We welcome Dr. Nadir Abdessemed to the Department of Architecture
Through Transsolar, Nadir Abdessemed collaborated with local, up-and-coming studios and advised internationally renowned architectural firms on projects of various scales—ranging from school and office buildings to museums and neighborhoods, as well as urban planning and climate strategies for large-scale regions. In this context, he supports planning teams at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and science in developing integrated and innovative design approaches, their strategic elaboration, and their implementation into built reality.
Prof. Abdessemed conducted research in the field of fluid dynamics. After studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of California, Berkeley, he earned his Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London. His interest in thermodynamic and aerodynamic processes in the context of the built environment and their interaction with people led him to architecture and integrated climate planning.
His work encompasses computer-aided modeling and experimental investigation of the interaction of air, light, sun, heat, and water with buildings, people, and the landscape.
In collaboration with Transsolar, he has realized several exhibitions at the Venice Architecture Biennale, including Cloudscapes (with Tetsuo Kondo), an installation in which the climatic and spatial qualities of architecture are made immediately tangible through an artificially generated cloud.
During his time at Transsolar New York, he served as a lecturer at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD). In addition, he gives international lectures on climate, sustainability, and integral design.
