UB's Dennis Andrejko Elected Vice President of American Institute of Architects

BUFFALO, N.Y. – It isn't easy being green, but Dennis A. Andrejko, FAIA, of Williamsville, associate professor in the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, and a longtime proponent of sustainable architecture, has been elected vice president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), to serve 2011-2012.

The election took place June 17 at the AIA annual convention in Miami, Florida. Members also elected Jeffery Potter, FAIA, (AIA Dallas Chapter), as AIA first vice president/president-elect. He will become AIA president in 2012.

John A. Padilla, AIA (AIA Santa Fe Chapter) was elected vice president, 2011-12, along with Andrejko. Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA (AIA Blue Ridge Chapter), was elected treasurer for a term beginning in 2011.

As vice president of the AIA, Andrejko said he will "imaginatively forge and develop alliance-building and decisively mentor tomorrow's leaders - our emerging professionals." He also says he wants to position the AIA as a "central information clearinghouse" by "radically enhancing dialogue that is transparent, inclusive, and useful; and proactively advance sustainability to elevate the profession."

Andrejko, principal of Andrejko + Associates, Buffalo, has been a leading sustainable design thinker at the AIA and at UB.

In 2009 he was co-chair of the AIA's Committee on the Environment and a member of the Sustainability Building Technology Committee, which was tasked with formulating the first international green building code. He has been a member of the National Academy for Environmental Design Board Council and has participated in Sustainable Design Assessment Teams in Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Indiana, Arizona, and Massachusetts.

Andrejko was president of AIA Buffalo/Western New York from 2001 to 2002, a member of the institute's national Board from 2006 to 2009, and in 2008 received the President's Award from the AIA New York State Chapter. In 2009 he was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in recognition of his lifelong achievement in the profession and the academy.

His research and teaching focus is on energy-conscious design and sustainability with special emphasis on cold regions and passive solar design. He has co-authored and edited numerous publications including "Passive Solar Architecture: Logic & Beauty," "Solar 4: Architecture and Energy" and "Assessment of Solar Energy Technologies." He has conducted sponsored research on sustainable design issues and is a frequent contributor to Architecture Graphic Standards.

Andrejko is a member of the American Solar Energy Society, the Society of Building Science Educators, the American Institute of Architects, and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, and is a licensed architect in the states of New York, California and Arizona.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.