Knowledge grows from interdisciplinary power.
Reid Coffman, Professor and Director
Dr. Coffman challenges the conventional understanding of infrastructure and architecture. Known for an incremental approach to knowledge building, he works in both design and science arenas to advance botanically informed architecture and infrastructure. By exploring architectural phytostructure, he has become a leading thinker in field of living architecture and international expert in vegetative roof systems.
In the lab, Dr. Coffman assist with major projects and endeavors and helps students of all disciplines (architecture, landscape architecture, biology, geology, chemistry, urban design, engineering, etc.) find venues of study. When he is not working you might find him bicycling through the Chagrin River valley.
CURRENT TEAM
Lama Tawk, Graduate Researcher, Lab manager
Lama, MLA/PhD student and researcher, is a part of the team investigating the translation of native plants onto vegetated roofs systems. With her love of plants she is identifying and starting moss mats from different local species. When she isn't working she is exploring Cleveland and Akron's trails and designing gardens.
Anna Droz, GRP Graduate Researcher
Anna, a doctoral candidate in biology, is exploring the role of soil organisms in movable green infrastructure. She aims to understand the ways in which soil biota influences the supply and trade-offs of ecological services in a constructed ecosystem. Check out her papers on the Publication page. She is affiliated with the lab via Kent's Soil Microbial Lab and in 2021 became a Green Roof Professional.
Katherine Manning, Graduate Researcher
Katherine, a doctoral student in biology, studying insect diversity in thin soil environments in the Great Lakes Region, including both natural and built environments (i.e. greenroofs). When she is not in the lab or in the field, you will find Katy on one of the Great Lake’s shorelines or taking care of her awesome pet beetles.
Alumni
Davor Udovicic, Graduate Researcher
Davor is studying biosolar roofs, which is the concept of integrating solar panel technology into vegetated roofs. He is pursuing both Master of Science in Architecture and Environmental Design and a Master of Architecture. When he is not studying he is hanging with friends and family.
Alyssa Skilton, GRP Graduate Researcher
Alyssa is a Master of Science in Architecture and Environmental Design student studying living architecture. She is exploring how vegetative roofs can contribute to native plant conservation and restoration. When she is not in the researching in the lab or field, Alyssa can be found venturing Northeastern Ohio trails and tending to her garden.
Meghan Blackson, GRP MSAED/MArch Architect-in-training
Meghan works for Rana Design as a Green Roof Professional and living architecture designer. She also the Emerging Professionals Chair for GRHC. Her Thesis Designing Roofs to Support Native Plants in the Great Lakes allowed her to explore the use of flowering plants found along lake Erie to assist migrating wildlife and pollination efforts to enhance urban biodiversity. When she is not researching you might find her taking care of her bees or her house plants.
Macy Nelson, MLA Landscape Architecture
Macy is a desinger with Deru landscape architecture. During school she collaborated a team of material scientists and architects spnosred by the Lake Erie Protection Fund to investigate the types of vegetation that can establish on recycled river dredge sediments. For fun you will find Macy in her backyard greenhouse with her son.
AFFILIATED FACULTY
Alan Brooker, Architectural Designer
Alan works at Bradley S. Payne as an architectural designer. In school he explored the concept of blue-green roofs, specifically if wetlands can be mimicked in roof ecologies to create better urban water quality and broader ecological services.
Claire Markwardt Bank, RA, MARCH/MUD
Claire is an architect with TDA architecture. In school she was the project manager for the award winning Bike Box | Living Roof Lab and studied the feasbility of greening parking strucutres with living architecture.
Neil Reindel, RA, MARCH/MUD
Neil is an architect with Perkins and Will. In school Neil was lead designer for the award winning Bike Box | Living Roof Lab.
Diane Davis-Sikora, Professor
Professor Davis-Sikora is exploring future structural and programmatic integrations of interior living walls. From her studio design background she is leading investigations into dynamic and kinetic living walls by examining the potential of tensile and biotensegrity based structures to deploy alternative forms of living architecture. When Diane isn't teaching or prepare for an exhibit, you might find her enjoying the Akron Ohio arts scene.
Rui Liu, Associate Professor
Dr. Liu leads the lab on investigations concerning materials, structures, and life cycle analyses. As a materials expert he brings an innovate perspective to the futures of structural materials including light weight aggregates. His leadership on the perspective of using recycling river dredge sediments has opened a range of discovery on reuse and recycling. We he is not in the lab, he is at home chasing after his boys.