Edward "Ed" Allen Technical Teaching Fellows

In the Winter and Spring 2025 terms, ten Ed Allen Technical Teaching Fellows—funded through the Ed Allen Technical Teaching Endowment—will support the ARCH 4585/6 Advanced Design Studios. These professionals bring cutting-edge expertise in areas such as materials, construction, structures, and environmental systems, directly enriching the studio experience. Through lectures, tutorials, workshops, desk crits (remote or in-person), and participation in reviews, they introduce students to the latest tools, methods, and case studies that will enhance their design work.

The fellowship is designed to strengthen the integration of technical subjects into architectural education while promoting a deeper understanding of sustainable resource use. Each studio instructor might work with one or more fellows for one or both terms, depending on the needs of their course. The fellowship may be used to support travel, lodging, and per diem expenses for in-person engagements. Ultimately, this initiative reinforces excellence in integrated design and supports a dynamic learning environment for both graduate and undergraduate students.

Photograph of Ed Allen.

Allen also created the Allen Endowed Fund for Teaching of Architectural Technology, which supports a Technical Teaching in Architecture graduate certificate, a program designed for graduate students interested in the integration of technical building and engineering information with the design education process.

 

Allen Technical Teaching Fellows

2024–2025 

 

Photograph of Ryan King.

 Ryan King, MArch '24 
Mass Timber Designer
Sterling Structural
Chicago, Illinois

Ryan provided technical teaching assistance in the areas of timber manufacturing and the design of buildings using experimental building techniques with natural materials with Assistant Professor Dylan Wood.

 

Photograph of Laura Kiesewetter

Laura Kiesewetter 
Research Associate 
Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart
Stuttgart, Germany 

Laura provided technical teaching assistance in the area of computational design and construction for the design of timber building components with complex geometry with Assistant Professor Dylan Wood. 

 

Photograph of Michael Helmer

Michael Helmer, MArch '18
Kodama Studio
Seattle, Washington

Photograph of Megan Greenfield

Megan Greenfield, MArch '18
Kodama Studio
Seattle, Washington 

Michael and Megan led workshops in carbon-neutral design and whole-building LCA calculations with Professor Ihab Elzeyadi. 

 

Photograph of Birajan.

Birajan Bhandari
Lead Building Performance Engineer
IES Ltd

Photograph of Liam Buckey.

Liam Buckley
Senior Vice President
 IES Ltd

Birajan and Liam led workshops on energy simulations and mechanical systems design with Professor Ihab Elzeyadi.

 

Photograph of Wes Thompson

Wes Thompson, BArch '13  
Architect
Bjarke Ingels Group BIG
Brooklyn, New York

Wes provided virtual lectures on sound stage building, early decision-making for structure, cladding systems, thermal control, and in-person studio visits for technical critiques with Professor Howard Davis.

 

Photograph of Justin Stenkamp.

Justin Stenkamp
Principal
PAE Engineers
Eugene, Oregon 

Justin provided lectures on Living Building design and outcomes and in-person studio visits focusing on mechanical systems, energy use, heating and cooling approaches with Visiting Assistant Professor Malu Borja. 

 

Photograph of Tatiana Armijos.

Tatiana Armijos
Post-doc Researcher
Delft University of Technology
Delft, South Holland, Netherlands 

Tatiana provided virtual lectures on façade design, construction details, and material considerations; and virtual feedback on design details for the building enclosure with Malu Borja. 

 

Photograph of Aaron Cooke.

Aaron Cooke
Architect/Researcher
National Renewable Energy Lab Extreme Climates
Fairbanks, Alaska 

Aaron is working with design studio students on cold climate building physics including solar, thermal, enclosure, and building systems with Professor Erin Moore.