Stuckeman School to host UPenn professor for environmental building design talk

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Stuckeman School in the College of Arts and Architecture will welcome William W. Braham, professor of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, to the Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space at noon on April 7 as a part of the school’s Lecture and Exhibit Series. Braham’s lecture, titled “Bioclimatic Innovation: The Promise of Environmental Building Design,” will focus on bioclimatic design, which emerged as a fully formed architectural practice in 1963 with the publication of “Design with Climate: A Bioclimatic Approach to Architectural Regionalism” by Victor Olgyay. In his talk, Braham will examine current bioclimatic practices, the paradoxical measure of comfort and the architectural innovations afforded by an expanded understanding of environmental building design. Previously chair of architecture in the Weitzman School of Design, Braham oversees the Center for Environmental Building + Design and the master of science design with a concentration in environmental building design program there. He has worked on energy and architecture for over 40 years as a designer, consultant and researcher. His most recent projects include energy and carbon plans for Nakashima Woodworkers and Chautauqua Institution, and building performance modeling for the Daikin Open Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley. A fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Braham has authored numerous books and articles. His latest book, published in 2015, is “Architecture and Systems Ecology: Thermodynamic Principles for Environmental Building Design, in Three Parts.” He co-edited “Energy Accounts: Architectural Representations of Energy, Climate, and the Future,” published in 2016. Braham earned both his master of architecture and doctorate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Princeton University. The lecture, which is co-hosted by the Department of Architecture, will also be presented via Zoom. For those attending the lecture remotely, pre-registration is required. For more news from the Stuckeman School, follow us on Twitter @StuckemanNews.