Peters

Patrick Peters, a professor at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, has been honored by the Houston chapter of the American Institute of Architects as Educator of the Year.

The award is offered annually to professors of architecture at UH, Rice and Prairie View A&M, with the winner being chosen by a committee from the AIA Houston chapter.

“Professor Peters is a great example of an educator for many reasons. What stands out to me most is the time and personal touch he extends to each student,” said architecture professor and former Dean Joseph Mashburn.

Peters is perhaps best known as the director of UH’s Graduate Design/Build Studio. The GDBS is an organization that allows graduate architecture students a unique opportunity to plan, design and construct buildings in the real world for various nonprofit groups in the Houston area. The studio is an important opportunity for architecture students, as it allows them to test their designs in real-world circumstances, rather than on paper or in the form of a model.

“(Peters) is great. When we go out and do our design/build, he’s right out there with us, pouring concrete, carrying steel, offering advice to us as we go,” said Andy Okonkwo, a graduate student of architecture who has studied under Peters.

Peters has been teaching architecture for 27 years, the last 26 of which were at UH. He studied architecture at the University of Cincinnati before going into teaching, spending a year teaching in Malaysia before returning to teach at UH.

“I am gratified that AIA Houston places importance on the role of educators in promoting and supporting the profession and am especially honored that my peer architects value the work that I am involved in at the University of Houston,” Peters said.

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“Architecture professor named Educator of the Year” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar