Architecture department head elevated to AIA College of Fellows
Exceptional contributions to architecture, design education, and society have elevated Greg Luhan, head of the Texas A&M Department of Architecture, to membership in the prestigious American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows, a distinction held by only three percent of AIA members.
An investiture ceremony for Luhan and this year’s group of new AIA fellows is scheduled Friday, June 24, at the AIA’s Conference on Architecture in Chicago.
Luhan, whose appointment as department head began in July 2020, has led numerous new departmental initiatives, including an accelerated pathway to professional licensure for Texas A&M Master of Architecture students, and a design project for a Juneteenth museum in Galveston that features a collaboration with Texas A&M and Prairie View A&M design students and faculty, and Galveston community members.
For many years, Luhan’s award-winning, research-driven teaching, scholarship and professional practice has enabled him to forge collaborative relationships with disciplines outside architecture, most notably engineering, education, business, physics, arts & sciences, and the fine arts.
Luhan regularly heads multidisciplinary projects which integrate novel research and economic development, and incorporate themes central to architecture, most notably sustainability, digital technologies, and the collaborative process.
Prior to heading the Department of Architecture, Luhan served as an administrator and faculty member at the University of Kentucky, where he directed student-built projects that employed multidisciplinary pedagogy, including the broadly recognized “Houseboats to Energy Efficient Residences,” the AIA award-winning entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2009 Solar Decathlon.
The groundbreaking project featured the Resonance House, the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified house in Kentucky. It served as a model in the U.S. Green Building Council’s pilot program for LEED homes.
Luhan, serves on the editorial board of Technology | Architecture + Design Journal, and has also served on the executive board of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, and on the editorial board of the International Journal of Architectural Computing.
His oft-cited scholarship resulted in recognition and best paper awards from ACSA, CAADRIA, and SIGraDi. He co-edited Synthetic Landscapes and The Digital Exchange and has authored numerous journal articles. He has also authored four books: “Close to Home: Buildings and Projects of Michael Koch, Architect,” “Dayton Eugene Egger – The Paradox of Place: In the Line of Sight,” “Live.Light” and co-authored “The Louisville Guide”.
He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree at Virginia Tech, a Master of Architecture degree at Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in Architecture at Texas A&M.
Luhan started his academic career at the University of Kentucky and founded Gregory Luhan Architects in 1998. Prior to starting the firm, he served as a senior designer and project architect on acclaimed national and international projects with Agrest & Gandelsonas after interning at Gwathmey Siegel, Eisenman Architects, and Edward Larrabee Barnes in New York City. He holds National Council of Architectural Registration Boards certification and architectural registrations in New York, Kentucky, and Texas.
