Edward Dean

Architect and Sustainability Consultant | Bernheim + Dean Inc.

Edward Dean, FAIA, is a practicing architect and sustainability consultant in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been a champion of low-energy aspects of green building design for his entire career. After teaching design studio and environmental courses at UC Berkeley for 10 years, he turned to full time architectural practice working for Joseph Esherick in San Francisco as lead designer on a number of projects noted for their innovative aspects in green design, in particular design for daylight. He continued to work in the mainstream practice of architecture at major firms, including NBBJ, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca (ZGF), SMWM (now part of Perkins & Will) and SOM.

Currently, he is one of the leaders of the architectural profession in the design of Zero Net Energy (ZNE) buildings. He led the design team for the West Branch Library for the City of Berkeley that was certified ZNE in 2015 by the International Living Future Institute, achieved LEED-Platinum certification and was selected in 2016 as one of the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Projects.

Ed is now engaged in full-time consulting practice with his own firm, Bernheim + Dean Inc., in sustainable and healthy building design, and ZNE design in particular. He is the author of two recently published books on the subject, commissioned by Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Zero Net Energy Case Study Buildings, Volumes 1 (2014) and 2 (2016).

In recognition of his career-long leadership on a national level in low-energy, high performance building design, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) elevated him in 2012 to the College of Fellows of the AIA.