Walters discusses Door/Window/Stair projects in the atrium of the UF Architecture Building. Photo by Brittany Sosa, Fall 2011. 
Walters discussing first year studio projects. Photo by John Fechtel, Fall 2011. 
Walters on studio reviews at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, with Jennifer Akerman, Kevin Burke, and Pete O’Shea. Photo by Jose Atienza, 2009. 
Walters leading a drawing class at the German Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe in Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Francia Salazar, Spring 2016. 
Walters leading a graduate design studio, Fall 2016. 
Walters and Solar Decathlon Team, Summer 2014. 
Walters presenting research on high-performance housing in Florida at the DCP Research Symposium, Spring 2014. 
Walters leading a student tour at Middleton Place near Charleston, SC. Photo by Mitchell Clarke, Spring 2013. 
Walters addressing graduates at the Spring 2015 CityLab-Orlando Convocation. 
Walters celebrating graduation with Cristina Moreno and Professor Stephen Belton, Spring 2015. 
Walters with Solar Decathlon Team, Summer 2014. 
Walters discusses project work with undergraduate students in the atrium of the architecture building. Photo by Andrew Stanfill, Independent Florida Alligator, Fall 2008. 
Walters in studio design reviews. 
Walters in studio design reviews. 
Walters discussing graduate student work, Fall 2016.
Teaching, Advising, and Instructional Accomplishments
Architectural education encourages dialogue, collaboration, risk-taking, innovation, learning-by-doing, and the integration of technical knowledge. This model places a higher value on the search for constructive strategies of thought and action than on the direct transmission of knowledge and skills. I believe it is important to teach our students an appreciation for open-ended, speculative thinking so that they are prepared for a lifetime of independent research and professional practice. And it is important for us to balance this with carefully-measured, analytic, problem-solving skills that will allow our students to appreciate the specificity required in their built work. I have very high expectations, and work to both demonstrate and communicate these clearly to students.
To the fullest extent possible, I teach by looking through my students’ eyes, seeking to always see their work both from the perspective of the site/context/discipline and from the perspective of the student/creator/thinker. I teach by asking questions, and I often draw while talking with and/or listening to my students. We swap pencils and pens, I navigate their digital projects on-screen, and together we work to clarify the project’s intent and the specifics of its realization. This bridging across scales within the work allows students to think about the detail and big idea simultaneously rather than compartmentalizing information.
I strive to engage students as individuals first, and then as active learners. I work to be accessible to students, yet professional. And I always seek to learn alongside my students. Curiosity is infectious, as is the joy of learning. Helping students to see this allows them to approach every design project with open eyes.
Context + Effort
Design studios are the core of the School of Architecture’s pedagogical structure and are heavily weighted in both credit hours (4-6 per course) and in contact hours (8 hours per week in the first year and 9 hours per week starting in the second year). Most non-studio courses are 3- or 4-credit hours per course. Over the last five years, I have taught required courses in Studio Design (9 classes), Professional Practice (2 classes), Integrated Building Technologies including Materials and Methods (2 classes), Architectural Detailing (2 classes), and Research Methods (1 class). My typical teaching assignment includes two courses in the fall and one or two courses in the spring semester. Over the last five years, teaching has constituted an average of 61.25% of my effort.
Over the last five years, I have served on a total of 38 graduate committees, including three (3) as Member on Ph.D. committees, 17 as Chair on Master’s committees, six (6) as Co-Chair on Master’s committees, and twelve (12) as Member on Master’s committees. This is an average of 7.6 committees per year. This work is completed as an overload assignment (9 credits per student, over two semesters), in addition to my regular teaching assignment.
Teaching-Related Improvement Activities + Awards
I continually invest in the craft of teaching through my teaching, research, and service work. One example is my service as a member of the UF Graduate Student Teaching Award (GSTA) Committee since 2012. This committee conducts peer reviews and evaluates graduate student educators across the university, recognizing the “most industrious and innovative among them.”[1]
In December 2025, I received the DCP Graduate Faculty Teaching Award from the College of Design, Construction and Planning. This award recognizes one faculty member annually for outstanding teaching of graduate students.[2] Over the last five years, seventeen (17) of my graduate students have been recognized with 35 design, research, and teaching awards. These awards include the AIA Henry Adams Medal, Florida AIA Bronze Medal, ARCC KING Student Medal for Excellence in Architectural and Environmental Research, Alpha Rho Chi Medal, UF Graduate School of Architecture GSoA Medal, Critical Discourse Award, PILOT Design Honor Awards, and Graduate Architecture Design Honor Award, amongst others.
[1] UF Graduate Student Teaching Awards, https://graduateschool.ufl.edu/gss/awards/gsta/
[2] https://my.dcp.ufl.edu/dcp-content/uploads/2017/09/DCP-Graduate-Faculty-Teaching-Award-description.pdf
Graduate Education
Graduate Courses Taught:
- DCP 6301 Sustainable Planning and Design Studio (Singapore)
- ARC 6241 Advanced Graduate Architectural Design One
- ARC 6355 Advanced Graduate Architectural Design Two
- ARC 6393 Advanced Architectural Connections
- ARC 6911 Architectural Detailing
- ARC 6913 Architectural Research 3 (MRP/Thesis Preparation)
- ARC 6940 Supervised Teaching
- ARC 6971 Masters Research Thesis
- ARC 6979 Masters Research Project
Published Ph.D. Dissertations – Committee Member
| Author | Year | Title | Publication | Degree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| He, Chang | 2025 | Spiritual Space in Rustic Order | Doctoral Dissertation (Ph.D.)–University of Florida | Ph.D. |
| Kouhirostamkolaei, Mahtab | 2024 | Prospective Dynamic Life Cycle Assessment of Residential Heating and Cooling Systems in Four Different Climates in the United States | Doctoral Dissertation (Ph.D.)–University of Florida | Ph.D. |
| Sun, Ke | 2022 | The Flâneurs Dream World: A Phenomenological Dream Walk Through the Urbanscapes of Paris and New York City | Doctoral Dissertation (Ph.D.)–University of Florida | Ph.D. |
| Zeng, Ruochen | 2019 | Development of a Design System Based on Embodied Energy, Carbon Emissions, and Costs of Buildings in Early Design Phases | Doctoral Dissertation (Ph.D.)–University of Florida | Ph.D. |
Published Masters Thesis / Project-in-lieu-of-Thesis (PILOT)
During academic years 2008-2023, Walters served on a total of 111 Graduate Thesis and/or PILOT Committees. Specific committee roles over these 15 years were as follows:
- Committee Chair: 63 Thesis and/or PILOT Committees (average of 4.2 committees per year)
- Committee Co-Chair or Member: 48 Thesis and/or PILOT Committees (average of 3.2 committees per year)
- Total: 111 (average of 7.4 committees per year)
Faculty Thesis + PILOT Collaborations (2008-2023):
Graduate Committee Details
Doctoral and Masters Committee Totals (2008-2023):
- Ph.D. = Doctor of Philosophy: 3
- M.ARCH = Master of Architecture: 88
- MSAS SD = MSAS in Sustainable Design: 22
- MSAS PEDAGOGY = MSAS in Pedagogy: 1
- THESIS = M.Arch or MSAS Thesis: 6
For graduate students, contemplating research trajectories:
Undergraduate Teaching and Mentorship
Undergraduate Courses Taught:
- ARC 1301 Architectural Design 1
- ARC 1302 Architectural Design 2
- ARC 2303 Architectural Design 3
- ARC 2304 Architectural Design 4
- ARC 2461 Materials and Methods of Construction 1
- ARC 3291 Analytic Drawing and Sketching (Vicenza, Italy)
- ARC 3320 Architectural Design 5
- ARC 3321 Architectural Design 6
- ARC 3463 Materials and Methods of Construction 2 (Vicenza, Italy)
- ARC 4073 Graduate Core Studio 3
- ARC 4074 Graduate Core Studio 4
- DCP 4290 Capstone Project in Sustainability and the Built Environment
- ARC 4322 Architectural Design 7
- ARC 4323 Architectural Design 8 (Gainesville, Florida and Vicenza, Italy)
- ARC 4323 Integrated Project Delivery Studio and Practicum
- ARC 4941 Educational Teaching Issues
Published B.S.S.B.E. Capstone Project – Faculty Advisor
- White, Alyssa. 2015. Sustainable Materials: For Zero-Waste Design: Discovering Alternative Materials for the Future of Zero Waste Architecture.
- Huber, Katherine. 2010. A Path to Sustainable Construction: Modular Techniques and Environmental Drivers Behind Materiality.
Published Undergraduate Honors Thesis – Faculty Advisor / Mentor
2020-2021 (5)
- Bergeron, Natalie. 2021. The Memory of a City: The Reintroduction of Farmlands in Manhattan.
- Gooch, Elizabeth. 2021. The Art of Stillness in Architecture.
- Martucci, Clara. 2021. Designing Cities through Sound: A Comparative Study of Urban Spaces and Soundscapes.
- Operta, Merlina. 2021. Places for People: Reconsidering the Metropolis.
- Roberts, Stephanie Rose. 2021. The Human vs. The Machine: How Urban Palimpsest or Erasure Impacts Societal Endeavors and Placemaking.
2018-2019 (2)
- Restieri, Ryan C. 2019. Vital Urban Architecture: Parcel, Transportation, and Communication.
- Wiedenhoever, Laura. 2019. Inside-Out: Investigating Energy Efficient Facades.
2015-2016 (8)
- Benitez, Adiel Alexis. 2016. Drawing Out Suggestions of a Possible Architecture: Drawing and Speculation In Pursuit of Architectural Solutions.
- Kokenge, Samantha. 2016. Designing Digitally: Ornament or Advancing Architecture.
- Marblestone, Kevin. 2016. A New Infrastructure: Establishing a Culture of Resilience and Civic Engagement.
- Nichols, Graham Isaac. 2016. Produce to the People: Solutions for Manhattan’s Food Deserts.
- Rutland, Sarah. 2016. Public Space: Architecture as a Library, Mirror, and Lighthouse.
- Savignon, Ivy. 2016. Lack of Place: Urban Wastelands as Catalytic Opportunities for Urban Growth and Social Interaction.
- Tran, Anh. 2016. Habitable Station: Refocus on Spatial Qualities of Civic Nodes in Public Domain.
- Whitbeck, Emily. 2016. The New York City Grid: Impediment or Opportunity for Innovation in Architecture.
2011-2012 (7)
- Hiller, Anastasia. 2012. Architecture Representation: Abstraction and Symbol within Design.
- Ho, Huynh. 2012. People as Context.
- Jones, Abigail. 2012. The Layered City: Streetscape as Differing Layers of Engagement within the Metropolis and its Buildings.
- Mudenda, Muchanga. 2012. Shaping Public Space: The Modern Day Courtyard.
- Pace, Jessica. 2012. Technology and Digital Form: Obsolescence vs. Relevance.
- Tao, Yifan. 2012. Redefining the Urban Condition: Relationships within the Built Environment.
- Tracy, Matthew. 2012. The Puzzle of Architecture: The Network of Pieces: Joints, Journey, Parts.
2010-2011 (3)
- Ala, Justine. 2011. The Phenomenology of Projection.
- Bittner, Hana. 2011. Urban Kinematics: Interpreting Urban Scripts and Deconstructing Systems of Living.
- Schafer, Challie. 2011. The Urban Palimpsest: Constructing a Sense of Place Through Experiential Layers.
2009-2010 (4)
- Chu, Katherine. 2010. Urban Viewing: Rethinking Relationships through the Built Environment.
- de Solo, Enrique. 2010. The Design Process: A Search for Originality Amongst Existing Archetypes.
- Hurcomb, Melissa. 2010. Redefinition of Urban Viewing and Interaction through an Architectural Framework.
- Levin, Danielle. 2010. New York City Block.
University Scholar Mentor + Faculty Advisor
- Martucci, Clara. 2021. Designing Cities Through Sound: A Comparative Study of Urban Spaces and Soundscapes. Vol. 23 (2021): UF Journal of Undergraduate Research. https://journals.flvc.org/UFJUR/article/view/128400. Scholar Profile: https://cur.aa.ufl.edu/portfolio/clara_martucci/
- Kyesmu, Panquat. 2016. The Preservation of Memory: Germplasm Repository in the Tropics.
- Clarke, Mitchell. 2014. Link between Spatial Design and Social Responses in Student Housing.
- Monroe, Marcy. 2010. The Economic and Political Influence on Natural Disaster Recovery: Rebuilding After the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in China.
United World College Scholars Program + Kathryn W. Davis Projects for Peace – Faculty Advisor
- Misuraca, Jeanette and Djoni Austin. 2017. Tarpon Excelling Above Modern Society (T.E.A.M.S.). United World College Scholars Program + Kathryn W. Davis Projects for Peace, Middlebury College, Middlebury Vermont. Award profile: http://www.davisprojectsforpeace.org/projects/projects/2017/node/4878. Project page: https://www.middlebury.edu/projects-for-peace/projects/2017/tarpon-excelling-above-modern-society-teams.
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