CASE Doctoral Candidate Collaborates with OBMI to Explore the Possibilities of Designing with Plants

Original Article by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Will Pepi, a Ph.D. candidate in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Center for Architecture, Science and Ecology (CASE) in Industry City, Brooklyn, presented his paper, “Modeling Indoor Botanical Fresh Air Generation” in the Biowalls and Biofiltration poster session at the ASHRAE conference in Tampa on June 28. Pepi then traveled to Miami, where he spoke about his research on designing plants to CASE’s industry partner, the global architecture firm OBMI, at their Miami office. 

Working with the RPI’s Institute for Energy, Built Environment, and Smart Systems (EBESS)’ Co-Director Bob Karlicek and Josh Draper, a lecturer at CASE, Pepi studies the use of plants for improving air quality and saving energy in buildings.

In the coming months, Draper and Pepi will work directly with OBMI to build an active green wall test bed at OBMI’s headquarters in Miami.

This collaboration stems from an ongoing partnership between OBMI and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Center for Architecture, Science, and Ecology. In the spring of 2022, RPI’s B.Arch students used OBMI’s vertical resort, Aera, as the case study for their theses. The outcomes far exceeded our firm’s expectations and led to a plant database that will eventually be accessible for all architects and designers to choose the best biophilia to integrate into the spaces they are creating. 

OBMI is looking forward to more successful projects and partnerships with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Center for Architecture, Science, and Ecology in the future!