Nathan Kipnis, FAIA, LEED BD+C
Founder & Principal, Kipnis Architecture + Planning
Licensed in Illinois, Wisconsin and Colorado
Master of Architecture | Emphasis: Energy Conscious Design - 1985
Arizona State University, Tempe AZ
Bachelor of Environmental Design - 1983
University of Colorado, Boulder CO
AIA National Small Firm Exchange - Executive Committee 2023 - Current
AIA National Committee on Climate Action and Design Excellence (CCADE) - 2021-22
AIA National Sustainable Leadership Group - 2019
AIA National 2030 Commitment Working Group - 2014 to 2020 (Co-chair 2018-2019)
AIA Chicago 2030 Commitment Working Group - 2010 to Current
Citizens Greener Evanston
Board of Directors - 2010 to 2014
Renewable Energy Task Force - 2008 to 2014
Nathan Kipnis has spent his career practicing and promoting the importance of sustainability and energy efficiency in architectural design. A life-long interest was initially sparked during the 1973 energy crisis, and Mr. Kipnis designed his first solar home, located in Boulder, CO, when he was just 22 years old.
The architectural work designed by Mr. Kipnis has been widely published both locally and nationally.
Selected awards and distinctions include:
2015 - Elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.
The award is given to those who have made significant contributions to the profession and society on a national level.
2011 - Chicago Magazine Green Award
2009 - Home of the Decade, Natural Home Magazine
1999 - Green Homes for Chicago
A KAP design was selected and built for this International Design Competition
"He is one of Chicago's new breed of up-and-coming architects, who blends excellence in architecture with a social conscience. Before the advent of air conditioning, before electricity, everything that was built related to nature. Nate understands that. He made a habit of it long before it was fashionable.” — Stanley Tigerman, FAIA and co-founder of Archeworks.
Viewing the mission beyond his own practice of architecture, Mr. Kipnis’s leadership was instrumental in helping to develop the idea of an offshore wind farm in Lake Michigan off Evanston's shoreline. The work led to a Design Evanston Urban Design/Planning award, and the project is now on the DOE's list of potential offshore wind farm sites.
Additionally, he served as the national co-chair for the AIA’s 2030 Commitment Working Groups from 2018 though 2019. In this capacity, he assist architects with the AIA 2030 Commitment, whose goal is to design full Net Zero buildings by 2030. He currently is serving on the national executive committee of AIA’s Small Firm Exchange.
Nathan Kipnis also lectures extensively on topics related to sustainable architectural design and renewable energy. He has been an invited speaker at numerous symposiums and conferences, including at national AIA conventions, the Chicago AIA, Archeworks, GreenBuild, The Midwest Renewable Energy Association, the Center for Green Technology in Chicago, and Northwestern University's “Green City Summer Institute,” as well as being one of the keynote speakers at the Mother Earth News Fair, among others.
For information on arranging a speaking engagement, contact info@kipnisarch.com. To read more about his thoughts on architecture, click here for a link to his interview in the book ‘Becoming an Architect’.
