Sim Van der Ryn

Simon Herman Van der Ryn (né Van der Rijn; March 12, 1935 – October 19, 2024) was a Dutch-born American architect, researcher, and educator. Van der Ryn's professional interest was applying principles of physical and social ecology to architecture and environmental design. He promoted sustainable design at the community scale and the building-specific scale. He designed single-family and multifamily housing, community facilities, retreat centers and resorts, learning facilities, and office and commercial buildings.

Simon Herman Van der Rijn was born to a Jewish family in Groningen, Netherlands, on March 12, 1935. His family soon fled to the United States, leaving the Netherlands on September 1, 1939, as the Nazi invasion of Poland began. The family first arrived in Queens, New York City, then moved to nearby Great Neck, where they changed the spelling of their surname to Van der Ryn.

Van der Ryn pursued architecture at the University of Michigan, graduating at 24 with a B.Arch in 1958. During that year, he moved to California and joined the UC Berkeley faculty, where he taught for 35 years. Later in his career, he was listed as a state architect in California and New Mexico. Sim also became a licensed architect, where he received a certification by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

• State of California, Energy Resources and Conservation and Development Building, Sacramento
• State of California, Department of Justice, Office Building #1, Sacramento, 1977-1978
• State of California, State Office Building, Sacramento, 1977-1978
• State of California, Water Resources Control Board Building, Sacramento
• State of California, State Office Building, San Jose
• The Ojai Foundation School, Ojai, California
• Green Gulch Zen Center, Muir Beach, California
• Real Goods Solar Living Center, Hopland, California, 1996

• Assistant Professor, University of California, Berkeley (UCB), 1958–1966
• Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley, 1966-1970
• Professor, University of California, Berkeley, 1970
• Goff Chair of Innovative Architecture, University of Oklahoma, Norman, 2001
• Professor Emeritus of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley, 2019

Van der Ryn's vision and philosophy have been based on the inclusion of ecological values in the built environment. He introduced new academic programs through elementary schools in Berkeley, California. One of the program's mottos was “trash can do it.” The idea was that recycling of materials would encourage students to utilize resources; the approach was new at the time. Hands-on methods of gaining understanding allowed students to grasp a real-life perspective concerning different materials by utilizing them in environmentally functional projects. The program created opportunities to enhance and develop manual, intellectual, and social skills. It put forward a do-it-yourself guideline to enhance educational systems.

Van der Ryn had an innovative and unconventional approach to teaching. In his classes, he insisted on creating a more balanced basis among male and female students. He persisted with this principle and created a more equal environment for all with professional aspirations. His vision in architecture was to provide women with the same opportunities as men, accepting equal numbers of men and women as applicants in the early 70s.

“Outlaw Builder Studio,” a significant platform for Van der Ryn to demonstrate his new ecological and solar architecture, in which his students could develop building and social skills. Students created, designed, and built to their needs while living outdoors for at least 3 days each week. Later, some of the projects were dismantled because they didn't meet building code requirements. This was met with some scrutiny in his teaching career from his peers and other professionals.

The Energy Pavilion was a project of interest in the early 70s. This project provided the first mainstream booklet on solar architecture. Students were able to construct an early solar-panel design. This energy-efficient design offered a futuristic glimpse into ecological and environmental architecture. At the time of this project, the world was witnessing the dilemmas of the oil crisis. Van der Ryn encouraged his studio to connect with the surrounding environment and maintain a cohesive design approach.

Van der Ryn was appointed California State Architect in the administration of Governor Jerry Brown in the late 1970s. Van der Ryn was in the architecture faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, College of Environmental Design.

Van der Ryn was married to Mimi Wolfe, with whom he had three children: Julia, Micah, and Ethan. Their marriage ended in divorce, as did other marriages to Ruth Friend and Gale Parker. Beyond architecture, he had a passion for watercolor painting.

Van der Ryn died from Alzheimer's disease at a care facility in Petaluma, California, on October 19, 2024, at the age of 89.

• Recipient, Guggenheim Fellowship, 1971.
• Recipient, American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC), Commendation for Excellence in Technology, 1981.
• Recipient, AIACC, Nathaniel Owings Award, 1996.
• Recipient, Rockefeller Scholar in Residence, Bellagio, Italy, 1997 and 2012.
• Fellowship, Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Chicago, IL, 1997.
• President's Award for Planning, American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA Colorado Chapter) for the Arbolera de Vida Master Plan, Albuquerque, NM, 1997.
• Recipient, Congress for the New Urbanism, Athena Medal, 2008

• Van der Ryn, Sim (1978). The Toilet Papers. Santa Barbara, CA: Capra Press. ISBN 978-0884961215
• Van der Ryn, Sim and the Farallones Institute, Helga & William Olkowski (1982). The Integral Urban House. NY: Random House. ISBN 978-0871562135
• Calthorpe, Peter and Sim Van der Ryn (1986). Sustainable Communities: A New Design Synthesis for Cities, Suburbs and Towns. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-629-X
• Van der Ryn, Sim and Stuart Cowan (1996). Ecological Design. Washington, DC: Island Press. ISBN 1-55963-389-1
• Van der Ryn, Sim (2005). Design For Life: The Architecture of Sim Van der Ryn. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 978-1586855307
• Van der Ryn, Sim and Stuart Cowan (2007). Ecological Design, Tenth Anniversary Edition. Washington, DC: Island Press. ISBN 978-1-59726-1418
• Van der Ryn, Sim (2013). Design for an Empathic World: Reconnecting People, Nature, and Self 2nd None ed. Edition. ISBN 978-1610914260
• Van der Ryn, Sim (2013). Culture, Architecture and Nature: An Ecological Design Retrospective 1st Edition. ISBN 041583967X