Koen Steemers is an architect with experience in practice, consultancy, research and teaching.

He was trained at the University of Bath and the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture, completing his PhD at the Martin Centre, the Department’s research wing. The topic was Energy in Buildings: The Urban Context.

After four years in conventional architectural practice in the UK and Germany and on completing his PhD, he joined CAR as a director in 1992.

At CAR he has worked on a wide range of projects related to the environmental performance of buildings, both for government and for practice. Two major strands of his research are daylighting and overall energy performance, with work ranging from monitoring and modelling to development of design tools and guidance. The scale of the work addresses both individual buildings but increasingly groups of buildings or urban neighbourhoods.

Koen Steemers is also the Director of the Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies, appointed in 2002, and became Professor of Sustainable Design in 2005, both at the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture. He has published widely, including books such as Energy and Environment in Architecture (2000), Daylighting Design of Buildings (2002), and Environmental Diversity in Architecture (2004).