OSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture celebrates milestone anniversary of Studio Exchange Program

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Media Contact:
Sophia Fahleson | Office of Communications and Marketing, OSU Agriculture | 405-744-7063 | [email protected]

International collaboration is not uncommon for students in the Oklahoma State University  Ferguson College of Agriculture. The Studio Exchange Program, a partnership between the OSU  Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture and the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, or UPC, celebrated its 20th year
of in-person collaboration in spring 2025.

The Studio Exchange Program, established in 1998 by the late Charles Leider, a former
OSU landscape architecture professor, was created to incorporate global learning in
design education for both architecture and landscape architecture students. Since
the program’s beginning, UPC architecture students have traveled to Stillwater 20
times, said Bo Zhang, OSU landscape architecture associate professor.

In February, a group of UPC architecture students traveled to Stillwater to participate
in the program. UPC students were teamed with OSU landscape architecture students
enrolled in the Studio 3 course, led by Zhang, and tasked with completing an architectural
scenario of a maritime museum in Lima, Peru.

Prior to starting their projects in the studio, OSU students spent three weeks completing
individual research on Peruvian culture, climate and architectural conditions while
UPC students worked on architectural concepts. After the UPC students arrived in Stillwater,
the teams spent three weeks working together, incorporating principles of architectural
and landscape architectural design to complete their museum concepts.

Zhang said participants gain more than technical design experience through the program.
Students also develop skills including teamwork, empathy, critical thinking and communication.

“When the students are paired together, they have to learn how to communicate with
each other, problem solve, share design approaches and collaborate to meet project
deadlines,” Zhang said.

Marcos Rivarola, professor in the UPC School of Architecture, said the exchange experience
allows students to visualize a career in architecture or landscape architecture. 

“It’s not only lines and colors and paintings, it’s real,” Rivarola said. “The students
have a partner who thinks differently than them, and it’s crucial that they find agreements
in their project work.”

Architects and landscape architects work closely together to create functional spaces,
and the program’s collaborative nature gives students an understanding of this professional
relationship, said Michael Holmes, OSU landscape architecture program director and
professor.

“The goal is for students to be a sponge and take in as much as they can,” Holmes
said. “The Peruvian and U.S. students are encouraged to share their cultures and ideas
because they’re going to be working across disciplines and will collaborate once they
get into their careers.”

Thomas Caverlee, a second-year landscape architecture student, said this project was
a positive learning experience.

“The program mirrors how I imagine the real world will be,” Caverlee said. “Not everything
can be your own idea, and you have to compromise to come up with ideas together to
complete the final product.”

Rafael Vergara Rebosio, professor at the UPC School of Architecture and consultant
for the university’s Office of Academic Excellence, said the program’s cross-cultural
collaboration is one of its most meaningful aspects.  

“It’s enriching for both universities to learn from each other,” he said. “Students
learn to work together not only in a different context but also with a different profession
in a real-world setting.”

At the program’s conclusion, teams presented their final museum scenarios to OSU and
UPC faculty. Their projects were evaluated on how effectively the building and landscape
design integrates, Zhang said.

After the presentations, students were presented with certificates for program completion.
Four teams were also recognized with awards for Best Team Collaboration, Best Landscape
Architecture, Best Architecture and Leader of Facilitating Collaborations. 

“The certificates recognize the students’ personal and professional advancements through
the program,” Zhang said. “It’s a challenging and rewarding experience for the students.
They overcome intercultural, interdisciplinary, language and measurement system challenges,
but also inspire each other during the process. I’m proud of them.”

UPC student Renzo Barrios said he is proud of his accomplishments during this experience.
Barrios and his partner, OSU landscape architecture student Coleman Junell, were presented
with the Best Team Collaboration Award.

“I feel proud of everything I’ve experienced and learned, and if I had the opportunity
to do it again, I would,” Barrios said. “I will continue to focus on my future career
and hope to enjoy it alongside the students I made connections with during the program.”