Paul J. Donnelly, FAIA, PE, LEED AP, the Rebecca and John Voyles Chair in Architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, has received the Distinguished Professor Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA).
Donnelly is one of only five professors nationally to receive the honor, which recognizes sustained creative achievement in architectural education through teaching, design, scholarship, research and service. An awards ceremony will be held March 9 during the 95th ACSA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
A registered architect as well as a professional engineer, Donnelly teaches courses in advanced building systems as well as upper level design studios focusing on emerging technology integration related to both the design process and the making of architecture. He also teaches technology-transfer seminars which explore the architectural potential of emerging technologies and processes in other fields, ranging from the automotive and aerospace industries to robotics.
Donnelly has won national and international competitions focusing on the architectural implications of emerging technologies and technology integration, his main research interest. His design proposals have been published in numerous professional journals and exhibited in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Donnelly’s pedagogical strategies related to technology education for architects have been presented in papers and lectures to both practitioners and educators and his students have won numerous awards, including the Renzo Piano Fellowship.
During a recent accreditation visit for the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design, the accreditation team, which judged the overall program as excellent, sighted the technology curriculum and technology integration in the design studio as two aspects of the program worthy of the highest distinction.
Donnelly came to Washington University in 1996, having previously taught in the Department of Architecture and Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. A Fellow in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the national civil engineering honor society, Chi Epsilon, he has more than 20 years experience in private practice and is presently a vice president and the architect for advanced technologies at Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc., in St. Louis.
Donnelly received a Bachelor of Science in Structural Engineering from Northeastern University; a Master of Science in Engineering Mechanics from Columbia University, where he was a NASA Fellow; and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Boston Architectural Center. He was also a graduate student and research assistant in structural engineering at McGill University.
The ACSA is a non-profit membership association founded in 1912 to advance the quality of architectural education. Members consist of all colleges and universities that offer accredited degree programs in architecture in the United States and Canada; candidate schools seeking accreditation; and affiliate membership for two-year and international programs and others ineligible for accreditation. Through these schools, more than 4,700 architectural faculty are represented. In addition, the ACSA includes more than 500 supporting members composed of architecture firms and practitioners, product associations, individuals and students.