A practicing architect who designs energy-conscious buildings shaped by the sun such as the Florida Solar Energy Center, Dr. Ellis has over 25 years experience designing civic and municipal projects, laboratories for high-tech industry, and healthcare/skilled nursing facilities. Her work has been exhibited at numerous galleries and her built projects have been recognized for design by the American Institute of Architects. She is a principal at BAU Architecture dedicated to sustaining, preserving and cultivating the natural and built environment.
Dr. Ellis’ research field is the visual and non-visual effects of light, which includes spatial visualization and three-dimensional imagining, visual perception and altered states of perception such as Alzheimer’s disease/dementia, and natural light and health. At intersections of religion, nature and culture, her research investigates (eco)logical building technology, architectural theory and wellbeing with the goal of creating frameworks for the design of smart, sustainable buildings at the nexus of health, energy and technology.
Dr. Ellis teaches advanced seminars in theory and interdisciplinary experimental courses in sustainable and smart design. She previously taught at Temple University, Virginia Tech and the University of Pennsylvania; she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Idaho where she was honored in 1995 with the ACSA/AIAS New Faculty Teaching Award for recognition of demonstrated excellence in teaching performance. In addition to the award-winning book she co-edited with Andrea Reithmayr Claude Bragdon and the Beautiful Necessity (RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press, 2010), Dr. Ellis has contributed to Writing Urbanism (Routledge, 2008) and has journal articles published in the Journal of Architectural Education, Architectural Theory Review, Nexus, Dichotomy, and Intelligent Buildings International.