UTSA undergrads brave the elements to study hurricane resilience on Galveston Island

Students discuss hurricane resilience with Dustin Henry, AICP, Coastal Resilience Manager for the City of Galveston. Image: Ian Caine

This semester UTSA’s COTE studio (Committee on Technology and the Environment) is back on Galveston Island studying coastal and hurricane resilience. This is the second year running that the studio, led by Ian Caine and Dr. Hazem Rashed-Ali, has worked on Galveston, site of the deadliest natural disaster in United States history. On September 8, 1900 a devastating hurricane swept through Galveston, killing between 6,000 and 8,000 thousand residents.

In the morning the students endured a driving rain storm while discussing ecological resilience with Dustin Henry, Coastal Resource Manager for the City of Galveston. Later in the day, the studio visited a job site with architect Brax Easterwood and learned about how he keeps flood water out buildings in the Strand Historic District.

In December the students will present final proposals for an eco-hotel that embraces the goals and methods of the Architecture 2030 Challenge, which commits that all new buildings and major renovations will be carbon-neutral by 2030.

Ian Caine featured in UTSA's 50th Anniversary Scholar Speaker Series

Image: UTSA

What Would a Sustainable San Antonio Look Like? Join us for an engaging evening with Associate Professor of Architecture Ian Caine as he conducts a broad thought experiment examining the future of San Antonio as a sustainable city. What would it actually look like? How would it function? And, perhaps most importantly, who would it serve?

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

6:00 P.M. Doors open, cash bar available

6:30 P.M. Talk begins

7:15 P.M. Meet the speaker mix and mingle

Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, Feik Family Rotunda
115 Auditorium Circle (directions)

UTSA is proud to present its 50th Anniversary Scholars Speaker Series – the university’s gift to San Antonio in honor of its anniversary year. Spend an evening stirring your curiosity during these monthly talks featuring some of UTSA’s most renowned faculty, and learn how the latest research in their fields applies to our daily lives.

Ventura wins Best-in-show at undergraduate research showcase

Ivan Ventura displays his work at the 2019 Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Showcase. Image: UTSA

A panel of UTSA faculty recognized undergraduate B.S. Architecture student Ivan Ventura as a winner in the 2019 Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Showcase. The Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR) sponsored this event in order to “enhance learning by complementing classroom-based instruction, provide real-life, hands-on experience in student’s field of interest, and offer development of critical and independent thinking, creativity, and problem solving.”

Ventura exhibited a research project titled "Retrofitting Urban Infrastructure,” which he completed at UTSA’s Center for Urban and Regional Planning under the guidance of Associate Professor Ian Caine. Ventura was one of ten undergraduate researchers honored from a pool of more than 200 participants.

Congratulations to Ivan! Also, thank you to the OUR office for continuing to support undergraduate research at UTSA!

UTSA Students visit Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to research Edge Cities

Barry Hand, AIA, Principal and Studio Director in Gensler’s Dallas office, discusses the relationship between thought leadership and successful urban design projects with UTSA students. Image: Ian Caine

Fifteen UTSA undergraduate students traveled to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with Associate Professor Ian Caine to assess the state of first-generation Edge Cities like Las Colinas, TX.

Fifty years after their emergence, how are Edge Cities performing? What possibilities exist to retrofit, renovate, or reimagine these environments? Could the retrofit of an Edge City like Las Colinas represent the next wave of American suburbia? If so, what would be the formal expression? What would be the program? 

While visiting DFW, UTSA students stayed in Las Colinas and documented five sites across their design studio’s assigned twenty-acre site. The students also met with architects from Gensler, urban planners from Irving and Las Colinas, and visited iconic architectural and urban projects designed by Renzo Piano, I.M. Pei, Rem Koolhaas, Joshua Prince-Ramus, Thom Mayne, Louis Kahn, Tadao Ando, and Sasaki.

Last but not least was an obligatory studio dinner at the legendary Deep Ellum BBQ joint Pecan Lodge!

Ian Caine discusses San Antonio's rapid growth with reporter from Curbed.com

Image: Shutterstock via Curbed.com

Ian Caine spoke with a reporter from Curbed.com about the rapid urban growth in San Antonio. The city is adding 66 new residents each day, 25,000 each year, and expects 1.1 million more people by 2040. Caine points out that while San Antonio’s rapid expansion offers tremendous economic and civic opportunities, today significant portions of the city still lack sidewalks and exhibit high rates of poverty and economic segregation. How will San Antonio handle the sudden transformation of its physical character, economic profile, and civic aspirations?

UTSA Students win National Design Award from SARA

Image: Society of American Registered Architects (SARA)

Recent UTSA graduates Estefania Barajas and Jorden Gomez received a National Design Award of Excellence from the Society of American Registered Architects (SARA). The SARA jury recognized the student project alongside winning entries from national design leaders like NADAAA, Perkins + Will, and Robert A.M. Stern. Barajas and Gomez designed the winning project, titled “Housing a Million,” as undergraduates in Ian Caine and Rahman Azari’s COTE (Committee on Technology and the Environment) studio during the fall semester of 2017. The COTE curriculum, nationally recognition by Architecture 2030, helps students utilize performance metrics to evaluate their design proposals. Congratulations to Stephanie and Jorden!

UTSA students travel to Galveston Island to study hurricane resilience

Students discuss sea level rise with Dwayne Jones, Executive Director of Galveston Historical Foundation. Image: Ian Caine

The studio visits Galveston’s famous sea wall. Image: Ian Caine

This semester the COTE (Committee on Technology and the Environment) studio, led by Ian Caine and Dr. Hazem Rashed-Ali, is designing an eco-hotel in one of the most beautiful and ecologically harsh environments in the United States: Galveston Island, Texas. On September 8, 1900 a devastating hurricane swept through Galveston, killing between 6,000 and 8,000 thousand residents. In 2018, our graduate studio is re-examining the critical topic of coastal resilience as it relates to the future of Galveston Island. We are also embracing the goals and methods of the Architecture 2030 Challenge, which commits that all new buildings and major renovations will be carbon-neutral by 2030. 

The students received a tour of the Strand Historic District from Dwayne Jones of the Galveston Historical Foundation; talked architectural resilience with local architect Chula Ross-Sanchez; and discussed urban issues with Dustin Henry, Coastal Resource Manager for the City of Galveston. Along the way we ran into water researchers from TU Delft and enjoyed dinner at The Spot, a burger joint along Seawall Boulevard. All-in-all a very educational, hot, and humid day!

Caine named Director of Center for Urban and Regional Planning Research

Associate Professor Ian Caine is the new Director of the UTSA Center for Urban and Regional Planning Research. The Center, founded by Professor Richard Tangum a decade ago, will continue to provide urban planning services to communities in south Texas. In the coming months, the Center will also rededicate itself to academic research, pursuing new knowledge of the forms, processes, and impacts of metropolitan and megaregional growth. The Center seeks to become a thought leader on the topic of urban expansion, developing new models for San Antonio and Texas that will make a national and international impact.

UTSA Professors Caine and Gonzalez present urban research in Mexico City

Image: Fidel Gonzalez/CC 3.0

Ian Caine and UTSA historian Jerry Gonzalez presented a paper titled “Municipal annexation as a mechanism for suburban expansion in San Antonio, Texas 1939-2014.” The work, completed in collaboration with Dr. Rebecca Walter of the University of Washington, examines the political, cultural, and spatial implications of annexation. The conference session, titled “Bridging Cultures through Mapping Practices: Space and Power in Asia and America,” was led by Cécile Armand of the Spatial History Project at Stanford University. This marked the first time that the leading conference, organized by the Association of Digital Humanities Organizations, El Colegio de México, La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and La Red de Humanidades Digitales (RedHD), has met in Latin America.

Washington University students present final urban proposals for DFW Metroplex

Final review jurors Eric Mumford (Washington University), Antonio Petrov (UTSA), and Judith De Jong (UIC) reflect on the two-day long final review, which featured dozens of compelling student proposals from MUD students. Image: Ian Caine

Image: Ian Caine

Ian Caine was visiting faculty in urban design at Washington University during the 2018 spring semester. Caine and Washington colleague Pablo Moyano worked with second semester Master of Urban Design students to generate large-scale proposals for the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Dallas and Fort Worth are the sixth and seventh fastest growing cities in the U.S.; together, they expect to achieve a regional population of 10.5 million by the year 2040 (U.S. Census/Dallas Chamber of Commerce).

The students worked on sites representing a cross-section of the DFW landscape, including locations in the historic downtown, defined by the city’s initial nineteenth century infrastructure; the inner-ring suburbs, which emerged with the advent of mid-century ring-roads; and at the metropolitan periphery, where independent “edge” cities continue to form. In each case, students envisioned redevelopment scenarios for multiple urban typologies, each with the potential to introduce programmatic complexity, residential density, and new civic space to the rapidly expanding DFW Metroplex. 

Ian Caine receives DOCUmation Award for Academic Excellence

Ian Caine received the DOCUmation Academic Excellence Award for his research and teaching contributions to the UTSA College of Architecture, Construction and Planning. UTSA Athletics sponsor DOCUmation presented Professor Caine with a $2,000 check during the intermission of a Roadrunner football game. After an unremarkable junior high school football playing career, Caine never thought he would step foot on a football field again. Now, he will use the funds to advance his research into metropolitan and megaregional growth patterns. Go ‘Runners!

Ian Caine receives Outstanding Teaching Award from UTSA CACP

Dean John Murphy presents the award to Ian Caine. Image: UTSA

Dean John Murphy presented Assistant Professor Ian Caine with the College of Architecture, Construction and Planning’s (CACP) Outstanding Teaching Award at the Annual Scholarship Banquet. The award recognizes his exceptional contributions to architectural pedagogy. This marks the second consecutive year that Caine has received the award. Congratulations to all of the CACP scholarship recipients, as well as to faculty and staff award winners!

Ian Caine inducted into UTSA Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars

Jill Fleuriet, Ian Caine, Patricia Sánchez, Hector Aguilar. Image: UTSA

Image: UTSA ADTS

Ian Caine was one of four faculty inducted into the UTSA Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars. Last month Caine, along with UTSA colleagues Hector Aguilar (Department of Chemistry), Jill Fleuriet (Department of Anthropology), and Patricia Sánchez (Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies), also received the UT System Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award, one of the nation's most competitive awards for outstanding undergraduate teaching. 

The Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars was established in 2012 to honor and reward a select group of outstanding faculty who exemplify excellence in teaching; to foster a culture of exceptional teaching and learning practices at UTSA; and to create a collective of faculty advocates for teaching excellence who can serve as resources to their colleagues (www.provost.utsa.edu/adts/).

Ian Caine receives 2018 UT Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award

Image: Courtesy of the University of Texas System

Newly appointed UTSA President Dr. Taylor Eighmy (center left) and Interim President Dr. Pedro Reyes (center right) celebrate with the 2017 UT Regents’ Award Winners at a ceremony in Austin, TX. Image: UTSA

Ian Caine is one of four UTSA faculty members to receive the 2017 Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award (ROTA) from The University of Texas System. Professor Caine, along with Hector R. Aguilar (Department of Chemistry), Jill Fleuriet (Department of Anthropology), and Patricia Sánchez (Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies) is among 56 educators from the UT System's 14 institutions being honored with this esteemed award. Each of the honorees will receive an unrestricted check for $25,000 at a ceremony in Austin on August 23.

The UT Board of Regents established the ROTA program in 2008 as a way to honor faculty who achieve sustained excellence in undergraduate teaching.

Ian Caine discusses teaching at ACSA National Meeting in Detroit

UTSA faculty Ian Caine recently sat down with representatives of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) to discuss architectural pedagogy. The interview took place in Detroit, Michigan at the ACSA Architectural Education Awards. This year the ACSA recognized Caine with their prestigious New Faculty Teaching Award.

Martinez wins Best-in-Show at Undergraduate Research & Creativity Showcase

Dr. Bernard Arulanandam, Interim Vice President for Research, Economic Development and Knowledge Enterprise presented Monica with her award. Image: UTSA.edu

A panel of UTSA faculty recognized undergraduate Monica Martinez as 1 of 31 Winners in the 2017 Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry Showcase, an event sponsored by the Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR). Martinez worked with Assistant Professor Ian Caine to complete a project titled “Municipal Annexation as a Mechanism for Suburban Expansion in San Antonio, Texas 1939-2014.” OUR Director Dr. Thomas Coyle reflected on the event, saying “[t]he Showcase featured outstanding examples of undergraduate research from all disciplines: Science, Social Science, Humanities, Business, and the Arts – you name it. The large faculty presence signaled strong support for undergraduate research.” Congrats to Monica and thank you to the OUR office for their ongoing support for undergraduate research!

UTSA students receive National AIA COTE Top Ten Award

The winning proposal, titled “Housing a Million.” Image: Estefania Barajas and Jorden Gomez

Estefania Barajas. Image: UTSA CACP

Jorden Gomez. Image: UTSA CACP

The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA COTE) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) awarded UTSA undergraduates Estefania Barajas and Jorden Gomez a national COTE Top Ten for Award for their proposal Housing a Million.

The competition jury, composed of national sustainability experts, considered hundreds of projects submitted from 38 schools in the United States and Canada, recognizing just ten. The winning projects will be on display at the 2017 AIA Annual Convention in Orlando, FL and the 2018 ACSA Annual Meeting in Denver, CO.

Barajas and Gomez developed the “Housing a Million” proposal last fall in a joint design studio led by UTSA assistant professors Ian Caine and Rahman Azari. This is the second year in a row that ACSA COTE has honored a student project from Caine and Azari’s studio with a national award. Congratulations to Stephanie and Jorden!

Caine receives Faculty Mentor Award for Undergraduate Research

Image: Office of Undergraduate Research

The UTSA Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) has recognized Ian Caine as one of four exceptional faculty mentors for undergraduate research at UTSA. According to the OUR press release: “These faculty members have outstanding records of enabling scholarly and creative activities with undergraduates. All of them have demonstrated a sustained commitment to undergraduate research and to their students, who have produced significant scholarly and creative works (e.g., publications, presentations, and exhibits), have been accepted into graduate schools, and remain engaged in research after graduation.”

ACSA honors Ian Caine with national teaching award

Image: ACSA

2017 New Faculty Teaching Award Winners. Image: ASCA

Ian Caine is one of three recipients of the 2016-17 New Faculty Teaching Award by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS). The award recognizes “demonstrated excellence in teaching performance during the formative years of an architectural teaching career.” ACSA awards a maximum of three architectural faculty nationally each year.

“I am deeply gratified to accept the 2016-17 ACSA/AIAS New Faculty Teaching Award,” said Caine. “As an educator, my highest aspiration is that the students will positively impact the trajectory of the megaregion’s growth, bending it towards a more spatially inspiring, ecologically viable, and socially just result.” Ian Caine, Aki Ishida (Virginia Tech), and Lance Walters (University of Hawaii at Manoa) will receive their awards on March 24 at the ACSA National Meeting in Detroit, Michigan.

Metropolis Magazine: UTSA studio among "7 Best Sustainable Design Courses in America"

Image: Woodbury University via Metropolis

Metropolis Magazine has recognized a UTSA design studio led by Ian Caine and Rahman Azari as one of the “…7 best sustainable design courses in America.” The national magazine highlighted the UTSA COTE (Committee on Technology and the Environment) Studio, which emphasizes the critical relationship between building performance and formal development. Architecture 2030 recently selected Caine and Azari’s course for their national Pilot Curriculum Project.