Leading educator, architect named new head of Architecture Department
The Texas A&M University College of Architecture is pleased to announce the appointment of leading educator, administrator and architect Dr. Gregory A. Luhan, AIA, as the new head of the Department of Architecture effective July 15, 2020.
“I am thrilled to return to Texas A&M,” said Luhan, who served as a Texas A&M visiting associate professor of architecture in 2014. “I find the depth and breadth of opportunities offered by Texas A&M exciting. The architecture program offers one of the largest, most diverse programs of its kind.
“The faculty lead internationally recognized studio projects, conduct substantive and widely-disseminated research across a variety of scales and bring that new knowledge back to transform the classroom into a 3-dimensional textbook,” said Luhan, who will also be the holder of the Ward V. Wells Endowed Professorship. “These possibilities serve as fertile ground for developing synergies to assist communities throughout Texas and beyond.
“The Department of Architecture is poised to evolve and open epoch-making opportunities for entrepreneurship and growth that advances design education, adds value to the profession and community-at-large, and increases the department, college, and university’s visibility in the world,” he said.
Luhan, a faculty member at the University of Kentucky College of Design, currently holds the John Russell Groves Endowed Professorship. As an architect, author, professor, and academic leader, he investigates how design, emerging digital technologies, critical theory, pedagogy, practice, and academic partnerships intersect.
His professional practice and creative scholarship include award-winning, research-driven projects that enable him to forge collaborative relationships with disciplines outside architecture, most notably engineering, education, business, physics, arts & sciences, and the fine arts.
Luhan’s teaching, professional practice, and creative scholarship narrow the gap between the academy and the profession. His multidisciplinary projects integrate novel research and economic development, and incorporate themes central to architecture, most notably sustainability, digital technologies, and the collaborative process that has benefited communities throughout Kentucky, and prepared students to transition successfully into architectural practice.
At the University of Kentucky, Luhan 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 currently serves on the editorial board of Technology | Architecture + Design Journal. His previous leadership roles at the University of Kentucky include serving as an associate dean for research, associate dean for administration, a term on the university senate, and university research professor.
He 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.
Luhan’s often-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 Gregorgy 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.
“We are very pleased that Luhan will join the College Leadership Team during the 50thanniversary of the founding of the College of Architecture, and at the dawn of its next 50 years,” said Jorge Vanegas, dean of the College of Architecture.
“As head of the Department of Architecture, Dr. Luhan will build upon the legacy of those who have led the discipline of architecture at Texas A&M since 1905,” said Vanegas. “He blends proven abilities in learning and teaching, research and creative work, and active engagement through practice, outreach, and service.
“He has also demonstrated leadership, management, and administrative skills, fueled by a passion and dedication to cross-disciplinary exploration, scholarly excellence, and educational innovation,” said Vanegas. “I believe Dr. Luhan’s academic and professional experience, his strengths in multi- and interdisciplinary collaborative environments, visionary spirit, and creative thinking will take the department to new plateau of excellence.”
For more information, contact rnira@arch.tamu.edu or doswald@tamu.edu.
