Two Faculty Elevated to AIA College of Fellows
Two School of Architecture faculty members—Distinguished Senior Lecturer John Blood and Lecturer Keith Simon – have recently been elevated by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to the College of Fellows. Fellowship is one of the highest honors the AIA can bestow upon a member, and only three percent of AIA members have this distinction.
Fellowship recognizes the achievements of the architect as an individual and elevates before the public and the profession those architects who have made significant contributions to architecture and to society. As long-time members of our faculty, John Blood and Keith Simon have left a lasting impact on the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, and on the lives of the many students they have served during their time here.
John Blood has been a member of our faculty since 1991. He is a licensed practicing architect with Danze and Blood Architects and he also works as a concept artist, set designer, and storyboard artist in the film and video game industries. In addition to teaching design studios, visual communications, and architectural drawing classes at the School of Architecture, Blood also teaches art direction and production design in the Radio/Television/Film Department. Blood also continues to serve as a Critic in Architectural Design at Yale, teaching a course he developed to familiarize students with all forms of architectural communication. He received his B.Arch from the University of Texas at Austin and his Master of Architecture from Yale University.
An expert in building enclosure technology, Keith Simon addresses the critical and often unmet need for ensuring and improving building performance, resilience, and durability by guiding design teams, educating future architects, and facilitating interdisciplinary exchange. Keith joined Building Exterior Solutions, Inc. (a division of Terracon) in April of 2014. He is a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), Legacy LEED AP, and Building Enclosure Commissioning Provider (BECxP) with over 20 years of experience in architectural design and building enclosure consultation. Keith was the founder of the AIA Austin Building Enclosure Council (BEC: Austin) and currently serves as a board member for BEC: Austin and the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) Alliance Austin Chapter. He also serves as the Secretary for the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Building Enclosure Technology and Environment Council (BETEC) executive committee.