Editor’s Note

Dear Colleagues,

I am honored to take on the role of editor-in-chief for the Journal of Architectural Engineering. I want to first thank the previous editor, Paul Seaburg, and his associate editors for the amazing work they have done in the past years. I also want to thank the Architectural Engineering Institute Board of Governors for nominating and electing me for this very important role.

My appointment started in July 2011; however, because the September and December issues, along with many papers being edited by the previous board were already in the pipeline, my and the previous editor’s work overlapped. Thus, I am now taking the opportunity to write about the new editorial board, our goals, and our mission.

When I started my work as the editor-in-chief, my first order of business was to recruit a capable and effective team of associate editors, representing the major subdisciplines of architectural engineering: acoustics, construction, lighting and daylighting, mechanical engineering and systems, and structures. Included in this note is a list of the associate editors and a brief note on their specialities. I am planning to highlight each of the associate editor’s backgrounds with more detail in the Editor’s Note in forthcoming issues.

I want to also share the exciting goals and plans we have for the Journal. We are dedicated to the following:

Last but not least, the editorial board also discussed the Journal of Architectural Engineering’s importance as the forum to educate the engineering community on the definition and importance of architectural engineering. If I had a dime for each time a colleague from another engineering discipline asked me, “What is architectural engineering really?” or made the joke, “Engineering and architecture in one sentence, isn’t that a contradiction of terms?” I would probably be rich. So, as a community, let’s put our best foot forward and elevate our discipline’s recognition within the greater engineering community. Let’s emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary integration of building systems engineering in education, research, and practice.

I also want to invite you to please submit your most recent and exciting research papers in any of the architectural engineering subdisciplines to the Journal of Architectural Engineering. Encourage your colleagues and Ph.D. students to submit as well! With many new integration tools and new technologies emerging along with an awareness of sustainable, healthy new design of buildings, or smart and efficient safekeeping of existing buildings, it is an exciting time for architectural engineering and our journal!