Drew B Kauffman

Doctors take an oath to do no harm to their patients. Why do we not do the same for our planet? As architects, we are singularly qualified to ensure that the built and natural environments work together. While the act of construction is inherently violent, we should make every effort to either minimize our environmental impact or, more daringly, create a positive environmental impact, both in our backyards and globally.

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I am a recent graduate of the University of Florida's graduate architecture program, but I arrived here in a roundabout fashion. Despite a healthy preoccupation with building toys as a small child, I earned a B.A. from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania in 2011. It was only after a few years of freelance writing about sustainable issues that I purchased a home in Gainesville, Florida and dedicated myself to transforming it with energy efficient upgrades. Rather than satisfying an itch for design, this experience amplified it. In 2017, I applied and was accepted to the University of Florida's M.Arch core program, a three-year curriculum designed for students from non-architecture backgrounds.

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There, I pursued a Concentration in Sustainable Design, and I completed my master's research project (equivalent to a thesis) on a kinetically-adaptive photobioreactor facade for cultivating algae. Today, I intend to pursue LEED accreditation and my professional license while focusing, as always, on protecting our natural environment.