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Sim Van der Ryn

confidence: high volatility: cold verified: 2026-08-11fresh

Dutch-born ecological architect (1935–2024). State Architect of California under Jerry Brown (1975–78), founder of Farallones Institute, designer of the Gregory Bateson Building (nation's first large-scale energy-efficient government building). Called 'the father of green architecture.'

Simon Herman Van der Rijn (March 12, 1935, Groningen, Netherlands – October 19, 2024, Petaluma, California, age 89). Jewish family fled the Netherlands on September 1, 1939 as WWII began. Settled in Queens, New York, then Great Neck, Long Island.

BArch, University of Michigan (1958) — rejected Modernist orthodoxy; inspired by Buckminster Fuller. Licensed architect in California and New Mexico; NCARB certified.

UC Berkeley (1961–1995)

Joined UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design in 1961 and taught for approximately 35 years. Created the “Outlaw Builder Studio” — a hands-on studio in ecological and solar architecture. Led the Energy Pavilion project (1973): an unsanctioned sustainable building outside Wurster Hall with early solar panels that reportedly produced “the first mainstream booklet on solar architecture.” Named Professor Emeritus in 2019.

State Architect of California (1975–1978)

Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown. Developed the nation’s first government-initiated energy-efficient office building program. Led adoption of energy and disability access standards for all state construction. Founded the Office of Appropriate Technology (OAT) to promote renewable energy. Designed the Gregory Bateson Building (Sacramento, 1977–81): the nation’s first large-scale energy-efficient government building, using 80% less energy than comparable buildings, with microprocessor-controlled shades, natural ventilation, night-flush cooling, and a central atrium.

Later career

Founded the Farallones Institute (~1972, Occidental, California) for sustainable living research and the Integral Urban House (Berkeley, 1974), a collective self-sufficient urban living demonstration. Designed the Real Goods Solar Living Center (1996, Hopland, California), a 12-acre site with a 5,000 sq ft straw bale building, named AIA Top 10 Environmental Project (Earth Day 1999).

Publications

  • The Toilet Papers: Recycling Waste and Conserving Water (1978)
  • The Integral Urban House: Self-Reliant Living in the City (1979/1982)
  • Sustainable Communities (1986, with Peter Calthorpe)
  • Ecological Design (1996, with Stuart Cowan)
  • Design for an Empathic World (2013)

Awards include Guggenheim Fellowship (1971), AIA Commendation for Excellence in Technology (1981), and CNU Athena Medal for lifetime achievement (2008). Died October 2024, five months after Steve Baer.

See also