Joshua D. Lee
Joshua D. Lee is an Associate Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon Architecture and serves as the Track Chair for the Master of Science in Architecture–Engineering–Construction Management (MSAECM) and the PhD of Architecture–Engineering–Construction Management (PhD-AECM) programs.
His research interests include sustainable design, adaptable architecture, open building, systems-based architecture, circular construction, public interest design, post-occupancy evaluation, educational facilities, and qualitative and computational analysis of architectural language.
Joshua currently heads the Protean Design Collaborative, which in 2022 won the AIA Pittsburgh Honor Award and Social Impact in Design Award for their Self-Sustaining Liberian Orphan Village. Joshua is on the AIA Pittsburgh Board of Directors and Heads the Design + Research Group. Prior to joining CMU, he served as a Lecturer and Assistant Director of the Restoration Institute at Clemson University and as an architect at SOM-NY, SHW Group Austin (now Stantec), and Davis Wince (now Wellogy) on a wide array of projects.
Joshua completed his PhD in Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin and his dissertation focused on the School Construction Systems Development (SCSD) project. Prior to that, he earned a Master of Architecture, Master of Sustainable Design, and BA in Marketing.
Recent Work
Books
2024 Lee, J.; Murray, J. Sustainable Design for Uncertain Futures. New York, NY: Wiley. (under contract)
2019 Lee, J. Flexibility and Design: Learning from the School Construction Systems Development (SCSD) Project. New York, NY: Routledge.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
2023 Zhang, Z. and Lee, J. "Analysis of the Major Influencing Factors on Deconstruction in Pittsburgh through Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)." Buildings and Cities. Ubiquity Press. E-ISSN: 2632-6655.
2017 Lee, J. and Moore, S. “The Trajectory of Architectural Research in the UK and United States: 1995-2016.” arq: Architectural Research Quarterly, no. 21.4.
Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings
2023 Lee, J.; Afshar, T. "Urban Mining in the Rust Belt: Lessons from Pittsburgh's Deconstruction Pilot Project." 2023 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research Conference: Material Ecologies. Friday, Oct 19, 2023.
2022 Lee, J.; Vaz, R.; Harari, Y. "A Toolkit for Circular Construction of Retail and Commercial Spaces." 2022 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research Conference: Resilient Futures (online). Friday, Oct 6, 2022.
2020 Ken-Opurum, B.; Cochran Hameen, E; Lee, J.; Cohon, J.; Ken-Oprum, W. “The Implications of Physical and Technical Conditions on Flood Resilience in Self-build Housing in Tropical Wet and Dry Nigeria.” Second International UNESCO EAUMEGA “Water, Megacities and Global Change.” (online). December 2020. Link to paper.
2020 Lee, J.; Srinivasan, L. “Reducing Carbon and Improving Thermal Comfort for an Orphan Village in Rural Liberia.” 2020 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research Conference: CARBON. Virtual Conference. Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2020. Link to Paper.
Policy Review and Recommendations
2023 Lee, J., Afshar, T. (eds.). Adaptive Reuse in Pittsburgh. Annual Report from the AECM Synthesis at CMU. Pittsburgh, PA.
2022 Lee, J. (ed.). Circular Economy in Pittsburgh. Annual Report from the AECM Synthesis at CMU. Pittsburgh, PA.
2021 Lee, J. (ed.). Pre/Re/De-construction: Investigating the Eco-socio-technical Impacts of Construction Waste in Pittsburgh. Annual Report from the AECM Synthesis at CMU. Pittsburgh, PA.
Conferences Organized
2023 2023 International Council on Open Building Conference. “Beyond Single Use: Open Building, Architecture, & Urban Design. Boston, MA. April 13-15, 2023. Co-Chair with Ben Carlson.
Conference Presentations
2023 Lee, J.; Afshar, T. "Urban Mining in the Rust Belt: Lessons from Pittsburgh's Deconstruction Pilot Project." 2023 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research Conference: Material Ecologies. Friday, Oct 19, 2023.
2022 Lee, J.; Vaz, R.; Harari, Y. "Calculating Material Reuse Potential for Circular Construction of Retail and Commercial Spaces." 2022 Build Reuse Conference (online). October 19, 2022.
2022 Lee, J. and Afhsar, T. "Estimating the Material Reuse Potential of Condemned Homes in Pittsburgh via 3D Scanning and BIM." 2022 Build Reuse Conference (online). October 18, 2022.
2022 Zhang, Z. and Lee, J. "Analysis of the Major Influencing Factors on Deconstruction in Pittsburgh through Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)." 2022 Build Reuse Conference (online). October 18, 2022.
2022 Lee, J.; Vaz, R.; Harari, Y. "A Toolkit for Circular Construction of Retail and Commercial Spaces." 2022 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research Conference: Resilient Futures (online). Friday, Oct 6, 2022. Link to presentation. (1.5 AIA CEUs)
2022 Lee, J.; Singh, A.; and Luther, J.; "Technology & Arts-based Data Collection in an Immersive Exhibit." 2022 Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Conference. Sept 12, 2022. Pittsburgh, PA. Link to Presentation.
2022 Lee, J.; Todd, K.; and Kiger Lee, B. “Going Down the Wormhole!: Co-creating Intergenerational Meaning in Immersive Exhibits.” 34th Annual Visitor Studies Association Conference: Creating Space & Coming Together. Omaha, NE. July 12-14, 2022.
2022 Lee, J. “What is going on here? Why are there so many adaptive reuse of sacred spaces in Pittsburgh?” World (Re)making the Future Life of Sacred Spaces: Remaking Community Legacies. Panel Discussion. April 2022. Hosted by Remaking Cities Institute at Carnegie Mellon SoA. Recording available at: https://vimeo.com/699474313.
2021 Leonard, K.; Lee, J.; Czarnecki, E.; Weissman Dirsa, S. “Designing a Learning Community: Creating Places for Active Learning on a Budget.” EdSpaces 2021 Conference: Designing the Future of Education. November 2, 2021. (3.5 AIA CEUs)
2021 Ken-Opurum, B.; Cochran Hameen, E.; Lee, J.; Cohon, J.; Clinton, E. “Deconstructing Heat Stress: Communicating Bottom-Up Heat Stress Resilience for Self-build Housing in Nigeria.” 2021 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research Conference: COMMUNITIES. Virtual Conference. Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2021. Recording available at: https://communities.hubilo.
2020 Bogle, R.; Leonard, K.; Lee, J.; Czarnecki, E.; Weissman Dirsa, S. “Reimagine America’s Schools: Designing a Learning Community.” 2020 Design Matters Conference: Radical Transformation. Association of Architecture Organizations. Online. September 14, 2020. Link to Presentation.
2020 Lee, J.; Srinivasan, L. “Reducing Carbon and Improving Thermal Comfort for an Orphan Village in Rural Liberia.” 2020 AIA/ACSA Intersections Research
Spring 2025 Teaching
This course provides an introduction to a variety of synthetic approaches to design and research with multiple levels of depth as designated by the 3 unit, 6 unit, 9 unit and 12 unit options.
This course takes reuse as our point of design and construction inspiration. Students select salvaged materials from a local material reseller and experiment with material reconfigurations informed by a wide range of related reuse practices, organizations and precedents.
Fall 2024 Teaching
Throughout the semester we explore various types and scales of change. Each week we review various concepts, such as mass customization, computationally responsive environments and facades, open building, shearing layers of change, adaptive reuse, metabolism, persistence, preservation, circular economy, design for deconstruction and reuse (DfD+R), and repair/maintenance.
In this course, MSAECM students apply the diverse knowledge and skills they have acquired during the program to a critical public interest issue related to Pittsburgh’s built environment.