Education
M. Arch., Virginia Tech
B.A, Studio Art, Furman University
Licensure
Certified Architect, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (no. 51500)
Registered Architect, Georgia (no. RA009566) & Florida (no. AR91450)
Registered Interior Designer, Georgia (no. 000662)
Areas of Expertise
Ron is developing theoretical and applied written, graphic, and small built works that probe building (of modest scale) as a constructive practice situated within particular cultural, social, and/or physical conditions. Ron is especially interested in design, art/craft, and fabrication practices that result in poetic expression through unconventional or innovative material processes and applications. Vehicles for these works are varied and currently include documentation and analysis of vernacular agricultural (and other roadside) buildings, design for sustainable family dwellings, and extra-disciplinary influenced pedagogies and writings drawn from Readymade, Process, and Minimalist art movements. Coinciding with the development of the new WVU Design & Merchandising digital fabrication and documentation lab coupled with the broader resources of the Davis College, Ron is identifying interiors-focused vehicles such as interior skins, furnishings, and installations through which “building as constructive practices within particular situations” may further expand our understanding of material expressive and performance potentials, disciplinary boundaries, and interdisciplinary relationships.
Pedagogically, within the context of given course objectives, Ron infuses his interests and expertise into coursework while encouraging the individual student to develop her or his position within the discipline. In this way, the design studio course, in particular, is a laboratory in which we are all learners. Ron has previously taught design studios for architecture and interior design students, architectural graphics, architectural history, building assemblies, furniture design/fabrication, and design/build courses, among others.
Ron joins the WVU faculty in 2008 following architectural practice with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects in Pittsburgh, PA. Ron previously taught undergraduate and graduate courses at Virginia Tech, University of South Florida, and Louisiana Tech University and his previous practice experience includes work with Ray Huff Architects (now Huff + Gooden Architects) in Charleston, SC and Smith Dalia Architects in Atlanta, GA.
Classes
ID155: Interior Design Graphics I
ID 355: Contract Interior Design I
