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Introduction

Douglas Kelbaugh, Professor at the University of Michigan

Douglas Kelbaugh, age 67, is a professor of architecture and urban regional planning at the University of Michigan. He believes that through the creation of mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods that use passive solar heating, cities can achieve higher environmental standards. He envisions sustainable design as a combination of aesthetics and green architecture. He says, “Beauty is important for sustainability because if it’s not beautiful you’re not going to love it.” He associates green design with beauty because people are much more likely to admire and protect something that is beautiful.

Career

Kelbaugh is recognized for the design of his 1975 passive solar house in Princeton, New Jersey, which was the first in the country to incorporate a Trombe wall. This type of wall absorbs heat during the day and releases it into the house at night. It became well known in the passive solar movement, giving him architectural merit, and was later mentioned in about 100 publications. Though he always had an interest in architecture, he began studying it his freshman year at Princeton. His work then began primarily with design since accessing energy was not a widespread problem at the time. His interest in solar did not spark until 1973 when the oil embargo hit. He says, “It was a big wake up call for the United States, and the whole world.” Kelbaugh realized that passive solar energy could become a crucial movement, so he decided to pursue it.

However, once President Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981, he “ripped the solar collectors off the White House,” says Kelbaugh. Reagan’s policies reduced energy costs and moved away from renewable energy, which caused people to lose interest in solar power, leading his architecture practice to struggle.

In 1985, Kelbaugh moved out of the home he designed to Seattle and became the Chairman of the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington. Though he was hesitant after investing so much time and energy into his practice, he “gave it all up.” He said, “Seattle wasn't really a place we could do solar, it was sort of a relief.” His extensive work with solar burned him out, and this move allowed him to shed light on new ideas.

After working and teaching in Seattle for thirteen years, Kelbaugh was nominated for a position at the University of Michigan. He served as the Dean and a Professor of the Taubman College of Architecture from 1998 to 2008. He took a two year leave from the University to work as the Executive Director for Limitless, LCC in Dubai, United Arab Emrates. He saw this as an “amazingly interesting” job offer where he would assist in “developing mixed use, walkable, transit-oriented, dense urban developments,” he says. Here is where he designed one of his favorite projects, the first Mosque in the country to be LEED certified, which received the AIA Huron Valley Honor Award.

Current Work

Kelbaugh is now more focused on teaching and passing on his experiences. Joseph Jones, who once worked for him as a graduate student instructor, says Kelbaugh is “an incredible source of knowledge, which he tries to convey to his students.”

Kelbaugh sees changing behavior as one of the biggest challenges in green design. People don’t want to change their habits if it is not convenient to them. The industrialized world in which we live has a “sloppy energy intensive lifestyle,” he says. Since he sees climate change as the biggest single challenge that humanity faces, he hopes that he can have an impact by passing on his ideas and creating a better sustainable urban design.