International designer in sustainable architecture to speak at UF

October 27, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Kenneth Yeang will speak as part of the University of Florida School of Architecture’s fall lecture series at 6:15 p.m. Monday in Norman Hall, Room 137. The lecture is open to the public.

Yeang, a principal at T.R. Hamzah and Yeang International in Malaysia, will speak about architects and planners of ecologically responsive buildings and sites. A practicing architect for more than 30 years, Yeang has been instrumental in the ongoing developments of sustainable architecture.

Rapid population growth and increasing land costs have made high-rise development a necessity in Asia. By combining the societal needs for space with the rising concerns of ecological design sensitivity, Yeang has designed buildings that are an ideal solution for this new type of urban development. Yeang’s work strives to move architectural ideas toward design methods that are sensitive to both the occupant and the ecosystem.

Yeang graduated with a degree in architecture in 1966 from the Architectural Association School in London and received his doctorate in architecture from the Cambridge University in 1975. He has written several notable books including “Bioclimatic Skyscrapers” (1994), “Designing with Nature” (1995), and “Green Skyscraper” (2000). He has recently released a new book titled “Eco design: A Manual for Ecological Design” and his work will be highlighted in the six-part PBS documentary “Sustainability Design.”

The lecture is sponsored by C.T. HSU Associates and UF’s School of Architecture, Rinker School of Building Construction, Department of Landscape Architecture, Department of Urban and Regional Planning and School of Natural Resources.