Anna Koosmann

Background

About Anna Koosmann

Architect, Phius passive building professional, educator, and researcher. Anna L Koosmann is an award-winning architect and leader in participatory design, fostering resiliency within culturally diverse communities in the U.S. and abroad. An initiator of bottom-up, sustainable solutions to climate change, she is deeply invested in the places she serves, working closely with indigenous populations, natural disaster survivors, and Tent City communities, among other marginalized groups. She believes architecture, education, and research can play an active role and create positive impact on the built environment. Anna is an Architect and Phius passive building professional. Her role intersects practice, education, and research, incorporating high-performance and low-embodied carbon design strategies on affordable housing projects in the greater Minneapolis and upper Midwest regions. Prior to this, she was an Assistant Professor of design-build and practice at the University of Arizona (2017-2019). She taught upper and graduate-level courses with a focus on hands-on learning and outreach. As a design-build instructor she led students on the design and construction on energy efficient faculty houses situated in the Sonoran desert. As a pro-practice instructor she created outreach curriculum and student engagement with local organizations to gather input and feedback on pre-design proposals for stakeholder funding, marketing, and promotional materials. As a Visiting Design-Build Instructor and Fulbright scholar in the Philippines (2012-2015) Anna was appointed to lead the first, Filipino design-build program. Working and living overseas for over 2-years, she established the program from infancy and returned on a Fulbright grant as an ambassador to institutionalize it for long-term success. Operating for over a decade, the program has gained national recognition in the Philippines for advancing architecture education and elevating bamboo from a "poor man's" material to a treasured commodity for resilient structures. Her Fulbright research earned a national EDRA award in 2018. Anna's hands-on and inclusive approach inspires collaborative projects that empowers communities to thrive. Her motto is, “Create to Elevate”! She has published and presented her work at national conferences and abroad. Recently she has co-authored six ARE 5.0 study guide books with EduMind. Strengths: Pioneering spirit. World knowledge. Collaborative problem-solver. Systems thinker. Mission Driven. Inclusivity. Intentional. Hands-on. Results oriented.