Sim Van der Ryn

Simon Herman Van der Ryn (né Van der Rijn; March 12, 1935 – October 19, 2024) was a Dutch-born American architect, researcher, and educator. Van der Ryn's professional interest was applying principles of physical and social ecology to architecture and environmental design. He promoted sustainable design at the community scale and the building-specific scale. He designed single-family and multifamily housing, community facilities, retreat centers and resorts, learning facilities, and office and commercial buildings.

Biography

Early life Simon Herman Van der Rijn was born to a Jewish family in Groningen, Netherlands, on March 12, 1935. His family soon fled to the United States, leaving the Netherlands on September 1, 1939, as the Nazi invasion of Poland began.

Van der Ryn pursued architecture at the University of Michigan, graduating at 24 with a B.Arch in 1958. During that year, he moved to California and joined the UC Berkeley faculty, where he taught for 35 years. Later in his career, he was listed as a state architect in California and New Mexico. Sim also became a licensed architect, where he received a certification by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

Professional projects State of California, Energy Resources and Conservation and Development Building, Sacramento State of California, Department of Justice, Office Building #1, Sacramento, 1977-1978 State of California, State Office Building, Sacramento, 1977-1978 Green Gulch Zen Center, Muir Beach, California Real Goods Solar Living Center, Hopland, California, 1996

Teaching career Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley (UCB), 1958–1966 Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley, 1966-1970

Van der Ryn had an innovative and unconventional approach to teaching. In his classes, he insisted on creating a more balanced basis among male and female students. He persisted with this principle and created a more equal environment for all with professional aspirations. His vision in architecture was to provide women with the same opportunities as men, accepting equal numbers of men and women as applicants in the early 70s.

“Outlaw Builder Studio,” a significant platform for Van der Ryn to demonstrate his new ecological and solar architecture, in which his students could develop building and social skills. Students created, designed, and built to their needs while living outdoors for at least 3 days each week. Later, some of the projects were dismantled because they didn't meet building code requirements. This was met with some scrutiny in his teaching career from his peers and other professionals.

Personal life and death Van der Ryn was married to Mimi Wolfe, with whom he had three children: Julia, Micah, and Ethan.

Van der Ryn died from Alzheimer's disease at a care facility in Petaluma, California, on October 19, 2024, at the age of 89. Recipient, American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC), Commendation for Excellence in Technology, 1981.

Books Van der Ryn, Sim (1978). The Toilet Papers. Santa Barbara, CA: Capra Press. Van der Ryn, Sim and the Farallones Institute, Helga & William Olkowski (1982). The Integral Urban House. NY: Random House. Calthorpe, Peter and Sim Van der Ryn (1986). Sustainable Communities: A New Design Synthesis for Cities, Suburbs and Towns. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. Van der Ryn, Sim and Stuart Cowan (1996). Ecological Design. Washington, DC: Island Press. Van der Ryn, Sim (2005). Design For Life: The Architecture of Sim Van der Ryn. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith. Van der Ryn, Sim and Stuart Cowan (2007). Ecological Design, Tenth Anniversary Edition. Washington, DC: Island Press. Van der Ryn, Sim (2013). Design for an Empathic World: Reconnecting People, Nature, and Self 2nd None ed. Edition. Van der Ryn, Sim (2013). Culture, Architecture and Nature: An Ecological Design Retrospective 1st Edition.