Vivian Loftness FAIA, is an internationally renowned researcher, author and educator focused on environmental design and sustainability, climate and regionalism in architecture, and the integration of advanced building systems for health and productivity in the workplace of the future.

At Carnegie Mellon University, Professor Loftness holds the Paul Mellon Distinguished Chair in Architecture, is one of 40 University Professors, and served a decade as Head of the School of Architecture. With over 30 years of industry and government research funding, she is a key member of Carnegie Mellon’s leadership in sustainability research and education, and contributor to the ongoing development of the Intelligent Workplace – a living laboratory of commercial building innovations for performance. She has co-authored book chapters and books, over 100 journal articles, and served as editor and contributing author for the 2013 and 2020 Springer Encyclopedia on Sustainable Built Environments.

She has served on over 25 Board of Directors, including EPA’s NACEPT, DOE’s FEMAC, and the National USGBC, AIA, and ILFI Boards. She has been a member of twelve National Academy of Science panels as well as the Academy’s Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment, and given four Congressional testimonies on sustainable design. Her work has influenced national policy and building projects, including the Adaptable Workplace Lab at the U.S. General Services Administration and the Laboratory for Cognition at Electricity de France.

Vivian has been recognized as a LEED Fellow, a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, the New Buildings Institute and the Scott Energy Institute, and one of 13 Stars of Building Science by the Building Research Establishment in the UK. She received Awards of Distinction from AIA Pennsylvania and NESEA, holds a National Educator Honor Award from the American Institute of Architecture Students, and a “Sacred Tree” Award from the US Green Building Council. Vivian Loftness has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Architecture from MIT.