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home : faculty profiles in faith
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Faculty Profiles in Faith
Loren Abraham, College of Architecture and Landscape ArchitectureUniversity of Minnesota
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Educational Background:
- Southeast Area Technical College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Architectural Technology, 1972
- University of Minnesota, BA Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Interdisciplinary degree, 1977
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Selected Publications:
- For the past 20 years, my professional design and research focus has been in the field of Sustainable Design in general and specifically in the areas of windows and daylighting in buildings, renewable energy and solar design strategies, engineered ecological materials, intelligent manufacturing systems and “green” building strategies, standards and guidelines. Other areas of research interest include biomimicry, cradle to cradle principals in design and engineering of products and processes.
Reimagining the relationship between Human Beings and Their Environment, the Hennepin County Brookdale Regional Center, Daybreak Press, 2004 Living Spaces, Ecological Building and Design, Konnemann Verlagsgeschellschaft, Frankfurt, 1999. Ca-author 468 page illustrated folio-sized guidebook. Whole Buildings Design Guide, On-line Resource, SBIC and NavFac, 1998 Contributor Sustainable Building Technical Manual - Green Building Design, Construction and Operations, PTI. , U.S. GBC and U.S. DOE, 1996, Author and Reviewing Editor Greening Of The White House Interactive Guide CD ROM , AIA, CREST, 1995, Contributor Energy Design Tools - Needs Assessment And Strategic Planning U.S.DOE, AIA/ACAS, 1994 Greening Of The White House - Phase II Action Plan, AIA, 1995, Co-author Greening Of The White House - Phase I Action Plan, AIA, 1994, Co-author Daylighting Research And Product Development White Paper, Andersen Windows, 1993, Author Greening Of The White House - Feasibility Study Report, AIA, 1993, Co-author Designing Low Energy Buildings, DOE, PSIC And NREL, 1992, Co-author |
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Place of Worship:
Discovery House, Hastings, Minnesota
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Favorite Bible Passage:
Ephesians 3:14-21For this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, that He may grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man and that Christ may dwell in your hearts, through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to whom is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think–according to the power that works in you–to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen
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Testimony:
I was raised in a Christian home, attended a Lutheran Church (LCA) and confirmed around the age of 13 when I became aware of the presence of God as the creator of the universe. But I did not know the Lord and had no firm foundation in the Word. Later during college, I studied philosophy, many eastern theologies and sought to formulate my own unified concept of God and man that bridged all faiths, races, cultures and conditions; however, this did not satisfy the hunger for Truth which existed deep inside me. I attended Christian Science Churches for a time and after marriage I joined the Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis where I sang in the choir for 6 years. I can say that I was happy during those times and seemed to lack nothing, but still there was a longing in my soul that I could not seem to fill. My marriage and my life fell into crisis at the age of 37 and my wife and I were divorced in spite of having four wonderful children together. I and one of my sons moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where I worked for William McDonough and assisted him with founding his architectural and product design businesses there when he was appointed dean of the College of Architecture at UVA. Three years after our divorce and after suffering a debilitating illness I and my wife were remarried in Charlottesville. I returned to Minnesota in 1999 and located in Hastings where I began attending Discovery Church. Discovery is a non-denominational evangelical church which seeks to reach the “least of these” and restore them to wholeness through faith in Christ. My wife prayed for me for many years to come to Christ Jesus and accept him as my Lord and Savior, and I can happily report that her prayers were answered in 2001 when at the age of 46, I finally was able to fully understand that having a personal relationship with Him was the only thing that could possibly fill the longings we have in our souls. It is through Him alone, I finally learned, that we can come to know the Truth and live life to its fullest. I am so blessed to have a faithful and loving wife who has stayed by me through it all and through prayer ultimately restored our marriage and our family. |
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