Environments by Design

Viraji Bandara is a PhD student at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, University of Calgary. Her Current research focuses on Adaptable housing. In this research she is looking into how to Support Multi-Unit Residential Buildings to be Adaptable in Accommodating the Users’ Future Needs. She completed her Master of Environmental Design degree also at the University of Calgary. Her master’s research focuses on the contribution of urban design in forming intercultural communities. Prior to her graduate studies, Viraji worked as an Architect in Sri Lanka.  She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. With her experiences, Viraji has gained a strong understanding of the correlation between the design of cities and the well-being of its citizenry. Currently, Viraji also works as a research assistant in a team focused on integrating infrastructural systems.

Joshua M. Taron is an Assistant Professor of architecture at the University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design where he runs the Laboratory for Integrative Design (LID). His current research focuses on structurally intelligent swarms as an alternative to conventional wholesale building demolition by grafting complex morphological assemblies into existing buildings. This work is done in partnership with a variety of disciplines such as computer science, structural engineering and city planning. The work has been published internationally and orients itself toward finding new ways of revitalizing and sustaining the already-built environment. Taron is also Principal of Synthetiques, an award-winning research+design+build outfit focusing on the hybrid ecologies afforded through the interface of computational and physical economies across multiple scales. He earned his undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and holds a Master of Architecture degree from the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Lina Kattan is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Canada. She holds the Urban Alliance Research Chair in Transportation Systems Optimization with the City of Calgary. She is also the director of the NSERC CREATE program in Integrated Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities (IISC).Dr. Lina Kattan ‘s research program at the University of Calgary focuses on Applications of Emerging Technologies to Traffic and Public Transit, Connected and Autonomous Vehicle, Advanced Traffic Management and Control, Freeway Operation and Management, Network Simulation Modelling and Analysis, Traveller Behavioural Modelling in response to Emerging Transportation Technologies and Dynamic Demand Modelling. Lina’s work is conducted in collaboration with municipal and industry partners to develop intelligent transportation system (ITS) solutions and advanced control of traffic systems, and to assess emerging technologies for traffic management, public transit operation and pedestrian safety.

Getachew Assefa is Associate Professor of Sustainable Design, at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary. He is the former Athena Chair in Life Cycle Assessment at the Faculty of Environmental Design. His research interest includes life cycle sustainability assessment, built environment assessment, industrial ecology, and sustainable consumption. He focuses on design and development of technical systems including energy systems, biofuels and bioenergy, waste management system, and buildings. He teaches courses in life cycle assessment, industrial ecology, architecture and life cycle thinking, design decisions, and global sustainability. He received University of Calgary’s Sustainability Award for 2017 for Campus as Learning Lab Category, Outstanding Teaching Performance Award from Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary (2015 and 2016), and Green Hero Award from Ethiopia in 2011. His research has been published in well-known journals in his area such as Journal of Cleaner Production, International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, Journal of Building and Environment, and Journal of Sustainable Cities and Society. He has a B.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering from Addis Ababa University, MSc in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Infrastructure and a Ph.D. in Industrial Ecology from Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.