Meet Peter Pfeiffer

PETER L. PFEIFFER,  FAIA

founding principal of Barley & Pfeiffer Architects

Peter Pfeiffer is a professional Architect, Interior Designer, and Building Scientist practicing throughout the United States and Canada.  He graduated with a Bachelor Science degree in Building Sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1977.  After a four year stint working in commercial building construction he went on to attend the  University of Texas from where he graduated Phi Kappa Phi in 1983 with a Masters in Architecture degree, emphasizing energy conservation and resource efficient design.

 

Peter is the founding principal of the Austin-based architectural firm of Barley & Pfeiffer Architects, specializing in “Green” building practices since 1987.  The firm has become recognized as a national leader in the fields of resource conserving design, healthy living & work environments, and high performance construction methods.   Barley & Pfeiffer’s work has been published both in the United States and abroad in such diverse venues as the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, Fine Homebuilding and Better Homes & Gardens magazine.  To “get the word out” on Green building Mr. Pfeiffer has been a frequent guest presenter on Nation Public Radio, PBS-TV, HG-TV, The Today Show and various other national television and radio programs.

 

Fine Homebuilding magazine recognized the firm for having designed one of the top nine most noteworthy homes in America in 1993, as well as “the Greenest home in America” in 2003.  EEBA, the national Energy & Environmental Building Association, awarded Mr. Pfeiffer the Conference Chair’s Award in 1994 for his career accomplishments in pioneering environmentally sensitive architecture.

 

In 2003 the National Association of Home Builders honored him with the “National Green Advocate of the Year” award for his life long achievements in “mainstreaming” green building.  The National Association of Realtors listed Peter among “notable people in US real estate” for this as well.  In 2006 Residential Architect cited him as one of the ten most influential residential architects of the past decade.

 

In the 1990’s Peter chaired the City of Austin’s Resource Management Commission that oversaw demand-side management strategies and the further development of the nation’s first municipal green building program.  He also serves on the advisory board of Environmental Building News,  has been an active charter member of the NAHB Green Building Subcommittee since its inception in 1999 as well as the recently launched US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program.  Peter chairs the City of Austin mayor’s task force on “Zero Energy Capable Homes” which, in 2007 through a consensus process with leaders in the building industry, put forth the most stringent residential energy conservation codes in America.

 

Since 2003 Peter has served the people of the State of Texas as a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners.  In 2008 his colleagues on the board elected him to be Vice Chairman of the TBAE.

 

Peter has spent the past three decades developing and advancing pragmatic “Green” building principles and methods.  In 2004 he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects for his lifelong achievements in “Mainstreaming Green”.