Sim Van der Ryn
Sim Van der Ryn is an advisor to Ecosa Capital and resident expert in green building design, construction, and materials. Throughout his professional life, Sim has pioneered sustainable design at the community scale and the building specific scale. In each project, he has incorporated new technologies, systems, materials and design solutions to create environments that are sensitive to place and climate, responsive to human needs and that place the highest regard on both the integrity of ecological systems and the quality of life.
Appointed California State Architect by Governor Jerry Brown, Sim developed the nation's first government-initiated energy efficient office building program; and led adoption of energy standards and disability access standards for all construction in California. In this capacity, he was responsible for planning and design of all state facilities including the design and management of the State Park System.
As an educator and researcher, Sim has played a major role in bringing ecological design awareness and practice to children and adults of all ages. While a Professor of Architecture at UC Berkeley, a position he held for over thirty years, Sim was a key force in establishing Berkeley's international reputation as a leading school focusing on issues of socially and environmentally responsible design.
Mr. Van der Ryn also founded the Farallones Institute which designed, built and managed an urban and a rural research/teaching center for studying appropriate technologies, energy-efficiency, organic agriculture, land restoration, community design and ecologically sustainable energy and waste systems, design and construction. The work started by the Farallones Institute continues today at the Ecological Design Institute (EDI), Van der Ryn Architects' non-profit partner. EDI offers training, education, and research services in ecological design to businesses, government agencies, professional organizations and educational institutions.
Sim has also written several cutting edge books about sustainable planning and design including Sustainable Communities (1986) with Peter Calthorpe and Ecological Design (1996) with Stuart Cowan.
Sim is trained as an architect with a degree from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; licenses from California and New Mexico; and certification from the National Council of Architectural Registration.