Pravin Bhiwapurkar

I am Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati. I investigate how the built environment contributes to the urban heat island (UHI) effect, its impact on outdoor and indoor environments, how it affects human health, and how much energy buildings need to compensate for heat exposure. I have developed an urban approach to climate-sensitive design to mitigate UHI in dense urban environments that can inform new and redevelopment policies. My research is also applied to marginalized communities facing the inequitable burden of climate change and health disparity. My community-engaged research provides evidence to support resident-led changes to develop ecologically sensitive healthy living conditions.

I have worked as a sustainability expert on over 6 million square feet of commercial projects to reduce peak energy demand. Utility companies funded this effort. By working in an interdisciplinary team, I helped improve the building performance by integrating environmental technologies early in the design process and creating evidence by employing energy modeling and simulation approaches. I also conducted field studies to assess the building performance after its completion for statewide energy efficiency programs in the Midwest region via energy audits. This team effort received the “Exemplary Award” by the American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy.

My works have been awarded nationally and internationally. I have received a prestigious India-US exchange scholarship to pursue my doctorate, and my research work was awarded an honorary mention at the International Association of Urban Climate conference in Gottenberg, Sweden. My works in India received three national awards for designing and analyzing low-income communities that focused on sustainability using the self-help (design-build) approach. In addition, I was a member of the “Innovative Curtain Wall Design Competition” team that received an honorable mention by the American Institute of Architects-New York while working at the Center for Architectural Science and Ecology in New York City.

My works are published in journals and conferences, including Architectural Science Review, Intelligent Buildings International, Architectural Research Center Consortium, Passive and Low Energy Architecture, and the International Congress of Biometeorology. Previously, I taught at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s industry-academic collaborative unit, Center for Architecture Science and Ecology, in New York City, Montana State University at Bozeman, and Kent State University in Kent, OH.
 

Ph.D.: Illiniois Institute of Technology Chicago, 2007

Masters in Building Engineering and Management: School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi, India, 2000

Bachelor's of Architecture: Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology Nagpur, India, 1997

urban heat island effect, ecological design, healthy communities, biomimicry, high performance buildings and facades, net-zero energy buildings, smart cities

Grant: #URC AHSS Faculty Stipend Awards AY2015-16 Investigators:Bhiwapurkar, Pravin 05-01-2016 -04-30-2017 UC Investigating Residential Building Typologies and Indoor Thermal Stress during Extreme Heat Events in Cincinnati, OH Role:PI $6,000.00 Completed

Investigators:Cleveland Neighborhood Progress 01-01-2015 -01-07-2015 Kresge Foundation Climate Resiliency through Vacant Land Use Strategies and Land Use Adaptation, Cleveland, OH Role:Consultant $100,000 Completed Type:Grant

Grant: #R40753 Investigators:Bhiwapurkar, Pravin 07-01-2020 -06-30-2021 UC's URC AHSS Faculty Awards Local Climate Zone: A New Approach Examine Heat-related Vulnerability in Urban Communities Role:PI $10,000.00 Active Level:Internal UC

Investigators:Boll, D. and Butsch-Kovacic, M. 07-01-2020 -06-30-2021 Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training-Community Engagement Core Participatory Mapping to Keep Norwood Cool Role:Collaborator $18,950 Active

Grant: #SES-2026594 Investigators:Bhiwapurkar, Pravin; Black, Ann; Fry, Michael; Harfmann, Anton; Linders, Annulla; Nassif, Nabil; Rebola, Claudia; Tang, Ming; Wendell, David 01-01-2021 -12-31-2021 National Science Foundation Future of Work: Understanding the interrelationships between humans and technology to improve the quality of work life in smart buildings. Role:Collaborator $149,720.00 Awarded Level:Federal

Peer Reviewed Publications

Bhiwapurkar, P. & Fecheyr, D. (2017. ) Applying Biomimicry to Design Building Envelope Systems: Improving Energy Savings via Thermoregulation .Architectural Science Review, , 60 (5 ) ,360-370

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2017. ) Health Impacts of Microenvironments in the Summer .Journal of Proceedings: Architecture of Complexity-Design, Systems, Society, and Environment, , 188-196

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2016. ) Bioclimatic Design and Urban Microclimate .PLEA 2016: 32nd International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, , 1 ,1373-1380

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2015. ) Urban Microclimate and Building Energy Efficiency .Perkins and Will Research Journal, , 07 (02 (Special Issue: Future of Architectural Research ) ,45-57

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2015. ) Urban Climate Change Impacts on Building Heating and Cooling Energy Demand .Architectural Research Centers Consortium Conference Proceedings, ,

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2013. ) Determinants of Urban Energy Use: Density and Urban Form .Architectural Research Centers Consortium, , 609-616

Bhiwapurkar, P. (2018. ) Space Syntax and Walkability Analysis in Support of Urban Design Decisions .Architectural Research Centers Consortium-European Association of Architectural Education International Conference, , 325-333

Bhiwapurkar, P. (2018. ) Expert Response to Climate Change, An Unwelcome Legacy: The Need to Support Children’s Rights to Participate in Global Conversations .Children, Youth, and Environments, , 28 (1 ) ,115-118

Landis, M., Bhiwapurkar, P., Tang, M., Webb, A. (2019. ) Balancing Performance and Aesthetics: Data-driven Design for Fixed Shading Devices .Architectural Research Centers Consortium International Conference Proceedings, , 439-448

Bhiwapurkar, P. (2020. ) Towards a New Studio Pedagogy: Improving Social Determinants of Health through Community-engaged Research and Design .ACSA OPEN Conference (selected paper), ,

Bhiwapurkar, P., Moschandreas, D. (2010. ) Street Geometry and Energy Savings in Urban Buildings of Chicago .Intelligent Buildings International, , 1 (4 ) ,233-250

Steinfeld, K., Bhiwapurkar, P., Vollen, J., Dyson, A. (2010. ) Situated Bioclimatic Information Design: A New Approach to the Processing and Visualization of Climate Data .ACADIA 2010: Life Information on Responsive Information and Variation in Architecture, ,

Invited Presentations

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2016. ) Urban Microclimate and Building Energy Efficiency .Department of Geography, University of Cincinnati.

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2015. ) Biologically Inspired Architecture .Lecture Series in the Biomimicry Institute and Innovation Cluster at the University of Akron, University of Akron.

Bhiwapurkar, P., Mitchell, M., Jones, C., Alduino, A., Miller, H. (2018. ) Extreme Heat Events and Impact on Mental Health in a Low Income Community .10th Conference of International Association of Urban Climate, Theme: Sustainable and Resilient Urban Environment, Special session on Vulnerability, Adaption, and Exposure to Extreme Heat, New York City, NY. Conference. . Level:International

Bhiwapurkar, P. (03-14-2018. ) Design and Health Connection: Perspectives on Heat and Air Pollution in the Built Environment .Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training-Integration Committee, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati.

Bhiwapurkar, P. (03-07-2018. ) Extreme Weather Events and Emergency Department Admission: An Urban Developmental Perspective .Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Cincinnati,

Paper Presentations

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2014. ) Aging Buildings and Aging Communities: How Can Buildings Adapt to the Changing Climate? .Cleveland, OH. Conference. Level:International

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2017. ) Health Impacts of Microenvironments in the Summer .Salt Lake City, UT. Conference. Level:International

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2016. ) Bioclimatic Design and Urban Microclimate .Los Angeles, CA. Conference. Level:International

Pravin Bhiwapurkar (2015. ) Urban Climate Change Impacts on Building Heating and Cooling Energy Demand .Chicago, IL. Conference. Level:International