>They’ve been learning the traditional art of ornamental painting—nakkoshi—from Maruf Mirakhmatov, who is visiting 鶹ӰԺ from Khujand, Tajikistan, for six months. &nbsp;</p><p>“I really want to get into art restoration or just restoration overall, especially with bigger buildings,” said Kaija Galins, a junior architecture major. “My favorite part has been to watch each step of the way, like the sanding, laying down the charcoal and the tracing process.”&nbsp;</p><p>Galins is one of 17 students who over the summer took a course on restoration of the Dushanbe Teahouse with Azza Kamal, an associate teaching professor in the Program in Environmental Design and a former historic preservation commissioner.</p><p>Students studied cultural heritage and preservation, practiced painting techniques in the classroom, and applied those skills to onsite restoration under Mirakhmatov’s guidance.</p><p>Kamal said the students also learned about the urgency to account for embodied carbon in new construction and restoration, as well as the value of refurbishing and recycling materials so they don’t end up in the landfill. &nbsp;A gift from 鶹ӰԺ’s sister city in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the teahouse’s intricate carvings, painted woodwork and ceramic panels were created by more than 40 artisans, including Mirakhmatov’s grandfather.&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s important work, because there are only a couple people in Tajikistan still doing this,” said Mirakhmatov, a fifth-generation artisan. “For me, it’s easy because it’s in my blood, and every day when I’m painting here, I’m enjoying it.”</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/block/rbg_dushanbe_teahouse_restoration_envd_kimberly_coffin_summer_2024-54.jpg?itok=4NumV9Fq" width="1500" height="2244" alt="student painting"> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/block/rbg_dushanbe_teahouse_restoration_envd_kimberly_coffin_summer_2024-10.jpg?itok=g6y52x78" width="1500" height="2244" alt="student painting"> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/block/rbg_envd_project_for_dushanbe_teahouse_in_the_classroom_kimberly_coffin_summer_2024-52.jpg?itok=qOxSdeCx" width="1500" height="1898" alt="Azza Kamal working with student"> </div> </div></div><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"><p class="small-text">A student paints a section of the wall.</p></div><div class="col ucb-column"><p class="small-text">Students work on restoration at the teahouse.</p></div><div class="col ucb-column"><p class="small-text">Azza Kamal, right, works with a student on a corbel design.</p></div></div><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/block/rbg_envd_project_for_dushanbe_teahouse_in_the_classroom_kimberly_coffin_summer_2024-79.jpg?itok=MkI2R1ia" width="1500" height="1003" alt="students working on designs for the teahouse"> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/block/rbg_dushanbe_teahouse_restoration_envd_kimberly_coffin_summer_2024-94.jpg?itok=6Gxsn321" width="1500" height="1025" alt="repainted corbels"> </div> </div><div class="col ucb-column"> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/block/dushanbe_teahouse_restoration_envd_kimberly_coffin_summer_2024-35.jpg?itok=QIVePPV4" width="1500" height="1001" alt="Maruf paiting"> </div> </div></div><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"><p class="small-text">Students practice painting techniques in class.</p></div><div class="col ucb-column"><p class="small-text">The corbels under the roofline have been repainted, while restoration of the lower panel is still underway.</p></div><div class="col ucb-column"><p class="small-text">Maruf Mirakhmatov paints white outlines on a floral design. The Program in Environmental Design, the city of 鶹ӰԺ and the 鶹ӰԺ-Dushanbe Sister Cities Project partnered to bring Mirakhmatov to 鶹ӰԺ for six months.</p></div></div><p>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>A beloved 鶹ӰԺ landmark is getting a refresh thanks to students who are touching up the complex paint job under the guidance of an artist from 鶹ӰԺ’s Tajikistan sister city. </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Zebra Striped</div> <div>7</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/cmcinow/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/feature-title-image/tea_house_cover.jpg?itok=kglSC20y" width="1500" height="652" alt> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 13 Aug 2024 21:05:17 +0000 Anonymous 1081 at /cmcinow