Homeostatic Architecture: Restoring Exological Balance Through Bio-Inspired Human-Centric Design
Ji Yoon Bae is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Kent State University’s CAED. He is an architectural designer and researcher finalizing his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design, where he develops "Homeostatic Architecture"—an interdisciplinary framework that integrates design with biology, materials science, and thermodynamics.
His work explores biologically informed, self-regulating systems that foster feedback loops between humans, buildings, and their surrounding environments. By translating biological mechanisms into climate-responsive building systems, he seeks to enhance human thermal comfort while mitigating ecological impact. Prior to Kent State, he was a researcher at UPenn, specializing in computational design, building science, and materials experimentation. He holds an MS in Matter Design Computation from Cornell University and an M.Arch from Syracuse University.
Zherui (pron. zee-ray) Wang is a designer, building technology researcher, and an Assistant Professor of Architecture at Kent State University. His work focuses on devising architectural methods for cooling and climate-response design for extreme heat while being mindful of material use. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program, his PhD research at the University of Pennsylvania explores the design integration of structural form-finding and building thermal mass performance, informed by architectural geometry, materials science, and life cycle thinking. He is a co-author of Hydroculus, an evaporative and radiative cooling roof prototype that was exhibited in the Venice Architecture Biennale and received a Holcim Foundation Award for Sustainable Design and Construction. Previously, Wang was an Academic Professional Researcher at CHAOS Lab in Princeton. He has practiced in design roles at Barkow Leibinger Architects and served on the design faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, Pratt Institute, and State University of New York at Buffalo, where he was named the 2020-21 Reyner Banham Fellow. Wang holds a BArch from Pratt Institute, a post-professional MArch and a Media & Modernity certificate from Princeton University, and a graduate certificate in Energy Policy from the Penn Kleinman Center.
