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Volker Hartkopf

Expert, Expert committee

Director of Centre for Building Performance and Diagnostics and Professor
of School of Architecture Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA


Since the Fall of 1972, Dr. Hartkopf has taught and conducted research at Carnegie Mellon University. In 1975 he co-initiated and subsequently directed, until 1981, the first multidisciplinary program in Architecture, Engineering and Planning in the United States of America with grants from the National Science Foundation and the building industry. In 1981 he founded the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics at the University. Between 1981-1985 Prof. Hartkopf was on partial leave from Carnegie Mellon University and developed, jointly with Vivian Loftness and Peter A.D. Mill, the Total Building Performance Evaluation Method at Public Works Canada on Executive Interchange.

Based on the research and development needs identified in this method, Dr. Hartkopf has created a consortium of leading building industries (material, component, and systems manufacturers) and six U.S. Government Agencies, which he directs. In operation since 1988, the Advanced Building Systems Integration Consortium (ABSIC)1 has completed international studies on the impact of advanced technology in office buildings in Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, North America and France. ABSIC has chosen a twelve-year research and demonstration effort on the impact of advanced technology upon the physical, environmental, and social settings in office buildings, towards creating high performance work environments.

Professor Hartkopf was instrumental in creating a joint initiative between Carnegie Mellon University and the Daimler-Benz Corporation (now Daimler/Chrysler). The resulting Global Field Support Consortium (GFS) consisted of seven Global Hardware, Software and Service Providers2 dedicated to creating the marketing and service environment of a Global 50 Corporation. At Carnegie Mellon this work was conducted by a team of six research institutes, including the Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics.

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