Carmen Trudell

Areas of Expertise

Profile

Carmen is the Associate Dean of Student Success and Inclusion for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, effective January 1, 2026. She has been a professor in the Architecture Department at Cal Poly since 2011. Prior to Cal Poly, Carmen taught at the New York City College of Technology and practiced at SHoP Architects in New York City and RRM Design Group in San Luis Obispo.

Carmen has provided leadership and teaching innovation in the Architectural Technology and Systems areas of the Cal Poly curriculum for over 10 years. Along with collaborators Robert Arens and Brian Osborn, she received the Cal Poly Learn by Doing Scholars Career Award for their work on the second-year curriculum and pedagogy. The team is motivated to enable students to think critically and creatively through architectural technologies, develop intuition and communication skills, and gain foundational knowledge in site systems, construction systems, and energy systems. Carmen also teaches first- through fourth-year design studios and research seminars.

Carmen’s current research interests include design for disassembly and visualizing value in the circular economy. She holds a patent for a System and Method for Air Filtration via Cyclone Separators Enclosed within Exterior Walls, based on her thesis work at CASE. Her invention, the Breathe Brick, has been featured in numerous publications and has received both an Architect Magazine R&D Award and a USGBC Green Innovation Award.

Carmen participates in service both nationally and at Cal Poly. She served two terms as President of the Building Technology Educators’ Society and currently serves on its board. At Cal Poly, she has served as Associate Department Head of Architecture, the CAED representative to the Academic Senate Curriculum Committee, and a member of the Academic Assessment Council.

Carmen earned an M.S. in Advanced Architectural Design from the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University; an M.S. in Built Ecologies from the Center for Architecture, Science and Ecology (CASE) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and a B.Arch. from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Experience

Educational Credentials:

Master of Science in Built Ecologies, Center for Architecture Science and Ecology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, NY
Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design, Columbia University, New York, NY 
Bachelor of Architecture, Minor of Philosophy, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA

Teaching Experience:

Professor, Architecture, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA
Visiting Assistant Professor, Architecture, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 
Assistant Professor, New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn, NY 
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia University, New York 
Lecturer, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA 

Professional Experience:

Partner, BOTH Landscape & Architecture, San Luis Obispo CA & Charlottesville VA
Architect, Project Manager, SHoP Architects PC, New York, NY
Partner, Fluxxlab, New York, NY
Architect, Associate, RRM Design Group, San Luis Obispo, CA
Field Assistant, Vanir Construction Management, San Luis Obispo, CA

Licenses/Registration:

Licensed Architect, California, New York
NCARB Registration
LEED Accredited Professional

Professional Memberships:

Building Technology Educators Society (BTES)
US Green Building Council, Central Coast Chapter

Scholarship

Selected Publications and Recent Research:

• Trudell, Carmen, Soham Patel (undergraduate student). “Recruiting Engagement through Readings+Media in Architectural Technology Education.” Published in the Proceedings of the Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES) Vol. 2021. Auburn University.
• Osborn, Brian, Carmen Trudell, Robert Arens. “Making Site Matter: Expanding the Field of Architectural Technology.” Published in the Proceedings of the 2019 Reynolds Symposium: Education by Design. October 18-20, 2019. University of Oregon, Eugene.
• Trudell, Carmen, Brian Osborn, Robert Arens. “The Kind of Problem Technology Is: The Case for Integrated Models of Architectural Technologies Education.” Special Focus Session of the 106th Annual Meeting of the Associated Collegiate Schools of Architecture, March 15-17, 2018. Denver, CO. Published in the Proceedings of Building Technology Educators’ Society (BTES) Vol.2019.
• Trudell, Carmen. “Metabolic Masonry: Open Energy & Material Exchange for Healthy Interiors.” In Proceedings of Face Time: The Emergence of the Facade as the Integrative Factor in Holistic Building Design Conference, October 10-11, 2016. Los Angeles, CA: Tectonic Press. pp 227-234.
• Trudell, Carmen. “Dreaming About Bricks: Passive Particulate Filtration with Wall-Embedded Cyclones.” Proceedings of International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) IndoorAir 2014 Conference, July 7-12, 2014. Hong Kong.
• Cabrinha, Mark, Clare Olsen, Jeff Ponitz, Carmen Trudell. “Molding Ecologies: Culture, Climate, and Craft.” Poster exhibited and in Proceedings of the 101st Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) Conference: New Constellations/New Ecologies Research and Design Project Catalog, March 20-23, 2013. San Francisco, CA. pp. 42-43.
• Trudell, Carmen. “Natural Solutions to a Ubiquitous Problem: Materials, Toxins, and Indoor Air Quality.” Poster exhibited and presented at the 3rd North American Materials Education Symposium, March 27-30, 2012. San Luis Obispo, CA: California Polytechnic State University.
• Trudell, Carmen. “Combined Active, Passive, and Biological Methods for Cleaning Indoor Air.” Graduate thesis, Center for Architecture, Science and Ecology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2012.

Selected Exhibitions: 

• Making Space for Mentoring Exhibit, UMASS Amherst, February, 2024. Invited to have current work exhibited in show of mid-career female academics. 
• National Conference on Beginning Design Students Exhibition, NCBDS #32, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, February, 2016. Assisted Angela Bracco in organization and installation of an exhibit of first & second year work.
• Serial Boxes, Mark Horton Gallery, San Francisco, CA, June 2012. In collaboration with Jeff Ponitz, Clare Olsen, and Mark Cabrinha. 

Selected Grants and Awards:

• Seeking Circularity: An Exploration of Biobased Assemblies, CAED Hearst Teacher-Scholar Grant, 2023-2024. Collaboration with Brian Osborn, Angela Bracco, and Clare Olsen. 
• BEACoN Research Mentoring Program, Cal Poly Office of University Diversity & Inclusion, 2023+2024. Three undergraduate students awarded research stipends for the Circular Economy in Architecture.
• Urban Wood Buildings, CAED Hearst Teacher-Scholar + Universal Traveler Grant, 2021. Collaboration with Brian Osborn to study utilization of wood harvested from urban sources in building construction. 
• Cal Poly Learn by Doing Scholar Award, Excellence in Scholarship of Teaching, 2020. Awarded for Architectural Technology Fundamentals course redesign with Robert Arens and Brian Osborn. 
• Lighting Education: Deep Learning from Fundamentals to Integration, Jeffrey A. Milham Catalyst Grant for Lighting Education, 2020-2024. With Sandy Stannard, PI and Robert Arens for lighting education in 2nd and 3rd year. 
• Enriching and Enhancing Building Technologies Teaching, CAED/ZGF Building Performance Evaluation Studies Funding, 2020-2021. Sandy Stannard grant PI, funding for quick pivot to online learning to bring in guest expert speakers. 
• ARCHITECT Magazine R&D Award, Annual Highly-Competitve Professional Design Award, 2015. Awarded for Breathe Brick: passive air filtration wall system. Published in July 2015 issue of ARCHITECT magazine, featured in online magazine. 
• 2013 C4 Green Innovation Award, US Green Building Council Central Coast Chapter, 2013. Awarded for Breathe Brick: passive air filtration wall system. 
• Cal Poly University Housing 2013 Faculty & Staff Recognition Award, San Luis Obispo, CA, 2013. Nominated by students in the dorms for commitment to and participation in their success at Cal Poly. 
• Cal Poly Planning, Design, and Construction Institute (PDCI) Seed-Grant, San Luis Obispo, CA, 2012-2013. Improving Air-Quality by Passively Pre-Filtering Particulates from Outfoor Air.

Selected Research 

• Patent, System and Method of Air Filtration via Cyclone Separators Enclosed within Exterior Walls. Cal Poly Office of Research & Economic Development funded the patent application process. Patent number: 13/998,597 issued February 5, 2016.
• Breathe Brick Wall Prototype, Construction of a full-scale wall for long-term experimentation, 2016. Working with four undergraduate research assistants, a 6' x 8' prototype air filtration wall was constructed. 

Updated 01.07.26