The UO's Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory, founded and led by architecture professor G.Z. Brown since 1977, has a new leader. Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg is taking over the role after 11 years in a similar position at the University of Idaho.

Van Den Wymelenberg was the founding director the Integrated Design Lab at the University of Idaho. He now will lead the UO's center, which focuses on sustainable high-performance buildings and healthy environments. Brown, a Philip H. Knight Professor, has returned to full-time research.

“The Department of Architecture is very excited to be welcoming Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg to our faculty and to the directorship of ESBL,” said department head Judith Sheine. “We are looking forward to Kevin continuing and expanding the remarkable legacy of research and consulting work that G.Z. Brown has led in ESBL and that has been such a critical part of the department’s reputation as the top-ranked architecture program in sustainable design in the U.S.

"Kevin’s own impressive record and plans for the future give us confidence that our department will continue to have a significant impact on sustainable design well into the future,” Sheine said.

The Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory, with locations in both Eugene and Portland, has developed and promoted innovative design strategies to improve human comfort and reduce energy use since its inception. Under Brown's leadership, the center conducted more than $20 million in externally funded research and assisted building owners reduce energy use and improve design.

Van Den Wymelenberg, an associate professor, has a doctorate in the built environment from the University of Washington. He teaches classes in daylighting, integrated design principles, energy performance in buildings and design. He has consulted on hundreds of new construction and major renovation projects with architects and engineers regarding daylight and energy in buildings since 2000.

More information is available in a news story on the website of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.