Michael Ermann
B.S. Mathematics, Tulane University
M.Arch., University of Florida
B.S. Mathematics, Tulane University
M.Arch., University of Florida
Michael Ermann is an architect and full professor at Virginia Tech where he has taught design studios, architectural acoustics, and environmental building systems since 2001. He has won two School teaching awards, including the inaugural Lecture/Seminar Excellence in Teaching Award in 2005. In 2019, AIA Virginia conferred to him the Award for Distinguished Achievement for his life’s work as an educator. See here for images of student design studio work.
Professor Ermann researches the overlap between architecture and acoustics. He sees significant benefits in strengthening the ties between the two fields, and his impacts can best be viewed in this overlap. To that end, AIA Virginia recognized his book, Architectural Acoustics Illustrated (Wiley, 2015), with its Prize for Design Research and Scholarship (it was the second time he won this research award). He’s earned the School’s top research award and seven externally funded grants (four solo grants for $125,000+). He’s published seven peer-reviewed journal articles (five as primary author) and 50 peer-reviewed conference presentation papers (10 invited). See here for excerpts of his research.
Michael, a licensed architect, served four years as Architecture Undergraduate Program Chair from 2007 to 2011. He has taught 31 three-day AIA continuing education seminars to 1,000+ practicing architects, and his online animated course has helped 10,000+ more. The course, which is free to Virginia Tech students and alumni, is utilized by almost all our undergraduate architecture students and enrolls almost all our alumni studying for their architecture licensure exams. He posted three percent of that course content on his YouTube channel and has more than six million views and more than 30,000 subscribers. His second online animated course—aimed at teaching math, reading, grammar, and science in the graphic language of architects—has helped 3,500+ high schoolers (free) in less than six months. The Bubble Wrap House Michael designed and lives in, which aims to provide both daylight and thermal insulation, won an AIA Honor Award and an international Archtizer A+ Design Award.
He absolutely relishes his work teaching, researching, and designing and cannot believe he is lucky enough to do this as a career.