Carl Elefante is Principal Emeritus with Quinn Evans where he served as Director of Sustainability and design principal for architecture, historic preservation, and community revitalization projects. Known for coining the phrase: “The greenest building is one that is already built”, Carl writes and lectures internationally on historic preservation, sustainable design, climate change, and urban topics.
Since serving as President of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 2018, Carl has focused on climate change, serving as Senior Fellow with Architecture 2030 and the Buildings & Infrastructure Issues Lead for the Climate Heritage Network (CHN).
Carl’s recent academic appointments include serving as Adjunct Professor at The Catholic University of America, Paul H. Kea Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, and Senior Research Associate with the Michael Christopher Duda Center at the University of Notre Dame. Carl is a member of the College of Fellows in both AIA and Association for Preservation Technology International (APT).
Areas of Expertise
- Historic Preservation
- Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism