Victor Olgyay

Principal | RMI

Victor Olgyay, AIA is a bioclimatic architect living in Boulder, Colorado. In 1978 he designed his first passive solar house, and has since worked as an architect, writer, professor, researcher, daylighting designer, and environmental consultant. Since 2005, he has been a principal with RMI leading the Buildings Practice to encourage widespread adoption of deeply efficient building design and comprehensive building energy retrofits.

From 1993 to 2000 Victor was an Associate Professor and Director of Research at the University of Hawaii School of Architecture. He was appointed Chairman of the AIA Honolulu Energy and Environment Committee 1995–2000, and in 1998 he was named a Dana Fellow of the Joslyn Castle Institute for Sustainable Communities. He has served on the Board of Directors for the American Solar Energy Society, and is currently on the University of Colorado Design Review Board, and the GSA Green Building Advisory Committee.

Buildings must support human and ecological needs. Victor’s research on ecosystem services as criteria for green building assessment resulted in the “Green Footstep” building tool, demonstrating a lifecycle approach to the reduction of carbon, water, and ecological footprints. His recent work demonstrates how restorative buildings and communities (that generate more resources than they consume) can be profitable investments and act as positive assets, enhancing electrical and utility system infrastructures.