Auburn University Urban Studio

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Auburn University Urban Studio

Auburn University Urban Studio, located in Birmingham, is a teaching and outreach program of Auburn.

04/14/2026

This past week, 3rd-year students had the opportunity to tour the new lodge under construction at Cheaha State Park—a project led by Chambless King Architects.

For students, the visit offered something rarely accessible in architectural education: the ability to see design decisions in real time—before finishes, before completion—when structure, material and intent are fully visible.

04/07/2026

APLA recently hosted a two-day “Forest-First” mass timber workshop in downtown Birmingham. 🌲

The event brought together designers, foresters, ecologists and sociologists to rethink how Alabama’s forests shape—and are shaped by—the growing mass timber industry.

03/03/2026

At Urban Studio, collaboration is a priority. The curriculum is structured like a professional firm—working on multiple team projects with milestone deadlines throughout the semester.

The 2025 fall semester featured a roster of architects, planners and professionals, like Kyle D’agostino of Poole & Company Architects, Louis Nequette ‘93 of Nequette Architecture & Design and Amanda Loper ‘05 of David Baker Architects, who shared their knowledge with the fifth-year students.

These experiences help students build collective and individual thesis projects and broaden their knowledge as they finish their studies and prepare to enter the workforce.

aub.ie/UrbanCollabs

02/27/2026

Over the course of its 30 years as a program, Urban Studio has become a member of the downtown Birmingham community, known by alumni and downtowners alike. 🏙️

Kinetic Communication’s Jay Brandrup ‘95 is both—an alum and a business owner who invested in downtown and Morris Avenue as his company’s headquarters.

As part of their work on a development plan for the railroad tracks between Morris and Powell Avenues, fifth-year students presented their ideas to Brandrup and with his friend Carlton Wood of the Historic Morris Avenue Coalition. The presentation provided an opportunity to get feedback from people who live, work and care about the areas.

🔗 aub.ie/MorrisAve

11/08/2025

Guest lectures are a fixture at Urban Studio, and each semester local architects share their knowledge and experience with students. 🗣️

This fall, Director Alex Krumdieck ’86 invited New Orleans-based architect and Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction alum Jonathan Tate ’97 to speak with the students.

“The lecture was fascinating. He didn’t focus on large, extravagant buildings but on spaces that people considered unusable,” fifth year Jordan King commented. “His projects took the idea of filling in the gaps in a city fabric to a new level.”

aub.ie/TateLecture

11/06/2025

This year in September, Urban Studio students headed north for their annual fall field trip. 🧳

Planned by third-year studio instructor Matt Leavell ’01, the group spent a September weekend exploring one of the oldest cities in the US: Boston, Massachusetts.

“Students experienced many of the ‘-isms’ they have encountered throughout their education: colonialism, federalism, brutalism and modernism,” Leavell explained. “While each of those styles has a strong aesthetic, also engage with the city in different ways by experiencing and contrasting the styles introduced them and exploring the relationship between architectural design and urban design.”

aub.ie/UrbaninBoston

10/21/2025

When architect Kyle D’Agostino began organizing a new comprehensive plan for the historic Arlington–West End–Princeton neighborhoods in Birmingham, he knew exactly how he wanted to assemble his team—and he knew he wanted to work with on the project.

The team, led by Poole & Company Architects and in addition to two Urban Studio graduates already working at Poole, consisted of Ben Wieseman ’12 of Place Associates, Urban Studio Director Alex Krumdieck ’86 and three student interns who would make Birmingham their home for the summer: incoming fifth-year students Emily Watson and Denae Innis and incoming fourth-year student Haeseul Cho.

aub.ie/BirminghamComprehensivePlan

10/07/2025

Urban Studio kicked off the 2025–26 school year with the annual Welcome Back Breakfast! ☕

The event brings together Urban Studio's newest class of students, alumni and the local architecture community to celebrate another year of students in Birmingham and provides students with valuable networking opportunities.

🔗 Link to this and more Urban Studio stories in bio.

10/02/2025

students made the trip to Auburn in Birmingham this summer to take a deeper dive into their summer thesis work and research. 🏙️

By examining restaurants and talking with local architects, students had the opportunity to experience how Birmingham’s restaurant interiors create different atmospheres and incorporate this research into their own designs.

08/15/2025

's Welcome Back Breakfast is next Friday, August 22!

For our last alumni spotlight, we're featuring alumna Katherine Uhrin! Katherine says, “I often reflect on my time at Urban Studio, which taught me to value community engagement and to learn about the history and context of where you are designing. Our projects involved real stakeholders and community members that offered feedback throughout the design process. The pairing of an internship for all students with a local firm was invaluable, and our participation with ACE Mentor of Alabama throughout the year set the path for me to remain involved in industry-wide mentorship.”

08/08/2025

2 more weeks until we celebrate the start of a new semester with our Welcome Back Breakfast!

This week, we're showcasing alum Tanmay Shetty! Shetty says about his time at , "I joined Auburn University’s Urban Studio in 2022, where the daily exchange of ideas with my classmates became one of the most meaningful parts of my experience. Working with city officials and participating in charrettes with DesignAlabama, Inc. deepened my understanding of how physical, social and economic forces shape the urban landscape. These experiences at Urban Studio changed the way I approach design, showing me its potential to create meaningful connections between people and place."

Questions about this year's Welcome Back Breakfast? Email [email protected] for more info!

Address

2013 4th Avenue N
Birmingham, AL
35203

Website

http://cadc.auburn.edu/urbanstudio

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