This last summer, Richard Schoen, FAIA, LEED-AP, joined FTL Solar LCC as Director, Solar and Strategic Technologies. He comes to FTL Solar from similar positions over the past six years at startup solar firms in New York, Northern California, Los Angeles and New Jersey, preceded by corporate officer positions at a solar manufacturer, a solar OEM, and a major solar distributor... where in the first instance, represented the company in the California Hydrogen Business Council, as he was also a co-task leader in Governor Schwarzenegger's Hydrogen Highway Task Force. He is a Fellow (for Research) in the American Institute of Architects and a LEED-Accredited Professional, having completed two terms on the board of directors of the Los Angeles Chapter, US Green Building Council.(He presented papers at the first USGBC conference in Austin and has been involved ever since.) He will soon be active in the New York chapter of the USGBC. Richard refers to himself as a "recovering academic" in that he is a Professor Emeritus in the UCLA Department of Architecture and Urban Design, where he has taught seminars and design studios in communication and diffusion of innovation in the building industry and design professions, as well as energy conserving design, all solar applications, and sustainable architecture and community planning, for over 35 years. However, he has had an opportunity unique amongst academics, of participating in the commercialization of a technology he helped develop over a quarter century ago. (JPL referred to the ARCO Solar Batten and Seam Solarelectric Roof that he created for ARCO Solar, as "the world's first architecturally integrated solar roof). He co-authored a book for the Ford Foundation Energy Project titled, New Energy Technologies for Buildings: Intuitional Problems and Solutions as well as published over two dozen papers,
Throughout Richard's academic career, he maintained an independent architectural practice, including design of off-grid solar houses and a university research laboratory in the East Mojave Desert as well as an AIA Award-Winning 2-1/2 acre 60KW Solar Photovoltaic Space Frame Parking Shade Structure at the Jeddah Airport in Saudi Arabia ("largest" array in the world in 1978) His bridge of recycled rail flat cars with oil well drill pipe railings won an International Design Awards Citation. Throughout his career he has also maintained an active consultancy on new technology and the building industry for companies such as General Electric and the EDAW international land planning firm, utilities such as Southern California Edison and the Southern California Gs Co., and national laboratories, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Argonne and Laurence Berkeley Laboratories. While Richard has joined the FTL Solar staff in the development, proposal, and implementation of energy and solar projects for specific customers, he also brings to FTL an unflagging commitment to the investigation, evaluation, and commercial introduction by FTL Solar of appropriate new energy technologies - always in the context of overall energy efficiency, environmental responsiveness, and architectural excellence.
Richard has lectured at various colleges and universities and ASES / ISES conferences as well provided "brownbag" presentations to major architectural firms in New York, Chicago, Omaha, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, and Dallas-Ft. Worth.