SA+P Hosts 41st National Conference on the Beginning Design Student
April 14, 2026
The University of New Mexico School of Architecture + Planning welcomed the 41st National Conference on the Beginning Design Student Feb. 26-28 in George Pearl Hall. NCBDS is a scholarly gathering for design educators to present papers and projects and hold discussions related to introductory design education. The conference was co-chaired by UNM architecture faculty Stephanie Bunt, Liane Hancock and Lauren McQuistion with support from the school’s staff, students and other faculty.
NCBDS 41 drew 200 attendees from throughout the U.S. and beyond. Its theme was Projective Environments, which emphasized environmental impact and placeness through a lens of landscape considerations. Over three days of programming, attendees explored how they are preparing the next generation of designers to solve complex problems, particularly how design decisions impact our environment, and thinking about current and future challenges.
Dean Robert Alexander Gonzalez provided an opening talk that set the conference tone on the future of design, specifically discussing three new buildings in development on the UNM campus. The keynote panel discussion, led by Acting Architecture Department Chair Michaele Pride, reflected on community engaged design education and the expanding role of beginning design in shaping socially responsive architectural practice.
New Mexico hospitality was on full display, as attendees enjoyed local foods and engaged in related workshops and excursions. Workshops launched the conference on adobe brick construction with hands-on adobe making and early career academics on demystifying the tenure process and supporting good mentorship. The closing dinner at Fusion featured local fare by the Street Food Institute and music by Nosotros. NCBDS 41 was capped off Sunday with excursions to visit local architecture by Antoine Predock and Bart Prince and to Santa Fe and Bandelier National Monument.
“Overall, we were proud to share this amazing place that we call home – UNM, Albuquerque, and New Mexico – with the NCBDS community!” said Bunt. “It was a lot of work, but we had a great team and amazing support from school staff, students, and fellow faculty, which made organizing such a successful event possible.”
The NCBDS conference is propelled by its dedicated community of beginning design educators whose interests span educational challenges, curricular strategies, and projects in beginning design. Each year, conference location, leadership and execution are selected by proposal, and the event hosting moves among participating universities. As a result, the conference invites a variety of themes, experiences, and expertise, to make a community of enthusiastic academics.
