Professor of Architecture emeritus Gary J. Coates has long been recognized nationally and internationally as a leading voice in the movement to create socially, technologically and ecologically sustainable buildings, towns, cities and bioregions.
Coates’ contributions have been recognized with numerous awards. At Kansas State University, where he taught for 45 years, Coates was selected as the inaugural Victor L. Regnier Distinguished Faculty Chair. He has received national awards from the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) for his innovative courses on sustainable and regenerative design. Coates was chosen as an ACSA Distinguished Professor of Architecture for a lifetime of "sustained creative achievement" through teaching, research, scholarship and service.
Professionally, Coates has consulted on town planning and architectural design projects, and collaborated with colleagues to help create a number of international professional organizations including: the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA); the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU); the Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE) and; the Architecture, Culture and Spirituality Forum (ACSF).