Sim Van der Ryn- President

Sim Van der Ryn  is a visionary, author, educator, public leader, and internationally distinguished  pioneer in ecological design.  For more than 40 years, Sim has been at the forefront of integrating ecological principles into the built environment, creating multi-scale solutions driven by nature’s intelligence. He has served as California’s first energy-conscious State Architect, authored seven influential books, and won numerous honors and awards for his leadership and innovation in architecture & planning. Sim’s collaborative approach and meta-disciplinary accomplishments help show the way to an evolving planetary era that values both the integrity of ecological systems and the quality of life.


Books by Sim

Design for Life

Ecological Design
(with Stuart Cowen)

Toilet Papers

Sim in the News

Sim's Wikipedia entry...


Hall of Fame: Sim Van der Ryn artlicle in Residential Architect Online


Bateson Building Featured in Great Buildings section of Architecture Week


Sim Van der Ryn, Pioneer in Eco-Design - Autodesk Sustainability Center


The green frontier: Sim Van Der Ryn was green before green was cool - San Diego Tribune

Poem by Sim

I like to build places
Where nature is foreground
And cannot be overpowered
By our temporary creations.

I use geometry not only to
organize space and to mark
the social interactions within
but also to resonate with
the landscape.

The building is not a fixed
object but part of a larger
pattern that flows with change-
a permeable membrane
responding to changes in use and place.

I like to use natural materials
Native to a place – earth stone trees
With advanced technology and scientific intelligence.

Architecture is part of the process of
“re-membering” – putting back together
our collective dreams.
I like to design buildings that are places
for learning, healing and reflection,
coming together.

The building should tell a story
about place and people
and be a pathway to understanding ourselves
within nature.