Sheryl Tucker de Vazquez

Associate Professor | Director of Interior Architecture

Degrees:
Georgia Institute of Technology | Bachelor of Science in Architecture
University of Texas, Austin | Master of Architecture

Sheryl Tucker de Vazquez is an associate professor and director of the Interior Architecture program at the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin.

De Vazquez is the founding principal of Tucker de Vazquez Architecture, an interdisciplinary architecture research and design firm focused on the unique social and cultural impact of Black culture on the American built environment. Her writing at the intersection of Black culture and the American built environment has been published extensively and her design work has been recognized nationally and internationally with numerous grants and design awards, including those from the NEA and Graham foundations.

Notably, she received the Houston chapter of the American Institute of Architects 25-year campus award for her contribution to Project Row Houses, a public art project in Houston, Texas. In 2021, de Vazquez received a Graham Foundation grant to explore the generative potential of Black hair and its care practices in architecture, leading to the exhibition “The Hair Salon: Black Hair as Architecture.” She has taught and lectured at multiple institutions, including the University of California at Berkeley, Tulane University, and Texas A&M at Prairie View.

Christopher A. Battaglia

Assistant Professor | Emerging Construction Technologies
Presidential Frontier Faculty

Degrees:
Wentworth Institute of Technology | Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Cornell University | Masters of Architecture

Christopher A. Battaglia is the Presidential Frontier Faculty Assistant Professor of Emerging Construction Technologies at the University of Houston, where he develops cutting-edge robotic solutions for construction. His work includes large-scale 3D printing with various materials and designing custom end effectors for industrial robotics. Battaglia’s design interest works to bridge the gap between traditional craftsmanship and modern digital tools though on-site robotic collaboration and off-site pre-fabrication automation. Exploring various emerging construction techniques, his design process focuses on material characteristics, assembly logistics, and architectural form.

Previously, Battaglia served as Visiting Critic at Cornell AAP and as the Design and Innovation Fellow/Associate Research Professor at Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning. He has practiced at NADAAA in Boston, MA, and previously worked at Morphosis and OMA in NYC. His robotic fabrication methods, including structural optimization techniques, have been adopted in real-world applications and constructed at various scales from public pavilions to complex building projects.

As an educator, Battaglia teaches architectural design-build projects, emphasizing computation, fabrication, drawing, and mixed-media modeling. His work on concrete 3D printing and sustainable construction has been published in national and international peer-reviewed journals and conferences. Battaglia has received numerous accolades, including the AIA Henry Adams Medal, the Outstanding Creative Endeavor Award at Ball State, and the Eschweiler Prize for Merit and Distinction at Cornell University. He actively collaborates with various industrial and architectural partners, driving innovations in materials and construction techniques.

Ruth Lo, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor | History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture

Degrees:
Brown University | Ph.D., History of Art and Architecture
Cornell University | MA, History of Architecture and Urban Development
University of California, Berkeley | BA, Architecture and Italian Studies

Ruth Lo is an architectural historian whose work focuses on the history of buildings, landscapes, and infrastructure. Her current book project investigates the intersections of environmental and political histories of agriculture in fascist Italy.

Lo holds a Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture from Brown University, an MA in the History of Architecture and Urban Development from Cornell University, and a BA in Architecture and a BA in Italian Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She was a pre-doctoral fellow at the American Academy in Rome from 2013 to 2015. Prior to starting her graduate studies, she worked at Steven Holl Architects for three years.

Sam Clovis, AIA

Instructional Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Princeton University | Master of Architecture
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo | Bachelor of Architecture

Sam Clovis is an Instructional Assistant Professor at the University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design and co-principal of the Houston-based architectural practice clovisbaronian.

Exploring the relationship between climate and aesthetics, the work of clovisbaronian been internationally recognized for its conceptual approaches to environmental conditioning and applied material research. Recent projects include Synthetic Infrastructures for Big Bend Station, recipient of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction Next Generation Prize, and Paper Roof, an investigation in radiative cooling supported by the Ohio State Energy Partners (OSEP) Grant. These prototypes explore novel methods for remediating landscapes and the non-mechanical conditioning of outdoor environments.

The work of clovisbaronian has been exhibited internationally, including at the Seoul Biennale for Architecture & Urbanism, White House Gallery in Tokyo, and a83 gallery in New York. Coinciding with his practice, Clovis maintains a research interest in the history of the architectural representation of environmental phenomena and building performance. Prior to joining the University of Houston, he held teaching positions at Princeton University, Cal Poly Pomona, and The Ohio State University. He is a licensed architect in California and Idaho, and received his Master of Architecture from Princeton University.

José Roldán

Instructional Assistant Professor

Degrees:
Architectural Association School of Architecture in London - Master of Architecture and Urbanism
Seville University School of Architecture - Bachelor and Master of Architecture

José Roldán is a Spanish architect who graduated at the Seville University School of Architecture. In 2014, he graduated with distinction at the Design Research Laboratory and a Master of Architecture from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

José started his professional career with Norman Foster at his London office, developing several international projects such as the New Mexico International Airport. After two years, he joined Richard Rogers’s office in London where he stayed until 2022, specializing in big scale projects, including the new Terminal 3 at Taiwan Airport and several skyscraper projects in Asia and America. In 2022, he moved to Houston where he works as Senior Designer at Page.