Philadelphia University | School of Architecture

Undergraduate: Architecture; Architectural Studies; Interior Design; Landscape Architecture
Graduate: Architectural Studies MBA Joint Degree; M.S. In Sustainable Design; M.S. In Construction Management

Faculty

The faculty of the MSSD program are a blend of real-world practioners, theoretical thinkers and innovative researchers. Just as the curriculum rewards multiple learning styles, the faculty have been selected to present the various approaches, concepts, skills and strategies needed to understand and participate in the sustainable-design process.

Rob Fleming, RA LEED AP, Green Advantage Certified, Program Co-Director Director, Engineering and Design Institute, Philadelphia University Associate Professor Rob Fleming began teaching full time at Philadelphia University in 1996. The Sustainable Design Studio, taught since 1997, explores the relationship between environmental efficiency, community vitality and green aesthetics. In 2000, Professor Fleming co-founded the Engineering and Design Institute @ Philadelphia University, an interdisciplinary research center focusing on green materials, sustainable design and community outreach. The Center develops green materials, serves as a design resource for firms seeking to design sustainable buildings and provides community. He is a LEED-accredited professional and has also provided consulting to a number of firms and companies that are designing green buildings. He also has served as a team leader on several integrated sustainable-design charettes. Rob is a founding board member of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council and is the curriculum developer for the nationally offered Green Advantage Training Program.

Christopher Pastore, PhD Professor, School of Engineering and Textiles, Philadelphia University, Co-Director Engineering and Design Institute, Philadelphia University Dr. Pastore has a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering, and an M.S. and B.A. in mathematics. He received the Distinguished Young Scientist award from the Fiber Society in 2000, and was a recipient of the Leadership in Sustainable Buildings Award from the Pennsylvania Resources Council in 2004. Professor Pastore has been teaching engineering and related topics since 1988 and has published over 100 papers and five books. His research expertise is in novel materials, including low-density composites and green materials.

Scott Kelly, AIA LEED AP, Green Advantage Certified Scott Kelly is co-founder and principal of Re:Vision Architecture, an architecture and planning firm committed to revisioning and restoring the balance between natural and built environments. Mr. Scott has practiced environmentally responsible architecture for over fifteen years and early on adopted the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED benchmarking system. In addition to practicing green architecture, he is a consultant to design firms, developers, building owners and manufacturers who are interested in sustainable design and LEED certification. Mr. Scott has spoken around the country on a variety of issues including the integrated-design process, sustainable design and the LEED rating system.

Robert Fryer Assistant Professor, Architecture Program, Philadelphia University For more than ten years, Professor Fryer has designed and managed architectural projects and has been a LEED consultant. The focus of his work is the creation of sustainable buildings that are resource-efficient and work with the climates in which they are located. After earning his master's degree in the Environment & Energy Programme at the Architectural Association in London, he has focused on alternative designs and research centered on adaptive building skins and interior applications of membranes and textiles, which combine new technologies with climate analysis in the design of dynamic membranes. The goal of Professor Fryer's research is to enhance buildings' interaction with microclimates to effectively reduce energy consumption, while using recyclable or biodegradable material. He joined the Engineering & Design Institute as senior research associate in 2004.

Robert Diemer, PE LEED® 2.0 Accredited Professional Mr. Diemer is committed to providing innovative and cost-effective building solutions that enhance the built environment, while minimizing the environmental footprint of each project. He is a partner of AKF Engineers, LLP and has over 25 years experience in the design and integration of mechanical- and electrical-engineering systems for many different building types. Mr. Diemer has collaborated on the design of buildings incorporating innovative sustainable features such as radiant floor heating, displacement ventilation, geo-thermal heat pumps, mixed-mode ventilation and photovoltaics. He is a LEED® 2.0- accredited professional and a leader of the sustainable design initiative for AKF Engineers. Mr. Diemer is chair of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council.

Susan Frostén Associate Professor, Architecture Program, Philadelphia University Professor Frostén earned a B.A. from Barnard College in 1985 and a M.Arch from Columbia University in 1988. After graduation, she worked as a project architect for several firms in New York City, including SOM, Rafael Vinoly Architects and William McDonough and Partners, as well as establishing her own firm. She is a registered architect in New York. Her research interests include environmental sustainability and technology as they relate to design culture.

Alexander A. Messinger Professor, School of Architecture, Philadelphia University Professor Messinger's research interests include light-weight structures, housing systems and energyconservation architecture. He holds several international patents for the use of fibrous materials in architecture and interior design and was named Fellow of the University Science Center, Philadelphia 1978. His research work was published, exhibited and shown on the ABC Network in the United States and Canada. Professor Messinger is a registered architect in Pennsylvania and Israel, with a wide range of residential, commercial and institutional projects in Israel, England, Italy, Jamaica, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Sandy Wiggins Principal, Consilience, LLC During his 29-year career in the real estate development and construction industries, Mr. Wiggins has worked with project teams through the development, design and construction of projects totaling over $800 million. In 2001, he co-founded the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, an organization devoted to changing the way these industries work in order to regenerate the natural environment and leverage the built environment to improve human health and productivity. In 2004, he founded Consilience, LLC, a consulting and development company with a mission to build environmentally, socially and economically sustainable communities by bringing together the principles of green building with other emerging development strategies that facilitate regeneration of the natural environment, and improved health and increased social equity.