Recent News

Architecture Students Chosen for Event With Walt Disney Imagineers

Jan 25, 2017

Two architecture students were among 60 students and alumni finalists from around the world selected for a new honor by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS). Second-year student Liam Hanlon and third-year student Sharon Turek were chosen to participate in a three-day opportunity to engage with Walt Disney Imagineers from May 19-21 in Orlando, Florida. AIAS Imagine: Top 60-at-60 seeks to bring together the top AIAS students in all years of architecture school, including fifth year, graduate students and alumni members in celebration of the organization's 60th anniversary. Hanlon is president of the Cal Poly AIAS and Turek is vice president. AIAS and Walt Disney Imagineering will co-host a weekend of design process exploration. Honorees will be able to participate in a series of lectures, workshops and tours that highlights Walt Disney Imagineering’s approach to design. "I hope to gain insight into the process Disney Imagineering takes for design and utilize the wonderment they create into my own future work," Turek said. Hanlon added that he would like to see "the process of how Disney translates their stories into experiences."

140 Students Compete in 13th Annual Vellum/CAED Furniture Design Exhibition

Nov 9, 2016

Two Cal Poly architecture students won a trip to Milan, Italy, at the 13th annual Vellum/CAED Furniture Design Exhibition in downtown San Luis Obispo from Nov. 4 to Nov. 5 at 760 Higuera St. (formerly Coverings). Vellum Design Build, a San Luis Obispo design-and-build firm, and the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Cal Poly team up to sponsor the annual competition that asks students to create original furniture designs and have their submissions juried by a panel of experts in their field. 

What Keeps Cal Poly’s Architecture Program in the Top Five?

Nov 7, 2016

by Dean Emeritus Paul Neel

What enables architectural programs like Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and Cornell to remain ranked by DesignIntelligence, year after year, among the country’s top five architecture programs? It is difficult to accurately define what makes such programs so successful. However, the following comments, which are not limited to any one university, pertain specifically to Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED).

Professor William Siembieda Recognized as Distinguished Scholar

Sep 23, 2016

Professor William Siembieda of the City and Regional Planning Department is one of three recipients of the Distinguished Scholarship Award for his significant contribution to Cal Poly in the area of building safe and resilient communities.

Landscape Architecture Student Earns International Award of Excellence

Sep 22, 2016

Cal Poly landscape architecture student Brandon Cornejo earned the 2016 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Student Research Award of Excellence for his feasibility study that examined the use of epiphytes — plants with the ability to grow without soil — in landscapes.

Architectural Engineering Professors Peter Laursen and Cole McDaniel perform Ultra-low Vibration Testing on the Piedras Blancas Light Station.

Jul 22, 2016

Architectural Engineering Professors Peter Laursen and Cole McDaniel were invited by James Harris of the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association to perform Ultra-low Forced Vibration Testing (UL-FVT) on the Piedras Blancas Light House located about an hour north of Cal Poly, along highway one, near Hearst Castle.

Cal Poly Students Tie for First in Low-Income Housing Plan Competition

May 19, 2016

SAN LUIS OBISPO – An interdisciplinary team of Cal Poly students took first place in the 2016 Bank of America Merrill Lynch Low-Income Housing Challenge (LIHC). The team included students from architecture, economics, finance, city and regional planning, and construction management.

Michael Boswell Appointed as Department Head for City & Regional Planning Department

May 13, 2016

The College of Architecture and Environmental Design has appointed Mike Boswell as the Department Head of the City and Regional Planning Department, beginning in September 2016.

Mike has served Cal Poly as a faculty member in the CRP department since 1998, and as a full professor since 2011. He was the graduate program coordinator for 11 years. 

Industry Recruiters Turnout in Significant Numbers to Engage with CAED Students

May 3, 2016

At the College of Architecture and Environmental Design Career Fair students and soon-to-be-grads interacted with recruiters from nearly 80 firms.  Recruiters from local, national and international firms that value Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing education offered fulltime positions, internships, and co-op positions needing to be filled in the growing economy.

Eve Gruntfest joins the Resilient Communities Research Institute

Mar 25, 2016

Eve Gruntfest joins the Resilient Communities Research Institute  as a Professional Research Associate  2016-2017. Dr. Eve Gruntfest is a Professional Associate in the Resilient Communities Research Institute at Cal Poly. She is a geographer who has been working in the field of natural hazard mitigation for 40 years.