GreenMobile™
Michael A. Berk
Michael
A. Berk is a tenured (full) professor and senior faculty member
in the
School of Architecture @ Mississippi State University. He was
recently awarded the F.L. Crane Endowed Professorship by the provost
for his continued excellence in research, teaching, and outreach.
He is a registered architect (California & Florida) with an extensive
practice as a design partner and project architect prior to his
return to the academy. Professor
Berk teaches and researches in the areas of: digital media +
information design; factory-built housing, and ‘sustainable’ architecture
and planning. He is considered by many to be a leading expert
in the area of ecological design—and is often invited nationally
to lecture on these topics (Most recently he was invited to make
a presentation at the Oak Ridge Ridge National Laboratory.)
His current research (with USDA and HUD funding) involves the design and manufacture of an ecologically-minded, low-cost GreenMobile™ home unit for the Southeast and the Delta regions. In December 2006, the GreenMobile™ was awarded $5.8 million dollars by FEMA in the nationally juried Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHHP) for disaster-relief housing on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; the project was ranked number one by national jurors from the AIA, FEMA, HUD, and other nationally recognized experts. He is working closely with the Mississippi Governor’s Office of Renewal and Recovery and MEMA to execute this award.
Professor Berk had been a member of the Association for Computer Aided Design In Architecture (ACADIA) Board of Directors for 10 years 1994-2004). Berk is also responsible for pioneering and influencing the early movement of integrating 'student- owned' laptop computers into the design studio environment. His writings and presentations (Notepad in Every Backpack, 1992) helped to advance a nationwide adoption of 'student- owned laptop computers’ within many architecture programs in the mid to late 90's and was noted in the Carnegie Boyer Report on Architectural Education. Back in the 90’s, this hybridized (digital-analog) pedagogy began to open the way for design faculty (and students) to incorporate the machine into their design process without abandoning or replacing traditional media.
