Jason Sorwell

Time as an architect

Architecture to you

"From Jimmy Jackson who was a significant cultural historian of landscapes. Asserted that landscape is in essence Humanity taking upon themself the responsibility to accelerate biophysical prophecies and in doing that their intent is to set up the landscape to perform some type of social cultural benefit. But it also means that there is a need to care for that landscape and manage it in order to achieve the goals and objectives that the cultural and social outline"

Headshot of Jason

About Sorwell

"Sowell received his Bachelor of Architecture, magna cum laude from the University of Tennessee's College of Architecture and Planning, and his Master in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He is a co-principal of SSAU, Stiphany Sowell Architecture + Urbanism, with Kristine Stiphany, PhD, AIA of Tech's College of Architecture. Their work encompasses built and speculative projects that range in scale from material experiments and buildings, to parks and regional landscapes."

"Prior to joining the Tech faculty, Sowell was an associate professor and director for the Graduate Program of Landscape Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture. He previously taught at the Penn School of Design and the University of Tennessee College of Architecture and Design."

"At Texas Tech, Sowell will advance a research agenda regarding the design and management of urban landscapes in areas that are increasingly shifting toward a semi-arid climate, including the continuation of projects tied to prescribed fire, novel ecosystems, and resilient infrastructure."

"A registered architect, Sowell's research and teaching focus on the intersection among architecture, landscape architecture, and technology in urban regions, drawing upon interdisciplinary frameworks and digital tools to analyze how technology informs design, spatial experience, and landscape performance. His work has received national and international awards and been published or exhibited in a range of national and international venues, notably the Venice and Pan-American Biennales."

Time at Texas Tech Univeristy

Favorite part about your job

"I don't know that I have one favorite part for say over another I think in terms of I do place a great deal of importance or a priority on educating students."

Spousal hire

"My partner teaches in the department of Architecture. As a part of her coming here, I joined her from University of Texas at Austin where I had been a professor with tenure for a number of years."

Studio calss

"Lubbock's urban design masterplan is to create 50,000 households by 2040."

"How the downtown could be redeveloped to add more commercial, residential and retail."

Photos of Jason teaching and working with students during their studio class.

Purpose

"What is the role of management in terms of how we think about landscapes and implement them longer term and what is involved in that?"

Sub-themes

"How do we use the ever-growing data to calibrate management more intelligently?"

"Can we think about experimentation as a way to direct or give options for how management may evolbe over time so the landscape is not stuck in one certian point of view?"

"How are landscapes influenced by how people think about them?"

Photos from the event of participants speaking and working with students.

Participants

Fred Beach

Jim Blackburn

Melissa Currie

John Davis

Wenxuan Gou

Matt O'Toole

Kristin Pipkin

Andrew Russel

Jason Sorwell

Kristine Stiphany

Marianna Trevino-Wright

Charles West

Claire Williams