Ute Poerschke

Ute Poerschke is a Professor of Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University College of Arts and Architecture. Prior to her tenure at Penn State, she taught at Technical Universities of Berlin and Munich from 1999–2005 and earned a doctoral degree in architectural theory from the Technical University of Cottbus in 2005.

Her research and practice focus on the intersections of architecture, technology, and environmentally conscious design. She explores how modernist architects integrated advancements in lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation into both projects and pedagogy. Her work also delves into the theoretical foundations of functionalism and the transfer of Bauhaus principles across cultural contexts. She is a co-editor of the journal Wolkenkuckucksheim | Cloud-Cuckoo-Land, fostering critical discourse on architectural theory.

Her publications highlight a diverse engagement with high modernism, including analyses of Ludwig Hilberseimer's solar orientation studies, Gottfried Semper's functionalist ideas, and A. William Hajjar's 'Air-Wall' innovation. She emphasizes data-driven design, building information modeling (BIM), and building-integrated wind turbines in her scholarship.

Scientific and architectural awards include the 2022 Jewish National Fund USA Faculty Fellowship, 2020 NAGS Graduate Faculty Teaching Award, multiple design competition prizes with Friedrich-Poerschke-Zwink Architekten, and the 2007 Penn State Faculty Charrette 3rd Prize. She holds professional licenses as a licensed architect and urban planner in Germany, an International Associate AIA, and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

She has taught architectural design studios and courses such as Technical Systems Integration and Environmentally Conscious Design at Penn State. Her editorial and curatorial work includes organizing the 2019 Bauhaus Transfers Symposium and co-editing special issues on topics like Mixings in Architecture and Landscape and Between Architecture and Landscape Architecture.