Personnel | LOISOS + UBBELOHDE | Architecture . Energy

Firm members hold advanced professional degrees in architecture and are LEED Accredited Professionals. As a firm we combine significant experience in high-end international commercial and institutional design, Northern California residential design, and management of large Bay Area office building and campus design projects. Our expertise is in low-energy and lighting research, software development, advanced computer simulations, and educating both students and professionals.

GEORGE LOISOS, AIA, LEED AP
PRINCIPAL
George Loisos, AIA, is a founding partner of Loisos + Ubbelohde, an architecture and consulting firm specializing in sustainable design and high performance buildings. Mr. Loisos brings extensive design and research experience to the firm, including work on lighting controls and design, software for energy modeling, daylighting metrics and whole building energy performance. His projects have received 29 AIA awards, three AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, and three LEED platinum certifications. Mr. Loisos previously lead research programs in building energy use at the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and served as the architectural program coordinator for PG&E, directing groundbreaking projects in daylighting design and productivity. As project manager and research lead for the California Energy Commission, he coordinated research and product development on energy efficient lighting and lighting controls. His work has recently been featured in Design Informed: Driving Innovation with Evidence-Based Design and “Transparency: Literal and Sustainable” in Architectural Record.

SUSAN UBBELOHDE, LEED AP
PRINCIPAL
PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, UC BERKELEY
Susan Ubbelohde is a founding partner of Loisos + Ubbelohde, an architecture and consulting firm specializing in sustainable design and high performance buildings. Her projects have won 29 AIA awards, three AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, and three LEED platinum certifications. She is also a Professor in the Department of Architecture at University of California, Berkeley, where she teaches sustainable design studios and seminars in high performance facades and design theory. Susan has directed research for the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the University of California Energy Institute, and the California Institute for Energy Efficiency on daylighting design, daylighting software, climate responsive design and monitored building performance. Recent publications of her work are featured in Design Informed: Driving Innovation with Evidence-Based Design and “Transparency: Literal and Sustainable” in Architectural Record.

STAFF LISTED ALPHABETICALLY:

NATHAN BROWN, LEED AP
ASSOCIATE
Mr. Brown is a LEED Accredited Professional with a Master of Architecture and a Master of Science in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and an undergraduate degree from Yale University. As an Associate at Loisos + Ubbelohde, he brings a broad range of technical research and design experience to his work designing dashboard interfaces to display building performance data. Mr. Brown recently won an AIA/COTE research scholarship to analyze the actual energy performance of projects that have won the Top Ten Green Projects award. His previous work experience includes developing data visualizations using script-generated graphics for the Center for the Built Environment. Mr. Brown currently lectures at the California College for the Arts and won the UC Berkeley Department of Architecture’s outstanding GSI award in 2010.

THOMAS BURNHAM, AIA, LEED AP, NFPA
PROJECT MANAGER & ASSOCIATE
Mr. Burnham provides detailed project management and LEED project administration for commercial, institutional, educational, laboratory, medical, and residential design and consulting projects at Loisos + Ubbelohde. Mr. Burnham is a licensed architect in the state of California with over thirty years of experience in the building industry. Mr. Burnham worked at Hellmuth Obata Kassabaum, Inc. for 20 years as a project manager and has been involved in significant projects totaling over 15 million square feet. As project manager his responsibilities have included managing the architectural design effort from concept through construction for office buildings and campuses, high-rise buildings, research laboratories, and hotels. Mr. Burnham has also been involved in the design and construction of private residences and low-income housing. Mr. Burnham has a keen interest in green building research and sustainable design practices.

SUSANNA DOUGLAS, RA, LEED AP, LC
ASSOCIATE
Ms. Douglas is a registered architect in the state of Massachusetts, a LEED Accredited Professional, and a lighting designer LC certified by the NCQLP. She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and a degree in civil engineering and architecture from Princeton University. At Loisos + Ubbelohde her roles include architectural design, lighting design for institutional, government, and residential buildings, project management in daylighting consulting, lighting design and architecture, and sustainability consulting. Her experience before joining Loisos + Ubbelohde includes architectural work on residences and community buildings, focusing on multi-sensory experience, alternative materials, and passive solar design. She has previously completed structural engineering for seismic loads in Tahoe, CA, and worked as a graduate student researcher for the Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley, examining the performance of underfloor air distribution. Ms. Douglas has been an instructor for design courses at the University of California, Berkeley, and a lecturer at the California College of the Arts, teaching courses on structures, integrated building design, and Sound/Space, a class on the science and art of acoustics. She received both the Raymond L. Watson Prize for Community Design and the Branner Fellowship. For the Branner Fellowship she traveled around the world for ten months while researching “Sensing Space: Representation and Merging Sensory Fields.” Her prior work for Levy Art & Architecture was represented in the AIA San Francisco Home Tours in 2007.

CHRISTIAN HUMANN, LC
ASSOCIATE
Mr. Humann is a recognized daylight analysis and modeling expert in Radiance, Photopia, OpenDX, AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, Python, Arduino and Shell. Mr. Humann is also a designer, software specialist, and a lighting designer LC certified by the NCQLP. He holds an advanced architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley and is an expert in daylight modeling through computational and physical models using Radiance, a research grade light simulation software used to accurately model complex buildings. Mr. Humann’s research includes the comparative analysis of daylighting software for the Center of Environmental Design and Research at UC Berkeley. He has lectured on the use of daylight in buildings as well as taught courses on the use of Radiance. Mr. Humann has designed and overseen the construction of commercial renovations, private residences both on and off the utility grid, vineyard buildings and retreat centers in Northern California. Mr. Humann received the 15th Annual Interiors Award from Interiors Magazine for custom lighting he designed and built for an award-winning office renovation, as well as other design awards and recognition.

BRENDON LEVITT, RA, LEED AP
ASSOCIATE
Mr. Levitt is a licensed architect in the state of California and a LEED Accredited Professional. He holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture from Yale University. As an Associate at Loisos + Ubbelohde, Mr. Levitt has served as project manager, modeler, and designer for a wide range of buildings. With proficiency in diverse software tools from Therm and EnergyPlus to Athena and AGI, he has contributed to work in thermal comfort and energy modeling, life cycle analysis, daylighting design, lighting design, LEED consulting, and renewable energy modeling. Before joining Loisos + Ubbelohde, he worked with Pritzker Prize Laureate Fumihiko Maki, where his projects included the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the MIT Media Lab, and the Center for the Arts at Washington University, St. Louis. Mr. Levitt writes and lectures on sustainable design and the synthesis of contemporary culture, human comfort, and new technology. He has received numerous awards for architectural design and scholarship, including the Eisner and Peerless Prizes from UC Berkeley, a Luce Scholarship, a Fulbright Fellowship, and a Branner Fellowship. Mr. Levitt has also conducted extensive field research on integrated design methods through collaborations with Jean Nouvel, John and Patricia Patkau, Richard Rogers, Michael Hopkins, Ken Yeang, BV Doshi and Stefan Behnisch. Mr. Levitt is an Adjunct Professor at the California College of the Arts, where he teaches design studios and lectures on construction technology.

MICHAEL MARTINEZ, LEED AP
ASSOCIATE
Mr. Martinez is an associate with a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a degree in environmental design from Texas A&M University. As a LEED Accredited Professional, Mr. Martinez has worked with several architecture firms in Washington DC and with Mark Horton Architecture in San Francisco on a range of sustainable multi-family housing, hospitality, civic, institutional and office building projects. Mr. Martinez has taught classes at the University of California, Berkeley in building science and sustainability, and has worked as a student researcher with the Center for the Built Environment. He currently lectures at California College of the Arts on building energy systems and daylighting in architecture. At Loisos + Ubbelohde, Mr. Martinez works in all phases of the design process. His expertise is in daylighting design and analysis using Radiance, a research grade ray tracing software that accurately models the qualitative and quantitative effects of light in architecture.

SANTOSH PHILIP, LEED AP, BEMP
ASSOCIATE
Mr. Philip is a software specialist, LEED Accredited Professional, and ASHRAE certified Building Energy Modeling Professional with degrees from the Center of Environmental Planning and Technology, in Ahmedabad, India, and the University of Minnesota. Mr. Philip designs climate-responsive residential and commercial buildings at Loisos + Ubbelohde. Previously Mr. Philip designed climate-responsive residences, college campuses and commercial and manufacturing facilities in western India. His energy research activities include developing a daylighting software package, updating energy software used to qualify buildings under California Energy Code Title 24, and developing a graphic interface with energy simulation software packages. He is the author of proprietary software programs that allow detailed energy simulations of complex buildings. Previously Mr. Philip worked as the Vice President of Product Development at Materion, Inc., and the Interim Vice President and Product Manager at Qool.com. Mr. Philip has received the Gold Medal from the Gujarat Institute of Architects.

EDUARDO PINTOS
ASSOCIATE
Mr. Pintos is an architectural designer and energy modeler specialized in lighting and daylighting design and simulation at Loisos + Ubbelohde. Trained in architecture in Spain and Switzerland, he holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Pintos has taught classes at UC Berkeley in introduction to Architecture, graphic representation and media techniques. Mr. Pintos’ interest focuses on high performance design and the combination of building technology and energy efficiency. His previous work experience in Spain includes all project phases from conceptual design to construction development, detailing, and on-site monitoring. His graphic design is also featured in presentations for competitions, exhibitions, and client meetings at Loisos + Ubbelohde. Mr. Pintos blends his software skill in lighting simulation tools, including Radiance and AGi32, with his design perspective as a daylighting and lighting consultant. He previously won second prize in an international competition for a vertical zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

IBONE SANTIAGO TROJAOLA, LEED AP
ASSOCIATE
Ms. Santiago brings a unique perspective to her work as an architectural designer, focusing on energy modeling, artificial lighting simulations and graphic presentations at Loisos + Ubbelohde. Multilingual and trained as an architect in several different countries in Europe and in the United States, her interests include prefabrication, new materials and technologies, high performance skins, and sustainability. She holds professional degrees in architecture from the University of the Basque Country (Spain) and the University of Geneva (Switzerland). She also holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley and has taught summer classes at UC Berkeley focusing on graphic representation methods used by architects. She understands the large-scale issues of urban contexts, the detail involved in construction phases, and the specifics of energy-efficient performance involved in building design. Her past professional experience includes working as a designer, a project coordinator in both Spain and Italy, and a performance analyst. She has won several awards, including the AIA Henry Adams Medal of merit from UC Berkeley in 2009 and second prize in an international competition for a vertical zoo in Buenos Aires (Argentina).

ABE SHAMESON, RA, LC
ASSOCIATE
Mr. Shameson is a registered architect in the state of California and a lighting designer LC certified by the NCQLP with a Master of Architecture degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. At Loisos + Ubbelohde, Mr. Shameson is an architectural designer, a project manager for daylighting and sustainability consulting, and a lighting designer for a variety of institutional, government, and residential buildings. Before joining Loisos + Ubbelohde, Mr. Shameson worked as a designer for Handel Architects. His specialty was designing primarily high-end single family residences in locations such as San Francisco, Atherton, and the Carmel Highlands. As a sole practitioner for Abe Shameson Design, he designed a desert residence with passive strategies for thermal comfort near El Paso, Texas. He also holds a patent on a three dimensional puzzle.

SUKI, LICENSED DOG IN CITY OF BERKELEY
OFFICE DOG
Suki brings a special interest in thermal comfort, solar radiation, and reflected light to her work at Loisos + Ubbelohde. Suki oversees reception services in addition to managing the office paper recycling and food composting programs.