Tom Collins is an Associate Professor of Architecture at Ball State University. He holds Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) and Bachelor of Science (BS) in Building Sciences degrees form Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York State and Master of Architecture (M.Arch) and PhD in Sustainable Architecture degrees from the University of Oregon. Tom has been a Registered Architect since 2007, a LEED Accredited Professional since 2005. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) from 2001 - 2024, and sat on the board of the Society of Building Science Educators for 6 years. His interests lie at the nexus of energy, building performance, and human behavior and much of his recent work has focused on low-energy, low-carbon affordable housing design and construction.
Tom’s research often utilizes mixed methods and includes a study on the influence of design, building operations, and occupant behavior on plug load electricity use in campus residence halls, study of indoor environmental quality in active learning classrooms, recent studies on post-occupancy evaluation in high-performance housing and scholarship of teaching and learning related to zero energy and carbon neutral buildings. He twice received the King Medal for Architectural Research from the Architectural Research Centers Consortium. He has presented his work at national and international conferences including AIA, ACSA, ARCC, EAAE, AASHE, ACEEE, ISIAQ, EDRA, RBDCC, and ZEB. He has contributed to publications such as the Green Studio Handbook, Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings, and Teaching Carbon-Neutral Design in North America: Award -winning Architectural Design Studio Methodologies.
He taught architecture courses at the Boston Architectural College from 2004-2008 and the University of Oregon from 2008-2015. Since arriving at Ball State, Tom has taught the environmental systems courses and undergraduate and graduate-level design studios, courses in the interdisciplinary sustainability minor and hands-on design/build elective courses. In his teaching, he emphasizes green and net-zero energy design; integrated design thinking; hands-on learning; group collaboration; and community engagement. He has been a faculty advisor for 18 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge competitions teams, and 4 of these teams are competition award winners. Tom was also the faculty co-lead for the Ball State's 2023 US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Build Challenge entry called the Alley House. The project, a net-positive-energy, low-carbon, affordable, duplex home in Indianapolis, engaged more than 105 students, received PHIUS (passive house) certification, and won the 1st Place Overall prize in the international competition. He is the recipient of a 2024 Ball State University Immersive Learning Faculty Award and a 2024 Design Excellence Award from AIA Indianapolis. He is currently involved with Muncie's Central City Housing Project with civic and non-profit partners focused on Old West End Neighborhood infill development.
His professional experience includes K-12 schools and high performance green laboratories. Notable projects include an award winning, LEED certified geochemistry facility for Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the initial design of the Harvard Allston Science Complex project (later renamed SEC), which involved an international integrated design team.