WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Alana Pulay joined SDC in Spring, 2019. Her research, teaching and professional practice are centered around human behavior in learning environments. She completed a PhD in Design and the Human Environment at Oregon State University where her focused research was on elementary school classroom lighting and the influence on student behavior. She holds an undergraduate degree in Interior Design from The Ohio State University and a Masters in Architecture Specializing in Interior Design from the University of Nebraska. Her professional experience, as an NCIDQ credentialed, WELL and LEED AP interior designer includes over sixteen years' involvement with architecture and engineering firms specializing in the design of public K-12 schools.
Dr. Pulay has over eleven years of teaching experience at several universities across the United States. Her teaching philosophy incorporates the integration of her research with her professional experience to help students better understand the influence of the built environment on occupant behavior. She strives to prepare students for successful careers in the industry and beyond.
She is an active member of the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) and serves as a member on the K-12 Education committee. She received the IDEC special projects grant two times for research on the influence of interior variables on students and teachers in learning environments. She is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). In addition, she has presented at numerous national and international conferences, published several journal manuscripts and a book chapter focusing on her research area.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Design and the Human Environment, Oregon State University.
Master of Science in Architecture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, The Ohio State University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Andrew holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Idaho where he also served as Director at the UI Sustainability Center. He is the founding principal of Bisonhead Design + Build and has an extensive and diverse background in the building industry including architectural design, skilled trades, general contracting, building performance consulting, and sustainability consulting. His professional and academic expertise is in sustainable building, sustainable development, and civic elements of the built environment such as informal urban development and socioeconomic issues in urbanism. Andrew is passionate about engaging students in the interconnectedness of design and building, focusing on the relationships between ecology, urbanism, socio-economic issues, and civic life.
Education
Master of Architecture, University of Idaho
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, University of Idaho
Bachelor of Arts in International Law and Diplomacy, Brigham Young University
Job Titles:
- Academic Coordinator / Advisor 1
Ashley Baughman provides advising, academic coordination, and support services for undergraduate and graduate students in the architecture and interior design programs in the School of Design and Construction. Ashley's experience in higher education prior to joining WSU and the SDC includes work as an admissions counselor at the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Member of Committee
- Professor / Architecture
Ayad Rahmani teaches courses in design and theory. His research centers around the link between architecture and literature, exploring themes related to modern conceptions of space, psychology and urban culture. In 2022 he, along with his colleague Donna Campbell from the English Department, received a "Humanities Connections" grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities to assemble a three-course certificate to teach English Literature to Engineering and Architecture students, titled "Dwelling in American Literature: An Experiential Program for Architects and Engineers." He is the author of three books, the first with his former colleague Bashir Kazimee on Eastern Islamic Cities, the second on Kafka and Architecture and most recently and due out in the Fall of 2023 from Louisiana State University Press, on Frank Lloyd Wright and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The latter examines the role the sage played in fueling the architect's campaign to change the American mind. Rahmani serves on the board of the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy, preserving the architect's legacy, including his life-long commitment to topics of organic justice. He is currently serving as the editor of the Spring 2023 issue of the SaveWright magazine on the topic of "Land and Farming." Rahmani has written on topics as diverse as Kafka, Dubai, Digital Culture and the Seattle Public Library. Other areas of research include community development and relations, most recently looking at "Parklets" as tools to bridge social and commercial divides. He writes a monthly column for the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, his hometown daily paper, on issues related to urban planning, culture, art and building design.
Rahmani's research focuses on the intersection between critical theory and architecture; his recent work on Dubai looks at the emergence of that city less as a place and more as a post-colonial construct seeking to counteract years of domination by colonial rule.
Job Titles:
- Professor Emeritus of Architecture
Bashir A. Kazimee is an accomplished Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Washington State University. Native of Afghanistan, he is renowned for his expertise internationally on sustainable community development and traditional settlements. He is a licensed architect and distinguished member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He holds a Master of Architecture in Advanced Studies degree from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and a Bachelor of Architecture from Kabul University.
With over seventy national and international publications to his name, Kazimee has made significant contributions to the field of architecture and urban design. His later book, "Sustainable Urban Form: Theory, Strategy and Application," is published by Cognella Press in the Fall of 2014. He has also authored and edited two other noteworthy books: "Heritage and Sustainability in the Islamic Built Environment" (2012)published byWIT-Press in the UK, and "Place, Meaning and Form in the Architecture and Urban Structure of Eastern Islamic Cities" (2003)co-authored with Ayad Rahmani, published by Edwin Mellen Press in the USA.
Kazimee gained international acclaim for his collaborative proposed plan for the city of Pullman, earning one of the three UN/IAA Gold Medals at the UN City Summit, Habitat-II conference in Istanbul, Turkey in 1996. The plan outlines strategies for sustainability at the regional, city, district, and individual dwelling levels.
As a respected figure in the field of sustainability, Kazimee serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Ecodynamics, focusing on sustainable development. This quarterly journal is published by the Wessex Institute of Technology in the UK. Additionally, he has been a member of the international editorial board for a series of conferences on Sustainable Cities held in various countries, sponsored by the Wessex Institute of Technology, Associated Colligate Schools of Architecture ACSA, and the Center for the Study of Architecture in the Arab Region (CSAAR).
Kazimee has both practiced and taught architecture in the United States, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Presently, he serves as the chair of the Division of Architecture and Urban Design at the Society of Afghan Engineers (SAE), based in the USA. Additionally, Kazimee contributes as a senior consultant architect with Studio Zarnegar Architecture & Planning in Kabul, Yost Grube Hall Architects in Portland, Oregon, and is actively involved on the ongoing reconstruction architectural and urban design projects in his native country Afghanistan.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
- Member of the SDC CENTRAL BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor ( Career Track )
In addition to a robust teaching load, Carrie Vielle also serves as the SDC Gallery and Archives Manager, SDC Student Connection Committee Chair, the Materials Resource Lab Manager, and Faculty Advisor for the American Society of Interior Designers student chapter.
Vielle's research interests include museology, curatorial issues, and exhibition design with current focus exploring issues of visitor engagement and protecting viewer experience in memorial museums. Vielle's professional and personal worlds revolve around travel and the visual arts, having taught visual communication classes for 15 years for an interior design program in Spokane, WA., before joining WSU in 2011.
At WSU, Vielle has delivered courses in interior design studio, design drawing and visual communication, materials of interior design, history of interior design, and world art history; led numerous national and international study tours; and managed gallery design and installation for the SDC. For tireless efforts to promote the SDC, together with remarkable talent for teaching, Vielle has earned the outstanding faculty award for the interior design program over several years.
Education
Master of Arts in Art History, Eastern Washington University.
Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Eastern Washington University.
Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art, Eastern Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Christina is a registered landscape architect with project experience in the US, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. After studying architecture and earning a master's in landscape architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design, she has worked primarily with studios in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is partnered with Marcus Owens in their design consulting endeavor, CAMO Studio. Christina is co-teaching the Intro to Landscape Architecture studio this fall.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
- Fisher Construction
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor ( Career Track )
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor ( Career Track )
- Assistant Professor Career Track and Director
David Drake is an Assistant Professor Career Track and Director of the SDC Fabrication Labs. Drake also co-directs the Reuse Design Laboratory. Trained as both an artist and designer, he holds Masters of Fine Arts (Sculpture) and Masters of Architecture degrees. His sculptural objects and installations have been exhibited across the United States and in Canada. His work as a designer includes contemporary furniture, ultralight backpacking equipment, and production design for theatre and independent film. His work as a researcher includes patent-pending methods and mixtures for masonry construction blocks produced with drywall waste. Current research includes development of novel high-performance building materials produced from low-value construction and demolition waste.
Professor Wang retired at the end of fall 2018 after over 20 years with Washington State University. During his tenure, Wang taught graduate courses in history and theory, interdisciplinary ethics and practice, research methods, and foundation courses in design and construction.
Wang is the co-author of Architectural Research Methods (2002, second edition 2013, John Wiley & Sons, with Linda Groat) and has lectured on architectural research nationally as well as in China and Europe. He is also author of A Philosophy of Chinese Architecture Past, Present, Future (Routledge, 2017), and is currently under contract with Routledge for a book titled Architecture and Sacrament: A Critical Theory. Professor Wang has published on architectural theory and research methods in numerous journals.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture, University of Michigan.
Master of Science in Architecture, University of Michigan.
Master of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania.
Bachelor of Arts in Design of the Environment, University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
- Member of the SDC CENTRAL BOARD
Job Titles:
- Construction Management
- Emeritus / Construction Management
Dr. David E. Gunderson retired at the end of Spring 2021 after 12 years teaching in construction management subjects at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and bringing more than 30 years of work experience into the classroom. That experience includes 20 years of extensive experience in construction project management including cost control, scheduling, estimating, construction inspection, quality control, contract administration and legal aspects of project execution and claims avoidance, and superintendence. Dr. Gunderson has ten additional years experience as a construction foreman, carpenter, concrete finisher, and laborer. Dr. Gunderson took the American Institute of Constructors Level II CPC exam in 2000 while still working as a project manager in Alaska, and he is a DBIA Designated Professional with the Design-Build Institute of America. He is also a certified instructor for DBIA. Dr. Gunderson has been very involved with Habitat for Humanity serving as vice president of the board of directors for the Palouse (Whitman & Latah Counties in Washington and Idaho), Fort Collins, Colorado, and Anchorage, Alaska affiliates.
Research Interests
Construction superintendent competencies and attributes required for success
The changing roles in construction delivery systems
Construction contract selection
Integrated project delivery
Affordable housing
Construction education and training
International construction management and construction culture
General Contractors' Perceptions of Subcontractors' Competencies
Job Titles:
- Construction Management Director, ID CL
Dr. Julia Day teaches building science courses (CstM 332 and CstM 333) to construction management and architecture students, and coordinates the industry-led mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) course for the CM program. Day serves as the Director of the Integrated Design + Construction Lab (ID+CL). The WSU ID+CL conducts sponsored design research activities and advances innovation in practice as part of an allied regional network of university labs (UO, UW, WSU, UI, MSU); the lab network provides technical assistance, energy efficiency outreach, and market diffusion services. ID+CL efforts seek to transform design, construction, and building operational practices to advance high-performance building designs that are more comfortable for people, require less carbon and energy to construct and maintain, while also enhancing the health and productivity of inhabitants.
Day's interdisciplinary Ph.D. from Washington State University, current research, professional service, and consulting expertise primarily focus on the intersection of occupant education, behaviors, and energy use in high-performance buildings. Previous experience includes teaching (both building science and design studios) and research at Kansas State University, where she also served as the Director of The Energy, Behavior, and Built Environment Laboratory (EBBEL) and the Director of the Energy Efficiency & Human Behavior Program at the Institute of Environmental Research (IER). Day's professional experience includes retail design work at Callison Architecture in Seattle, Washington, as well as project manager roles at both Washington State University and the University of Idaho's Integrated Design Labs, where she worked closely with Idaho Power Company (IPC) and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) on energy efficiency outreach, training, and market transformation.
Day is actively involved in leadership roles in several international and national organizations, such as the IEA (International Energy Agency) Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme (EBC) Annex 79: Occupant-Centric Building Design and Operation and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Coordination Network (RCN) on Sustainable Human-Building Ecosystems (SHBE). Day also currently serves as the Education & Training subcommittee chair for ASHRAE's Technical Committee 7.3: Operations & Maintenance.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture, Interior Design and Education (Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program), Washington State University.
Master of Arts in Interior Design, Washington State University.
Job Titles:
- Construction Engineering
- Profession Engineer
Dr. Kishor Shrestha earned his bachelor degree in Civil Engineering, his master's in Construction Management, and his PhD in Civil Engineering with a focus on Construction Engineering/Management. His research focuses on domain of Innovative Contracting Method - Performance-Based Contracting (PBC), Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), Construction/Highway Safety, and Benchmarking of Construction/Maintenance Methods. Kishor partners with states and industry solving their problems in his research areas. He is author of one book, six peer-reviewed journals, and 13 conference papers on the subjects of PBC, LCCA, Construction Safety, and in other subjects of civil/construction engineering/management. Kishor is also the reviewer of the Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction, Journal of Automation in Construction, Journal of Construction Innovation, Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Associated Schools of Construction, and Construction Research Congress.
Kishor is also a Profession Engineer and LEED certified individual. Prior to coming to Washington State University in the fall of 2019, Kishor was in Civil Engineering department at the Montana Technological University in Butte Montana for three years. Kishor also served as an instructor for Construction Engineering Mechanics (Statics) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during his graduate study in 2016.
Kishor has around nine years of construction industry experience in Nepal and in UAE before starting his graduate study in US. During that period, he has involved in Heavy Civil and Building Construction projects as being an engineer from contractor and as consultant as well.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (Focused on Construction Engineering Management), University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Master of Science in Construction Management, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering, Tribhuvan University.
Job Titles:
- Digital Artist
- Web Development / Social Media Coordinator
- Web Development and Social Media Coordinator
Dylan Freeman joined SDC as the Web Development and Social Media Coordinator in 2022. He previously worked for WSU Marketing and Communications as a Web Content Specialist and as a Student Assistant for the WSU Marketing and Communications Events Team.
In his free time, Dylan is a digital artist who creates character illustrations and digital paintings.
Job Titles:
- Fiscal Analyst for SDC Finance
- Fiscal Specialist
Elena joined the administrative team at SDC in 2022. As the Fiscal Specialist, she draws on her experiences as a business owner and a certified public bookkeeper.
Previously a professional recording and touring musician, she enjoys travel and participates in local community music and choral groups.
Before joining the School of Design and Construction, Gracjan Kraszewski earned his PhD in History from Mississippi State University and taught in the history department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2017-2019. During the summer of 2019 Gracjan co-led (with professor Katherine Kraszewska) a study abroad program based in Cremolino, Italy and Paris involving students in the UIUC Department of Landscape Architecture entitled Literature and the Utopian Landscape.
Gracjan's historical manuscript (revised dissertation) about Southern Catholics during the American Civil War is under contract and forthcoming with The Kent State University Press. His academic articles have appeared in Religious and Sacred Poetry, North Alabama Historical Review, The Polish Review, and Idaho Magazine with a piece forthcoming in The Catholic Historical Review. A translation (Polish→English) is chapter one of Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm's book, The Polish Experience through World War II. Author of a novel entitled The Holdout (Adelaide Books, 2018), short fiction has appeared in Wilderness House Literary Review, Eclectica Magazine, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, The Southern Distinctive, PILGRIM, Adelaide Literary Magazine, Bull: Men's Fiction, RumbleFish Press, Five on the Fifth, and on The Short Humour Site.
Gracjan is natively fluent in English and Polish, at a good level with French, and has conversational ability in Russian and Italian.
Gregory Kessler, FAIA, is a graduate from the University of Southern California and has been a Professor of Architecture at Washington State University since 1987. Professor Kessler has a thirty-year record of teaching and leadership, which has influenced a generation of architects and emerging professionals. With both a global and local perspective, his work through teaching, leadership, collaboration, education, research, writing, lecturing and architectural administration has resulted in a career devoted to design and architectural education. His teaching portfolio includes teaching well over fifty studios at both the graduate and undergraduate level and over twenty five lecture | seminar courses. So far in his career, he has brought architectural education to well over 1,500 students. He is the recipient of teaching awards and many invited national and international presentations and lectures. He served as the director of the School of Architecture and Construction Management from 2001 - 2011, was appointed as the inaugural director of the new School of Design and Construction from 2011 - 2013, and served as interim director from 2017-2018. The focus of his tenure as director was to develop unique programs regarding the integration of disciplines. Programs such as the Integrated Education Series, the senior Integrated Design Studio (IdEX) and the WSU Institute for Sustainable Design (ISD), which was developed with a colleague in engineering, were a few of his accomplishments.
Currently Kessler is leading the WSU architecture comprehensive studio, which is a collaboration with senior construction management students. In this studio architecture and construction management students form teams to generate designs as well as specific construction procedures in a design build simulation. Kessler served on the AIA National Board of Directors from 2011 - 2013 as one of two Regional Directors from the Northwest and Pacific Region. Prior to being elected as Regional Director, Kessler initiated the Northwest and Pacific Region Leadership Institute. The Institute now in its seventh year integrates students from the seven region schools of architecture with faculty and practicing architects for a 1.5-day yearly symposium on leadership. Student teams learn leadership strategies and develop proposals for leadership projects that are implemented once they return to their campuses. Kessler also initiated the AIA Advocacy Fellows program where recent architecture graduates spend eight weeks at the AIA national offices in Washington DC working with AIA staff on issues of government advocacy related to architecture. For 2015 Kessler is serving as co - chair for the inaugural AIA | ACSA national educational symposium which will be held in conjunction with the 2015 AIA convention. The symposium is directed towards the integration of education and practice with specific emphasis on how academic research can advance the profession.
Professor Kessler has an extensive record of scholarship including papers invited presentations and panels regarding the intersection of architecture and other disciplines and issues of leadership in education. He has also served as design awards juror for regional, national and international design awards programs. Kessler was elevated to fellowship within the AIA in 2013 for his contributions to architecture education. He was also recognized as a Richard Upjohn Fellow in 2013. Professor Kessler is also an active in creating art. His work focuses on abstracted, segmented and unique perspectives of the natural and built environment. The works are based upon his national and international travel and was the subject of a gallery exhibition in Seattle WA in February 2015.
Education
Master of Architecture, University of Southern California (Recipient of Welton Beckett Fellowship: Graduate Thesis focus: Urban Design).
Bachelor of Architecture, University of Idaho (Cum Laude).
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor in Construction Management
- Construction Management
- Construction Management Director, BETA Lab
- Director of Associated Schools of Construction ( ASC ) Region 7
- Member of Committee
- Professional Engineer
Hongtao Dang is an Assistant Professor in Construction Management and Construction Engineering. He has three research clusters: 1) Data Analytics and Construction Automation (DACA), 2) Safety, Engineering, Construction, and Technology Integration (SECTI), and 3) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). DACA includes many topics such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), digitalization, modularization, automation, informatics, robotics, augmented or artificial intelligence, and smart and connected buildings. DEI and SECTI focus on supportive services for women- minority-owned, or disadvantaged business enterprises, training programs for inclusive construction job sites, psychological safety, mental health, wearable technologies, drones, and augmented realities. Hongtao held a Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Construction Engineering and Management from Iowa State University (ISU). He served as Graduate Program Coordinator at Central Washington University (CWU), advised undergraduate and graduate students, and published many journal articles and conference proceedings.
Hongtao is a licensed Professional Engineer with approximately six years of professional experience working on heavy civil (e.g., bridges), industrial (e.g., powerplants), and commercial (e.g., hotels) projects. He taught various courses in construction programs for many years at ISU and CWU. He served as the Faculty Fellow for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and received the Above and Beyond Award in 2021, the Outstanding Scholar Award in 2021, and the Outstanding Online Peer Mentor Award in 2022 at CWU. He received the 2022 Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 7 Teaching Award, recognizing the faculty member's contribution to construction education, excellence in teaching, service to the ASC, and dedication to the construction profession. Additionally, He coached many student teams in national and international competitions and developed three online courses for the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE).
Hongtao is the Director of Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region 7 and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Transportation Research Board (TRB), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), American Society of Engineering Management (ASEM), American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE), Construction Research Congress (CRC), and Construction Institute (CI) Digital Project Delivery (DPD) Committee. He serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Management in Engineering, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Journal of Civil Engineering Education, Journal of Architectural Engineering, Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolutions, Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, Journal of Automation in Construction, International Journal of Construction Education and Research, and International Journal of Construction Management. He has been recognized as the Outstanding Reviewer multiple times in ASCE Journals.
Education
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Construction Engineering and Management), Iowa State University
M.S. in Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering), Iowa State University
B.S. in Civil Engineering, Iowa State University
Licenses and Certificates
P.E. Professional Engineer
CPEM Certified Professional in Engineering Management
ENV SP Envision Sustainability Professional
LEED GA Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Associate
Hongtao's diversity, equity, and inclusion research focuses on supportive services for women- minority-owned, or disadvantaged business enterprises, training programs for inclusive construction job sites, psychological safety, mental health, wearable technologies, drones, and augmented realities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
- Bayley Construction
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
- Member of the SDC CENTRAL BOARD
Job Titles:
- ACADEMIC PROGRAM MANAGER
- Assistant Professor ( Career Track )
- Member of Committee
As academic program manager and a member of the school's leadership team, Jaime provides coordination for operations involving student admissions, advising, and academic progress. Jaime is simultaneously pursuing her PhD in Education, with an emphasis in Cultural Studies and Social Thought. A descendant of the Yakama Nation and Nisqually tribes in Washington State, Jaime's research and teaching efforts strive to create learning opportunities for students to embrace their capacity and responsibility to address issues of social justice in the built environment.
Jaime threw javelin for the Track & Field team ('94 -'96) and has worked full-time for WSU since 1998. She was awarded VCEA Employee of the Year in 2018 and has also been honored with VCEA Staff Excellence in 2014, and WSU Spokane Administrative Professional Employee Excellence in 2010.
Education
ABD, Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Cultural Studies and Social Thought), Washington State University
Master of Education in Educational Leadership, Washington State University
Bachelor of Science in Psychology + Minor in Sociology, Washington State University (Magna Cum Laude)
A descendant of the Yakama Nation and Nisqually tribes in Washington State, Jaime's research interests examine the historical and cultural perspective of the built environment related to public memory and collective identity through an indigenous feminist lens. In research and teaching, she strives to create learning opportunities for students to embrace their capacity and responsibility to address issues of social justice within their diverse fields of specialization.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director for the School of Design and Construction
- SDC DIRECTOR
Jason B. Peschel became the Director for the School of Design and Construction (SDC) in April 2023 after serving as Interim Director since July 2022. Peschel is the Richard L. Silliman Distinguished Professor of Estimating and an Associate Professor [career track]. As Director his focus has shifted from the classroom to the day-to-day operations with responsibility and authority for the overall leadership and administration of the SDC. In this new role, Professor Peschel strives to lead by example while also embracing servant leadership in his efforts to guide the SDC in its continuing endeavor to be a respected academic and research unit within the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture (VCEA). Additionally, Peschel is the Associate Dean for Facilities Modernization for the Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture (VCEA) responsible for providing leadership and oversight for the modernization of VCEA facilities.
Professor Peschel brings more than 15 years of construction experience to the classroom. That experience includes almost 10 years of extensive experience as estimator and chief estimator. In addition to estimating experience, he has construction project management experience in the areas of cost control, scheduling, and contract administration. His primary teaching focus, for two decades, was on construction estimating though he has taught numerous core Construction Management (CM) courses and electives to students from more than 10 different disciplines including CM majors and minors. In addition to teaching, coaching and mentoring students are key passion areas for Professor Peschel which is exhibited by his teams' success with the ASC Region 6|7 Student Competition. He has coached the Commercial team since 2010 with the student's winning 1st place a total of 5 times, 2nd place 3 times, and 3rd place 4 times. He takes great pride in the student's growth and development throughout the competition preparations and beyond.
Peschel also served as the Program Head for Construction Management from 2012 to 2022. This administrative role encompassed numerous tasks pertinent to the day-to-day operations and the long-term endeavors of the students and faculty within the program. Professor Peschel fervently believes in the importance of industry partners and engages industry professionals to regularly provide guest lectures in his classes. His ability to develop relationships with industry partners has led to considerable support for the CM program via classroom engagement, curriculum enhancement, and fundraising.
Education
Master of Business Administration, Wayne State College.
Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
- Design
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the SDC CENTRAL BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
- Member of the SDC CENTRAL BOARD
Job Titles:
- Academic Coordinator / Advisor 1
Jess joins the SDC advising team with Washington State University experience as an undergrad student, grad student, and staff member. She has previous experience working with the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and International Student and Scholar Services on the Pullman campus.
Job Titles:
- Instructor / Construction Management
Jim (Mac) McPhetridge is part-time Lecturer in the Construction Engineering program, while working full-time for Exxel Pacific Construction. He has provided construction consulting through JCM Consulting Services. With a life-time career in commercial construction, he brings current field experience to the program.
Jim has 35 years of experience with roles including Owner's Representative, Construction Manager, Senior Project Manager, Preconstruction Manager and Estimator. Most of that experience involves negotiated, building construction projects. Jim has done preconstruction on approximately 90% of the projects he constructed.
His projects include Office Buildings, Hotels, Schools, Apartments and Churches. Most noteworthy is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
EDUCATION
Master of Science in Construction Engineering & Management, Stanford University
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, US Coast Guard Academy
Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Science with an Emphasis in Computers, US Coast Guard Academy
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Graduate Program Director, Architecture
- Professor
Professor Abell specializes in modern architectural design, urban design and critical theory, particularly as these intersect with aesthetic experience, material craft and advanced design technologies. Specific teaching and research topics include architectural design modeling and experimentation methods, design innovation and optimization supporting social practices, design psychology.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Histories and Theories of Modern Architecture, The Architectural Association, London, England.
Master of Architecture, University of Utah.
Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Economics, University of Vermont.
Job Titles:
- Member of Committee
- Program Head
Jolie's teaching and scholarship explore how landscapes are represented, bridge art and science, and contemplate the importance of place. She has written about the parallels between drawing and science; composed poetry about geology; curated exhibits of student work that invite citizens to imagine potential futures for their landscapes; and produced essays that consider the tangible and invisible marks people make in places. The objectives of her work are to facilitate acceptance of many positions about landscapes; engender invention, dialogue, and inquiry; and ultimately foster respect and care for the planet and those who inhabit it.
Jolie spent her formative years in South Florida, where she wandered along shorelines, slogged through sloughs, and conducted chaise lounge studies among subtropical flora and fauna. She holds a B.S. in Conservation and Resources Studies from the UC Berkeley and a Bachelors and Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon.
Jolie's teaching and scholarship explore how landscapes are represented, bridge art and science, and contemplate the importance of place. The objectives of her work are to facilitate acceptance of many positions about landscapes; engender invention, dialogue, and inquiry; and ultimately foster respect and care for the planet and those who inhabit it.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor Emeritus
Job Titles:
- Lecturer / Construction Management
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER
- SDC As the Administrative Manager
Kate Barnes joined SDC as the Administrative Manager in April of 2022 after previously working at WSU in the Institute for Shock Physics for 6+ years. Prior to that, Kate worked in administrative/operations management roles for health care facilities in the surrounding Palouse area.
She is an outdoor enthusiast and spends her free time working on her land, hiking, biking, horseback riding, camping, buggy riding, snow shoeing etc.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Designer
Kate Kraszewski is a landscape designer who earned a Ph.D. in Sustainable Bio-Products from the College of Forestry, Mississippi State University, and is the owner and principal designer of Kraszewska Landscape Design Consulting, based in Boise, Idaho. Her research explores innovative, low impact development practices and policy as a means towards sustainable stormwater management. Her research-based expertise includes the remediation of bio-oil contaminated stormwater through the use of constructed wetlands, reducing the negative environmental impact of wastewater treatment from the bio-oil industry. Currently, she is studying the evolution of landscape design to encompass agricultural stormwater runoff and the reduction of non-point source pollution in the Midwestern United States.
Kate is committed to promoting sustainable landscape design methodology in her research, teaching, and design practice. Her work has been recognized through award winning collaborations and publication in peer-reviewed journals.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Sustainability Studies, Mississippi State University.
Master of Landscape Architecture, Mississippi State University.
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, University of Idaho.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
- Member of the SDC CENTRAL BOARD
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Member of Committee
Kristina Borrman is a cultural historian working at the intersection of built-environment history, art history, and the history of material culture. Broadly speaking, Borrman's scholarship focuses on the relationship between the built environment and the instantiation of social identity in the modern world. By approaching 20th-century world history within the context of architecture, she examines everyday life-the ethics of ordinary choices- to reveal ways in which race, class and space are mutually constitutive.
Her current research explores the architects who fought to desegregate public housing in the pre-civil rights era. The Open Housers: The Architects Who Struggled to Desegregate Public Housing takes a fresh look at public housing by centering the architects who dreamt of housing equity at their drafting tables. By exploring built and unbuilt projects, this book recovers the experimental communities that architects created in their pursuit of diverse housing for diverse people. Kristina is in the final stages of editing her book manuscript.
Borrman's scholarship has been supported by fellowships, residencies, and research grants from the Huntington Library, the Washington State University New Faculty Seed Grant, UC Humanities Institute Dissertation Research Grant, Gunnar Birkerts Fellowship in Architectural History (University of Michigan), American Heritage Center Research Fellowship, Bancroft Library Graduate Summer Research Award, and the John Nolen Research Award (Cornell University).
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
- Abbott Construction
Initially trained as an Architect, Marcus received a PhD in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning with a designated emphasis in Science and Technology Studies. He has worked in a variety of professional contexts, including founding CAMO Studio with Christina Antiporda, focused on community engaged design/build, and with the US Forest Service. His research interests include design research, design/build, and emerging applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Landscape Architecture.
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
- Member of the SDC CENTRAL BOARD
- Hoffman Construction
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor ( Career Track )
Marti Cowan is licensed to practice architecture in New York State and is a member of the American Institute of Architects. Prior to joining WSU, she practiced as a Senior Associate for New York and Connecticut firms. Her work is published in Margaret Helfand Architects: Evolution Elemental Style Work in Progress. Congruently, she held an adjunct position in the Department of Visual Arts at SUNY Purchase, New York. She is actively involved in architectural design competitions and was awarded first place for the entry entitled, Choragic Monument to Twentieth Century Architecture.
Education
Master of Architecture, Yale University (Recipient of the Sonia Albert Schimberg Prize).
Advanced Studio at the University of Copenhagen (Thesis: Hvittrask, Home of Eliel Saarinen).
Bachelor of Science, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor ( Career Track )
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
- Member of the SDC CENTRAL BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
- Wilcox Construction LLC
Job Titles:
- Architect and Professor
- Professor Emeritus
- Professor, Emeritus Architecture
Matthew A. Cohen is a licensed architect and Professor of Architecture, Emeritus at Washington State University. Professor Cohen received his Master of Architecture degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and completed his Ph.D. in Architectural History at Leiden University in The Netherlands. Cohen's research explores the subtle and complex proportional systems embedded in the 15th century buildings in Florence designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, the originator of Renaissance architecture. His new, broadly applicable method of recording building measurements and physical characteristics is a significant contribution to the field, which architectural researcher and colleague David Wang has termed "acute observation."
Cohen's methodology and findings challenge longstanding preconceptions about Renaissance architecture and proportional systems. Although widely used throughout history, for example, Cohen contends that proportional systems have never actually fulfilled the purposes that either their designers or later historians have claimed they have, such as contributing structural stability and beauty to architecture. Their primary function, according to Cohen, has been to imbue architecture with meaning, one of the major qualities that distinguishes architecture from mere building. Cohen believes that this fundamental importance of meaning applies to architecture of all periods, and he uses it as a common thread to draw history into the design studio. There he helps students develop modern design work imbued with meaning appropriate to contemporary society.
Matt Melcher holds a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania where he received the Chairman's Award for his research exploring the impact of natural light on spatial perception in high density urban housing. His research and practice probe contemporary issues shaping the design of housing. Melcher has received grant funding, publication, and has lectured domestically and abroad on topics linking housing design with emergent technology, adaptable environments, human experience, aesthetics, affordable design + construction and environmental responsibility.
He began his professional career at Olson Kundig Architects in Seattle before joining the faculty at WSU and establishing his own practice in 1998. Spanning the disciplines of interior design, architecture and graphic design, Melcher's work-in-practice has been recognized with local, regional and national awards from professional organizations including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), and the Design Communication Association (DCA). His design work has been exhibited in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, the Henry Art Gallery and the Spokane Art School. Melcher's commercial design work was featured in the full-length film Shadow of Fear (Millennium Films, 2004) and in 2012 Professor Melcher was featured in the short documentary film When Spokane was Modern (Helveticka).
Melcher teaches design studio and lecture courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level to students in interior design, architecture, and landscape architecture. Melcher's students have been recognized with over twenty awards in local, regional and national design competitions.
Education
Master of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania.
Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design, University of Washington.
Job Titles:
- Construction Management
- Emeritus Construction Management
Max Kirk returned to Washington State University in August 2001 after nearly fifteen years to teach in the (former) School of Architecture and Construction Management as an Associate Professor, where he also served as Interim Director (2013-2014). Kirk is a Certified Professional Constructor sanctioned by the American Institute of Constructors. In 1977, he graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. For eight years he worked in the Pacific Northwest as a project manager/estimator, before redirecting his career to construction education. Then in 1985 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Eastern Washington University. In 1987, Max received the AGC Education and Research Foundation's Saul Horowitz Memorial Graduate Award, which allowed him to obtain a Master of Science in Construction from Arizona State University in 1990.
From 1991 to 2000, Max taught in the Department of Construction Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as an Assistant Professor, then tenured Associate Professor, and in 2000-2001 served as Department Chair. Intrigued with the relationship of leadership and management, Max pursued a doctorate in the area of cognitive processes in leadership in construction. His study population included CEOs and project managers from construction firms nationwide. Max received a Ph.D. in Administration, Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May 2000.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Administration, Curriculum and Instruction University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Master of Science in Technology, Arizona State University.
Bachelor of Arts in Education, Eastern Washington University.
Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, Washington State University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor ( Career Track )
Michael Sánchez teaches design studios as well as classes on construction technology and drawing as a "thinking" tool for designers. He has practiced landscape architecture for the last 18 years and is licensed in both California and Oregon. Drawing as an instrument of communication and means of expression has always been a passion and one he has inextricably linked to his work in the profession and in his research. His work on visually exploring Mission Santa Barbara was an opportunity to combine his love of drawing with his fascination and intrigue of history. Visual imagery is very powerful to how we learn, remember and communicate. His research looks at the art and science of drawing and representation and how designers use these techniques to acquire knowledge, explore a dynamic world and create meaningful places.
Education
Master of Landscape Architecture, University of Oregon.
Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Architect
- Associate Professor
- Researcher
Mona Ghandi is an architect, researcher, and educator who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. She is an assistant professor of architecture and the director of Morphogenesis Lab at Washington State University. She has extensive experience in emerging technologies and their role in advancing innovative design, improving well-being, inclusion, alternative models of building delivery, and sustainability in buildings.
Her research is an interdisciplinary, linking architecture, computer science, neuroscience, psychology, and material science. It focuses on the Emotive and Performative Intelligent Architecture which examines the role of Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, robotics, sensory environments, and adaptive architecture to enhance social, environmental, and personal well-being. While subjective well-being, inclusion, equity, and social justice in design are the focus of emotive systems design, the performative systems involve environmental concerns such as sustainability, energy and building performance efficiency, and decarbonization. Her research has significant implications in the medical field, aircraft and car industry, education and cognitive studies, energy, and psychology.
Her research aims to create cyber-physical adaptive spaces that can respond to the user's physiological and psychological needs based on biological and neurological data in real-time. Her focus is on smart systems that create adaptive and user-oriented spaces using affective computing. Through artificial intelligence, she seeks to create spaces that can learn from the user's behavioral patterns in real-time, enhance environmental quality, reduce user's anxiety and depression, and promoting more flexible, human-centered designs. Her research has been funded by NIH, NSF, Autodesk, IAAC, Energy System Innovation Center, and WSU Office of research to name a few.
She has taught a wide range of studios and lecture courses focusing on advanced computational technologies, data-driven design, simulation, robotics, Virtual|Augmented reality, digital fabrication, and responsive and adaptive architecture both at the graduate and undergraduate levels at WSU, UC Berkeley, and Ohio University. She has more than twelve years of professional experience ranging over residential, commercial, industrial, urban, and landscape projects working with NADAAA, Emerging Objects, VAV Studio, and MEM Architecture.
Her work has been recognized with several national and international prestigious awards such as the World Architecture Award, Architizer A+Awrad in Architecture+ New Technology, LAKA competition, prestigious Vilcek Award for creative promise in Architecture; this prestigious award is given annually to encourage and support emerging to mid-career immigrant artists and scientists who have demonstrated exceptional achievements early in their careers, which can have lasting contributions to American society. Her research was recognized as Top 10 Creative Scholarship Award at 2019 IDEC Annual Conference.
Her work was exhibited in different national and international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Bellevue Arts Museum, Melbourne Design, Latrobe Regional Gallery Hub, AIA Spokane Award Gala, and Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts & History. Her work has been published in numerous global publications and has also been presented and published in major design national and international conferences. The outcome of her work got featured in many news such as the New York Times, 1889 Washington Magazine, Architectural Record, Krem 2 News, Inlander, Spokesman-Review to name a few.
Job Titles:
- Member of the ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE BOARD
Job Titles:
- Historian
- Member of Committee
- Professor / Architecture
Gruen is a historian of the built environment with expertise in American architecture and urbanism of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries. His courses employ the interdisciplinary methods of the cultural landscape while emphasizing interpretation, story, and narrative as crucial tools for reading the built environment.
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor ( Career Track ) Program Head Construction Management
Job Titles:
- Program Head Interior Design
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor ( Career Track )
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Fab Lab Supervisor
- Fabrication Labs Supervisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the INTERIOR DESIGN BOARD
Job Titles:
- Member of the CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BOARD
Job Titles:
- Professor Emeritus
- Retired Architect and Professor Emeritus
Tom is now a retired Architect and Professor Emeritus after teaching 40 years at WSU including five programs in London. He always stated the wonderful streets of London and UK's historic cities were his favorite "classrooms." He emphasized theory, design and planning with the natural and built environment, now commonly referred to as sustainable design and planning. He was awarded a Fulbright and taught at Kabul University, Afghanistan. He enjoyed team work, interdisciplinary studios and SBSE (Society of Building Science Educators). Tom achieved a B. Arch with honors, a scholarship to achieve a M. Arch from the University of Illinois, and did post-graduate work in England.
He helped create and coordinated a unique all-university, team taught course involving all the design and planning disciplines - The Built Environment (at times the enrollment exceeded 300). He feels it was an honor to have served such a large number of students. Based on this unique Built Environment course, he co-authored and edited two interdisciplinary books, The Built Environment: A Collaborative Inquiry into Design and Planning, numerous chapters in other books, served on the Boards of Pullman Main Street and Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute (helped plant 100s of trees), and Pullman and WSU planning commissions.
He collaborated with two other WSU colleagues, and was one of three internationally to be awarded a gold metal at the UN Habitat Conference for their work on Sustainable Development. The two other recipients were Foster Partners of London and Mirillo Architects from Argentina.
Tom and his wife Helen have been interested in round barns, reanimating rural buildings and communities for some 60 years. They finally summarized their findings in a book entitled Washington State's Round Barns: Preserving a Vanishing Rural Heritage to be published by WSU Press in 2023.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, VOILAND COLLEGE
Job Titles:
- Academic Coordinator / Advisor II / Construction Management & Landscape Architecture
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant II