Biography,
William
K. Langdon:
Born and raised near Detroit in
southeastern Michigan, Mr. Langdon received his Master's Degree in Architecture
from the University of Michigan in August of 1973. Moving to Asheville, North
Carolina in 1974, he began his architectural internship with several Asheville
area firms. As a graduate assistant at the University of Michigan,
his primary area of study was design based on climate, energy, cultural regionalism,
and historic built-form. He continued to work and write in this regard
during his internship, writing for the "Alternative Sources of Energy
Newsletter" and then authoring a portion of the book, Low-Cost
Energy-Efficient Shelter. Mr. Langdon also taught sustainable
design courses at Asheville-Buncombe Technical College in 1974, and at Warren
Wilson College in 1976.
Mr. Langdon opened his own firm in 1978 with a series of passive solar projects
underway. In 1978 with an advance to write his own book on windows and
energy, his teaching and sustainable design research was stretching coast-to-coast
across the climates and regions of the entire country. In summer of 1978 he
taught "Energy-Efficient Shelter" and "Solar Design"
at Goddard College in Vermont. In the fall, he was asked by HUD to
help write and edit a book on award-winning designs, The
First Passive Solar Home Awards Book, heading a team of some of the
best sustainable design architects of the day. In 1979 Mr. Langdon completed
his own book, Movable Insulation,
published by Rodale Press in 1980.
During 1983 and 1984 Mr. Langdon was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture
at the University of Arkansas, where he jointly taught studio with the world
renown, E. Fay Jones, FAIA and AIA gold medalist. He also was very active
with the Passive Systems Division of ASES, serving as secretary of their board,
and in the review and selection of technical papers for solar conferences.
Mr. Langdon returned to private practice in Asheville in 1985. During
the late 80's he designed another generation of passive solar homes, as well
as a growing portfolio of commercial and residential projects. By the
early 1990's his work was mostly in commercial projects, along with some significant
public commissions such as the award winning William Mull Building, the Administrative
and Engineering Facility for MSD of Buncombe County.
