Architecture as Environmental Art
Sustainable design as an environmental art form, emphasizing its profound interaction with light, sound, materials, and water
Sponsored by Vectorworks, Inc. | Presented by Nathan Kipnis, FAIA, LEED BD+C
Live Webinar Airing on December 4, 2025 at 02:00 PM ET
Sustainable Design has always been a formidable technical challenge. However, it’s time to elevate sustainable design as an environmental art form, emphasizing its profound interaction with light, sound, materials, and water. These elements have played a pivotal role throughout history in shaping spaces and evoking emotional responses, which will be illustrated by a diverse range of case studies. Biophilic design and sustainability will be highlighted, showcasing how architecture can harmoniously integrate with nature. The presentation concludes by encouraging a perspective of architecture as a living art form, capable of shaping human experiences while responding to its environment.
Image courtesy of Kipnis Architecture + Planning
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Nathan Kipnis, FAIA, LEED BD+C has spent his career practicing and promoting the importance of sustainability and energy efficiency in architectural design. A life-long interest was initially sparked during the 1973 energy crisis, and Mr. Kipnis designed his first solar home, located in Boulder, CO, when he was just 22 years old. Viewing the mission beyond his own practice of architecture, Mr. Kipnis’s leadership was instrumental in helping to develop the idea of an offshore wind farm in Lake Michigan off Evanston's shoreline. The work led to a Design Evanston Urban Design/Planning award, and the project is now on the DOE's list of potential offshore wind farm sites. Additionally, he served as the national co-chair for the AIA’s 2030 Commitment Working Groups from 2018 though 2019. In this capacity, he assisted architects with the AIA 2030 Commitment, whose goal is to design full Net Zero buildings by 2030. He is currently serving on the national executive committee of AIA’s Small Firm Exchange. Nathan Kipnis also lectures extensively on topics related to sustainable architectural design and renewable energy. He has been an invited speaker at numerous symposiums and conferences, including at national AIA conventions, the Chicago AIA, Archeworks, GreenBuild, The Midwest Renewable Energy Association, the Center for Green Technology in Chicago, and Northwestern University's “Green City Summer Institute,” as well as being one of the keynote speakers at the Mother Earth News Fair, among others. |
Vectorworks, Inc. is an award-winning design and BIM software provider serving the architecture, landscape architecture and entertainment industries in 85 countries. Creating intuitive software since 1985, we’ve become the preeminent software built to manage the entire design process. Globally more than 685,000 users are creating, connecting and influencing the next generation of design with Vectorworks on Mac and Windows. Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with offices in Newbury and London, England and Vancouver, Canada, Vectorworks is a part of the Nemetschek Group. Learn how we empower designers to create experiences that transform the world at vectorworks.net or follow @Vectorworks.
Originally published in Architectural Record
Originally published in October 2025
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify the role of light, sound, materials, and water in shaping architectural spaces and evoking emotional responses to elevate the human experience.
- Evaluate the role and benefits of integrating biophilic design principles for the well-being of occupants.
- Explore a critical perspective on architecture as a dynamic, responsive art form that engages with nature and enhances sustainability, and how these integrate with several of the ‘petal’s’ from the Living Building Challenge, the AIA’s Framework for Design Excellence, and from the concepts from the WELL certification.
- Recognize the evolution of sustainable design from a technical challenge to an expressive environmental art form.
