Dr. Daniel Barber

Biography

Daniel Barber is a historian of architecture and the environment, focusing on architects engaged with climate change and exploring the historical knowledge of architecture's climate and energy impacts. His recent book, "Modern Architecture and Climate: Design Before Air Conditioning" (Princeton University Press, 2020), was followed by "House of the Sun: Modern Architecture and Solar Energy during the Cold War" (Oxford University Press, 2016). Barber's article "After Comfort" was published in LOG (2019) and has been translated into five languages. He is currently a co-editor of the ongoing series "Comfort: A User’s Guide to Accumulation" on the e-flux architecture online platform. In 2023, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship for his project "Thermal Practices" and co-directed the film "Climate Portraits" as part of the International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam. He has also earned the Fondation Martell's Transition Fellowship for 2025. Barber's research emphasizes the integral design of interiors and explores the causal relationship between heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems (HVAC) and carbon emissions. His academic background includes a PhD in Architecture (History and Theory) from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (2010) and a Master's Degree from Yale University (2005). Barber held prestigious fellowships at institutions such as Harvard University, Princeton University, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In 2022, he became the inaugural Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies at Universitâat Heidelberg. He has been the Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney and has taught at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, Oberlin College, and Auckland University, delivering lectures at design schools and museums worldwide.

Research Interests