Richard Strong

Adjunct Assistant Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR)

Email: stron081@umn.edu

Telephone: 612.624.7327

Office:
Center for Sustainable Building Research
1425 University Avenue SE, Suite 140
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

Education

Bachelor of Architecture, North Dakota State University 1973

Masters of Urban Planning, McGill University 1976, Thesis Topic: Expansion and Growth of the CBD of Montreal – what form will it take?

Masters of Design Studies, Harvard University 1990, Thesis Topic: How much is urban green space worth?

Biography

Richard Strong is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Sustainable Building Research where, since 2006, he has conducted primary research in the realm of  Sustainable Building practices. He is involved in sustainable practices at a site, campus and city scale. In 1994, while working for Hennepin County,  he initiated Minnesota's first sustainable building rating system called the Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide - MSDG.  He currently coordinates the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines, the second version  MSDG for the State of Minnesota. In the past, he has taught architectural studios at the School of Architecture as a studio critic with David Graham and Tom Hodne as well as eco-house classes at Carleton College.  He is particularly interested in the interactions between recent human developments in the relation to the natural cycles and health of the urban ecosystems. 

Teaching Areas

• Arch 8565: Materials Performance in Sustainable Buildings, School of Architecture, University of Minnesota, Spring 07-08
• Arch 8567: Site and Water in Sustainable Design, School of Architecture, University of Minnesota, Fall 07-08
• Sustainable Cities in Europe-  Compleat Scholar Course, University of Minnesota, Spring 07
• New Urbanism - Compleat Scholar Course, University of Minnesota Spring 08
• ENTS 228: Design and Construction of an Eco-House – Carleton College, Spring 03-06

Current Research

Richard Strong is currently involved in Sustainable Building 2030 - a State of Minnesota program to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in buildings.  This program is similar the Architecture 2030 but adapted to the Minnesota building industry. Over the next years, he will be researching methods to lead the State of Minnesota in its transformation to zero net energy and carbon buildings by the year 2030 into a carbon free future.  He is also assisting as a consultant to the City of St. Paul on  achieving their goal of being one of  the healthiest cities in the US.  He consults on college campus sustainable planning and infrastructure design practices and is actively involved in CSBR outreach to community groups and professional organizations about sustainable practices at all scales.