Kiel Moe
Northeastern University/USAKiel Moe is assistant professor of design and building technologies. He is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. He received his B.Arch from the University of Cincinnati, his M.Arch from University of Virginia, and his M.DesS from Harvard University Graduate School of Design Advanced Studies Program.
He taught previously at Syracuse University where was also associated with the Syracuse Center of Energy and Environmental Excellence. Before that, he was the Herbert S. Greenwald Visiting Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. At Northeastern, Moe teaches design studios and lectures on the topic of Integrated Design and Energy Systems. Moe has worked for WW, Doug Garofalo, Hargreaves Associates, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, among other offi ces. He has a design/build practice for small, research-driven projects and consults on integrated design strategies on larger projects.
His current research focuses on Thermally Active Surfaces in Architecture. In this transformation of energy and building practices, the thermal conditioning of a building is decoupled from the ventilation system by using the mass of the building itself as the thermal system. This method of heat transfer is physiologically and thermodynamically optimal. It also reinvests the fabric of the building itself with a more a poignant role: the structure is also the primary mechanical system. As the basis of energy and construction strategies, it yields a cascading set of advantages for the building design and construction industry: radically lower energy consumption, more durable buildings, more healthy buildings, and more integrated building systems and design teams. An important aspect of thermally active surfaces is that they are low-tech yet high performance and are thus equally applicable in the developed and developing worlds. As such, thermally active surfaces are central to multiple aspects of sustainability. This work has been funded with grants by the Boston Society of Architects, the AIA RFP grant program, the AIA UPJOHN grant program, and the Northeastern University Provost Faculty Development program.
