Colin W. Clipson
Professor Emeritus of Architecture Colin W. Clipson died Sept. 18 after an extended illness. He was 66.
He received his B.A. degree and a graduate diploma from the University of Durham and a M.Sc. degree from the University of Technology, all in his native England. Prior to joining the U-M faculty in 1969 Clipson served as chair of the design department at The Ohio State University.
“Colin Clipson was an international pioneer in architectural research, as well as a distinguished scholar, teacher and an elegant human being,” said Douglas Kelbaugh, dean of Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
At the U-M, Clipson integrated graduate and doctoral level courses in design and in human factors through an active program in design research. He served as chair of the College’s research program and on numerous committees at various levels within the College and University. He was the recipient of a Design Research Award from the National Endowment for the Arts and a design research citation from the AIA. He was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and received the Presidential Design Award, the First Design Research Award from Progressive Architecture, and the Sol King Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Clipson worked with major U.S. corporations and was a project director with NASA’s Ames Space Research Center, working on space station simulations. He was director of the School of Art and Design’s The Workplace Research Group, which initiated projects on workplace planning and design in collaboration with corporations and government agencies.
Burial will be in Scotland. Plans for a memorial service at the College are pending.
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