What students are saying…
Anonymous
ARC 3210, Spring 2024
“I loved the discussions we had with every lecture…the professor was so involved in our projects and was always willing to help us and spend time with everyone equally.”
Anonymous
ARC 1010, Summer 2022
“I really appreciated how much Professor Ro cared about us as students and our success in his class. He always made sure we understood concepts and wanted us to learn as much as we could.”
Anonymous
ARC 4520, Fall 2023
“Thank you so much Brandon for exposing us to ideas and giving us a chance to explore and learn….your classes are truly the ones that are sculpting my views on the world and the profession.”
Riley Winter
ARC 4530, Spring 2023
“I have had 6 different classes with Brandon throughout my time in the UVU architecture program. Brandon is the best there is. He is always on time, always prepared, always helpful, always concerned with the success of his students and very knowledgeable about the subjects being taught.”
Anonymous
ARC 4530, Spring 2021
“Honestly, this was the most well taught, well organized class I’ve ever taken. I really enjoyed the subject and it will definitely be a subject that resonates with me in the future.”
Anonymous
ARC 3210, Spring 2023
“I was truly blown away by this class. The amount of learning, the instructor, the quality of the projects and the course content, made this a semester to remember. Brandon Ro has cemented himself as one of my favorite professors of all time. He was always prepared and went far beyond to give the most to his students, improving the course structure and open to student input.”
Jared Bradshaw
Spring 2024
“It was an honor and privilege to attend and present my research at NCUR. Conducting student research and being mentored by Professor Brandon Ro has been some of the most engaged learning I have done. By conducting research, I not only learned about my topic but also learned more about how to learn.”
Alexia Trapier
ARC 4520, Fall 2023
“Going to a conference like UCUR was a really cool experience. At first, I was nervous about submitting because I had never done anything like that before. I believe that having a mentor was instrumental to my success and understanding of the process and also the importance of my research.”
Anonymous
ARC 1010, Spring 2021
“I loved everything about this class. It was well structured, the projects were fun, and there was a perfect balance of praise and critiques. Brandon is amazing at getting students excited about the subject and encouraging their creativity…Brandon sets his students up for success. He has been my favorite professor in this major so far.”
Anonymous
ARC 2220, Spring 2023
“You were the best professor that I had throughout my 6 or 7 years of school, hands down. In this class and every other class you have taught me, you’ve always been on time, respectful, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and wanted your students to succeed. You have always been there to take questions, both during and after class. You understand the curriculum and are a fantastic teacher of the material.”
“Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand”
-Confucius
Professor Brandon Ro is passionate about teaching and inspiring the next generation of design professionals. His experience in the profession informs the way he approaches architectural education by striking a balance between theory and practice.
As the co-founder of a new professional Bachelor of Architecture degree program at Utah Valley University (UVU), his leadership has been instrumental in developing new curricula to meet NAAB accreditation requirements for nearly half of the core coursework. He has an array of experience teaching architectural design studios at all levels – ranging from design fundamentals to comprehensive design. Likewise, he has developed and taught courses in architectural history and theory, a course on culture and behavior in architecture, graphic communications, architectural rendering, construction documents and specifications, and 3D modeling (BIM).
Under Professor Ro’s mentorship, multiple student design and research projects (+250) have been published, exhibited, presented at conferences, garnered industry recognition, received juried design awards, and been recognized by international and local news outlets. His commitment to excellence in teaching is demonstrated across 32 different courses and by a high level of satisfaction from over 550 student evaluations (4.78 out of 5.0) which is above department, college, and university averages.
Besides serving as a frequent guest critic and juror at different architecture schools around the country, Professor Ro has been invited to deliver a number of presentations, lectures, workshops, and seminars at institutions of higher learning as well as to groups of practitioners, clients, and the general public. Topics in these activities cover a range of areas including classical design principles, comparative sacred space, architectural history and theory, aesthetic experience, cultural studies, post-occupancy evaluation survey research, evidence-based design processes, and how to apply research in practice.
BROWSE TEACHING RELATED TOPICS
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
TEACHING + RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Architectural design and theory emphasizing phenomenology
- Evidence-based design, performance-based design, pre/post-occupancy evaluation
- Architecture’s effect on human experience, perception, behavior
- Sustainable design and environmental systems integration
- Architectural history, historiography, and reception history
- Cultural, social, political, and religious influences on architectural diversity
- Architecture as text: comparison, interpretation, meaning
- Beauty and the aesthetics of place, space, and form
- Morphology of sacred architecture and urbanism
- Material culture of religion: architectural representations and embodiment of myth, rite, ritual
- Theories of sacred geometry, proportions, and composition in classical architecture and art
For a full list of teaching related accomplishments, courses taught, curriculum developed, and design critic activities, see Professor Ro’s full Curriculum Vitae at the link below:
Tetrad Architecture & Planning 