Gene Zellmer

Gene Zellmer's varied experience provides a solid foundation for inventing an entirely new concept for towns. Beginning with all types of farm work, then getting a carpenter apprentice license at 16 and doing carpentry during college summers provided a hands on understanding of materials. It encouraged a practical confidence and interest in inventing anything making work easier, simplified construction techniques and cost control beginning with his early design work. He has been a pioneer in...See more

Gene Zellmer's varied experience provides a solid foundation for inventing an entirely new concept for towns. Beginning with all types of farm work, then getting a carpenter apprentice license at 16 and doing carpentry during college summers provided a hands on understanding of materials. It encouraged a practical confidence and interest in inventing anything making work easier, simplified construction techniques and cost control beginning with his early design work. He has been a pioneer in architecture, often years ahead. Inspired by satellites, space suits, and Frie Otto's work, in 1961 he imagined we would eventually have durable fabrics. That would make possible the first new building system for permanent buildings since the Romans 2000 years ago.. His 1965 structural fabric research at MIT resulted, years later, in the world's first applications on a department store, church, residence, and below grade office building. His work has been published internationally and in Time as one the Five Best Architectural Designs in 1981. He has designed home, office, school, bank, convention center, civic, shopping center, apartment, HUD senior and low-income housing, hotel, postal, military facilities, hospital, medical office projects, and new community master plans. One of the clients was the largest apartment developer in the United States for many years. Many projects were given AIA Design Awards of Merit, Honor, and Excellence. Two received the only AIA Enduring Awards for Excellence initially given in his region. There was never enough time, if anything was published, someone else must have arranged for it. The urge to invent resulted in the first applications of silicone rubber to attach & hinge glass, below-grade low energy housing and offices, low-cost housing at 1/4 tract house cost, cooling effects of double metal roof systems, berm-wall construction, earthquake design for a 12-story concrete block housing project, solarium-heated apartments, roof-truss attic room additions and sweat equity housing systems. He formed his own construction development company that built and successfully tested all the ideas too experimental to do on client projects. The development company built Medical and Dental Office Buildings, PUD Offices, Apartment Developments, PUD Duplex Developments, Duplex Subdivisions, Housing Subdivisions and Experimental Private Homes. He completed his Bachelor of Architecture Degree at University of Southern California and Master of Architecture Degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been licensed in California, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Iowa. See less