PLANNING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Design in Action
The PhD in Planning, Design and Construction degree is available to students wishing to pursue a specialized research or creative agenda. This program consists of coursework tailored to the student’s interests, providing them with an opportunity to deepen their expertise in a particular realm of built environment research. Students work closely with their faculty committee to select courses from across the University to create an individualized educational plan, with a concentration in one of the the College’s five primary disciplines: Architecture, Construction Science, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture or Regional and City Planning. Students have the opportunity to study with leading scholars in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, as well as University-wide fields as diverse as Engineering, Geography, History of Science, and more. Graduates of this program are prepared to continue their work in specialized fields, such as professional researchers, post-secondary educators, and non-profit leaders.
Student Publications
Rashidzadeh, Z., & Heidari Matin, N. (2023). “A Comparative Study on Smart Windows Focusing on Climate-Based Energy Performance and Users’ Comfort Attributes.” Sustainability, 15 (3), 2294.
Najmi Sarooghi, E. & McCuen, T. (2022). “Smart Cities’ Strategies for Contractors: A Thematic Analysis of Selected Documents.” EPiC Series in Built Environment, 3: 452-460.
Zhou, L., Wu, Y., Wu, Y., Zhu, R., Woodfin, T., & Chen, T. (2018). “An approach to evaluate comprehensive plan and identify priority lands for future land use development to conserve more ecological values.” Sustainability, 10 (1).
Heidari Matin, N., Mojtaba Mirabedini, S., & Rashidzadeh, Z. (2022). “Smart Colored Window Technology: Improving Users’ Comfort with an Interdisciplinary Approach.” Facade Tectonics 2022 World Congress Conference Proceedings.
Bigelow, B., Perrenoud, A., Rahman, M., & Saseendran, A. (2019). “An Exploration of Age on Attraction and Retention of Managerial Workforce in the Electrical Construction Industry in the United States.” International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 17 (1).
Najmi Sarooghi, E. & McCuen, T. (2021). “BIM-GIS: Analysis and Integration for Contractors.” EPiC Series in Built Environment, 2: 255-263.
Zhou, L., Shen, G., Woodfin, T., Chen, T., & Song, K. (2018). “Ecological and economic impacts of green roofs and permeable pavements at the city level: the case of Corvallis, Oregon.” Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 61 (3): 430-450.
McCuen, T., Rahman, M., & Gunderson, D. (2019). “Current State of Construction Management Faculty Searches in the United States.” 55th ASC Annual International Conference Proceedings.
Recent Dissertations
Fast, S. (2023). Identifying Preferred Neighborhood Attributes Among Individuals 50 Years and Older, and Analyzing Their Access to the Physical Environment: A Case Study on Age Friendliness of Norman, Oklahoma [Doctoral dissertation, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture]. SHAREOK
Faisal, A. (2022). A Mixed-Methods Study: Investigating the Role of Environment-Behavior (E-B) Attributes Upon Faculty [Doctoral dissertation, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture]. SHAREOK
Rahman, M. (2022). Constructors’ Decision-Support Framework for NZEB Projects. [Doctoral dissertation, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture]. SHAREOK
Ridley, W. (2023). On the Problem of Resolving Monopoly Holdouts Without Requiring Eminent Domain. [Doctoral dissertation, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture]. SHAREOK.
Sogol, S. (2021). Identifying the Impact of Preconstruction Elements on Project Budget and Time Using BIM-Generated Data: Developing a Decision-Making Guideline for Project Owners. [Doctoral dissertation, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture]. SHAREOK.
Yi, Y. (2021). The Environmental Design Factors Associated With Functional Independence of People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. [Doctoral dissertation, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture]. SHAREOK.
Zhou, L. (2016). Using Invest to Evaluate the Performance of Urban Growth Management Strategies in Conserving Ecosystem Services in the City of Corvallis, Oregon. [Doctoral dissertation, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture]. SHAREOK.
Zhao, K. (2016). Factors Directly or Indirectly Influencing Job-Housing Balance and Commuting Time – Three Cases in Beijing. [Doctoral dissertation, Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture]. SHAREOK.
Contact
Suchi Bhattacharjee
Program Contact
Suchi@ou.edu
Current Students
Salma Akter Surma
Research Interests: Resilient Built Environments, Refugees’ Well-being, Quality of Life, Child Friendly Space, Human-Environment Interactions, Infrastructure Justice (WASH), Indoor Environmental Quality, Life Cycle Analysis
Advisor: Dr. Suchi Bhattacharjee
Contact: s.surma@ou.edu
Ramtin Mirmohammad Sadeghi
Research Interests: Building Materials and Methods, Structural Analysis, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Timber Construction, Earth Architecture
Advisor: Dr. Shideh Shadravan
Contact: ramtin.msadeghi@ou.edu
Rebecca Blaine
Research Interests: Historic Preservation + Downtown Revitalization
Advisor: Dr. Charlie Warnken
Contact: rblaine@ou.edu
Emad Najmi Sarooghi
Research Interests: BIM-GIS Integration, Building Energy Management in Smart Cities, and 3D Simulations for Smart Solutions
Advisor: Dr. Tamera McCuen
Contact: emad.najmi@ou.edu
Abhay Chavan
Research Interests: Modular Construction, Virtual Reality, Sustainability in Building, Healthcare Construction
Advisor: Dr. Somik Ghosh
Contact: apc09@ou.edu
Zhina Rashidzadeh
Research Interests: Responsive Facade, Sustainable Design, Visual Comfort, Thermal Comfort, Building Energy Simulation, Computational Design
Advisor: Dr. Negar Matin
Contact: zhina.rashidzadeh@ou.edu
Felipe Flores
Research Interests: Perception of time, space, and body that indigenous communities of Ecuador use in the production of space
Advisor: Dr. Angela Person
Contact: ff@ou.edu
Yousef Haghighi
Research Interests: Climate Adaptive Design, Responsive Architecture, Computational Design, Human-Building Interaction, High-performance Building, Building Energy Efficiency
Advisor: Dr. Shakil Shimul
Contact: myousef.haghighi@ou.edu
Halley Reeves
Research Interests: Community Health Planning, Economic Development, Health in All Policies, Cross Sectorial Collaboration Building, Health Impact Assessments, Resilient Communities
Advisor: Dr. Bryce Lowery
Contact: halley-reeves@ouhsc.edu