Curriculum vitae - School of Architecture + Design - Virginia Tech

EDUCATION
Master of Architecture, 1999
University of Florida
Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Cum Laude, 1995
Tulane University
MICHAEL ERMANN
Virginia Tech School
of Architecture + Design;
201 Cowgill Hall
(0205); Blacksburg,
Virginia 24061; (540)
231.1225;mermann@
vt.edu
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Associate Professor, 2007-present
Undergraduate Architecture Program Co-Chair, 2007-2011
Assistant Professor 2001-2007
Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design, Blacksburg, Virginia
Acoustics book (in progress)
Architectural Acoustics and Theater Planning Consultant, 2000-2001
Artec Consultants, New York City
Architectural Acoustics Consultant, 1997-1999
Siebein Associates, Gainesville, Florida
Intern Architect, summers 1996-1997
Granary Associates, Philadelphia
Fields Everywhere Museum Exhibit
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Paper selected for “best-of” book publication, 2009
Gibbs, B, Goodchild, J, Hopkins, C, and Oldham, D, ed. Collected Papers in Building Acoustics: Room Acoustics and
Environmental Noise. Multi-Science Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-907132-14-8.
Ermann, M, “Coupled Volumes: Aperture size and the double-sloped decay of concert halls,” which was originally
published in the journal Building Acoustics Volume 12, was selected for inclusion into the book ”because of its
quality, citation history and contribution to the science and practice of Building Acoustics.”
Grinham design-build chair 5 th yr
Highest student evaluations in programʼs 18 year history, fall 2009
Taught design studio and concert hall acoustics courses to 16 undergraduate fourth-year students at Virginia Techʼs
campus in Riva San Vitale Switzerland.
Acoustical Society of America Technical Committee on Architectural Acoustics grant, $3,500, Principal Investigator, 2008
“Methods to improve multi-family housing initiative,” the unanimous first choice among the three judges.
National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, $500,000, Co-principal Investigator, 2008
“Integrated web-based visualization with structural systems understanding to improve the technical education of
architects.” See http://legacy.caus.vt.edu/setareh/archresearch/
Diliberti “C5” Residence AIA Award
Clay plaster form study 5 th yr

Inaugural Virginia Society American Institute of Architects (VS-AIA) Prize for Design Research, Honorable Mention, 2008
“Five sensitivities of a coupled volume concert hall.” Jury chaired by Cesar Pelli.
Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment (ISCE) grant, $16,000, Co-Principal Investigator, 2008
Awarded to support Fields Everywhere.
Educational Enhancement Collaboration Grant, $5,000, Co-principal Investigator, 2008
Awarded to develop curricula for middle schools teaching sound fields.
Schutski, urban infill 3 rd yr
American Institute of Architects, Blue Ridge Chapter Merit Award for the Diliberti “C5” Residence, Co-designer, 2007
College of Architecture and Urban Studies Outreach Award, 2006
Secondary member of a team of 16 faculty working on the 2005 Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon design-build off-the-grid
house. The house, which competed on the National Mall in Washington DC against 18 other universities, swept all five
architecture awards and was featured in Dwell, Architectural Lighting, Popular Mechanics, This Old House, and Extreme
Makeover Home Edition.
First annual School of Architecture + Design Lecture/Seminar Teaching Award for excellence in instruction, 2005
Newman Medal for excellence in the study of architectural acoustics, 2000
Coupled volume concert hall research
The Erwin Gerber Memorial Scholarship in Architecture, 1996
SELECTED RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
Books
Ermann, M, Egan, M D, Architectural Acoustics Illustrated and Animated (In progress, completion expected 2013)
Ermann, M, The Acoustics of Multi-family Housing (The Orange Book), 2011
Written for an audience of acoustical lay-people (architects, contractors, occupants, and developers). Web publication by
the Acoustical Society of America, booklet completed and publication pending.
See www.pac-intl.com/pdf/AcousticsMultifamilyHousing.pdf
Newcomb microperf absorption study
Translucent insulation Metropolis entry
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Peer-reviewed journal papers
Ermann, M, “Double sloped decay: subjective listening test to determine perceptibility and preference,” Building Acoustics.
Vol 14 (2), Jun 2007, pp 91-107.
Ermann, M, Kidner, M, and Mennitt, D, “Mapping the sound field of a 400 seat theater,” Building Acoustics. Vol 13 (3), Sep
2006, pp 199-210.
Warren, P, Katti, M, Ermann, M, and Brazel, A, “Urban bioacoustics: itʼs not just noise,” Animal Behaviour. Vol 71, 10 Feb
2006, pp 491-502.
Mitchell competition winner 5 th yr
Ermann, M, "Coupled volumes: secondary room reverberance and the double-sloped decay of concert halls," Building
Acoustics. Vol 12 (3), Sep 2005, pp 165-174.
Ermann, M, “Coupled volumes: aperture size and the double-sloped decay of concert halls,” Building Acoustics. Vol 12
(1), Mar 2005, pp 1-13. (selected for “best-of” book, see above)
Ermann, M, Johnson, M, “Exposure and materiality of the secondary room and its impact on the impulse response of
coupled volumes,” Journal of Sound and Vibration. Vol 284 (3-5), 13 Dec 2004, pp 915-931.
Siebein, G W, Gold, M, Siebein, G, Ermann, M, “Ten ways to provide a high quality acoustical environment in schools,”
American Speech-Language-Hearing Associationʼs Journal of Language Speech and Hearing Services in the Schools.
Vol 13, Oct 2000, pp 376-384.
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL AND RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Recent Professional Activity
Founder, architectural acoustics research lab, 2001 to present
Equipment capable of taking acoustic measurements in rooms, simulating acoustic environments and analyzing the
acoustic character of computer-modeled rooms. The acoustics program Iʼve created attracts students specifically
interested in studying Architectural Acoustics to Virginia Tech.
Professional association involvement, 2002 to present
Member, national Acoustical Society of America Technical Committee on Architectural Acoustics and the Technical
Committee on Noise, 2002 to present.
Faculty representative, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, 2007 to 2010
Member, board of directors, North Carolina Chapter of the Acoustical Society of America (NC-ASA), 2004 to 2006.
Organizer, NC-ASA meeting in Blacksburg, 2004.
Jackson Sound TL design build
LEED Accredited Professional, 2004 to present.
Co-Principal Investigator, Fields Everywhere TM , 2005 to present
A spatial, immersive, and participatory exhibit—proposed for a science museum— exploring the abstract concept of
scientific fields in an authentic way (acoustic fields, magnetic fields, wind fields, electromagnetic fields) to engage preand
early adolescents. See www.fieldseverywhere.org.
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Robinson composition study 4 th yr

Candidate for licensure as an architect, Architect Registration Examination (ARE) in progress, 2010 to present
Theater sound field mapping half-plan
Undergraduate Architecture Program Co-Chairman, School of Architecture + Design, 2007 to 2011
Wrote faculty reviews, scheduled courses and assigned faculty, advised 250 students, identified and hired visiting and
tenure-track faculty, administered and evaluated office support staff, organized lecture series and design competitions,
fundraised, assigned scholarships, and maintained budget.
Author, “How air conditioning works” video series, 2011
These Youtube animations are among the most popular on the subject worldwide and rose to the top of the Youtube
search within weeks of their launch. 5000+ views per month. Search for the keyword “professorermann” on Youtube.
Newberry structure study 5 th yr
Author, ARE Building Systems Study Guide and Practice Exam (The Amber Book), ISBN 978-1466266322, 2011
ARE Building Systems seminar leader, 2011
Intensive 30-hour seminars to prepare intern architects for the licensing exam. See www.arebuildingsystems.com
International Faculty Development Program, Riva San Vitale, Switzerland, 2007
Invited by the dean as our collegeʼs representative.
Selected conference presentations and publications
Ermann, M, Meslar, S, Fields, K, Robinson, S, Ota, E, Warren, C, Ritchie, R, Morrison, W, Stricker, K, Kroon, J, White, K,
Jennings, J, Hughes, A, Lee, Z, Nelson, WJ, Hellyar, A “Listening to Architecture,” Presented to the North Carolina
chapter of the Acoustical Society of America. Raleigh, Mar 2010.
Greemore newsstand comp winner
Ermann, M, Vernon, M, Jaramillo, A, Barnobi, C, Han, J, “Fields everywhere,” Presented at the 160 th meeting of the
Acoustical Society of America. Cancun, Nov 2010.
Ermann, M, “The costs and benefits of LEED,” presented to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)
Southwest Virginia Chapter, Blacksburg, Jul 2009.
Garber geometry and sound reflections
Ermann, M, Crawford, N, Mitchell, J, Kim, S, Victor, JS, Massengill, A, Green, J, Field, B, Smith, S, Van Wagner, M,
“Thirteen findings in ten minutes,” Presented to the 157 th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. Portland, May
2009.
Ermann, M, “Building ventilation and acoustics for people who donʼt know much about building ventilation,” Presented to
the 157 th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. Portland, May 2009.
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Stricker urban design comp winner

Ermann, M, Wheeler, J, Davis, L, “The three little pigs: passive thermal in straw, wood, and brick,” Society of
Environmental Journalists annual meeting. Roanoke, Oct 2008.
Ermann, M, “Geothermal heat pumps and acoustics for people who donʼt know much about geothermal heat pumps,”
Presented to the 156 th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. Miami, Nov 2008.
Kim light design competition winner
Ermann, M, Jaramillo, A, Victor, JS, Barnobi, C, Thompson, A, McDermott, M “Acoustics, translated into the language of
architecture,” Presented to the 156 th meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. Miami, Nov 2008.
Ermann, M (invited), "The five sensitivities of coupled volume concert halls: a compendium," published by the
Architecture|Music|Acoustics Symposium. Toronto, Jun 2006.
Ermann, M (invited), “Fan noise rule-of-thumb method for architects,” Presented to the North Carolina chapter of the
Acoustical Society of America. Raleigh, Apr 2006.
Kim mechanical noise mapping study
Ermann, M, “Shifting edges: beach town urbanism,” Dichotomy, A student-run journal published by the University of
Detroit, Mercy, Vol 16, Fall 2006.
Ermann, M (invited), "Five sensitivities of the coupled volume/double sloped system," Presented to the 148 th meeting of
the Acoustical Society of America. San Diego, Nov 2004.
Ermann, M, “Towards aural opacity—across a visually transparent medium,” presented to the 148 th
Acoustical Society of America. San Diego, Nov 2004.
meeting of the
Ermann, M, “Case studies in sustainable design,” presented at the Meeting of the Society of Building Science Educators
(SBSE). Columbus, Indiana, Aug 2003.
Session chair and creator, “Three views of great green: Sustainable architectural case studies,” Building Virginia
Conference, American Institute of Architects (AIA). Richmond, Virginia, Nov 2003.
Shockey tower hotel 5 th yr
Twenty other papers presented at conferences on the topics of coupled volume concert halls, haptic perception of sound
within a space, sound transmission loss through transparent media, the translation of acoustic principles into an
architectural language, and urbanism.
Software development: Created a matlab tool (with Engineering Assistant Professor Marty Johnson) to model impulse
responses in coupled-volume concert halls, Nov 2002.
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Van Wanger transparency and sound

TEACHING
Course Evaluation 1
Environmental Building Systems Course Sequence
Required, two-semester undergraduate lecture class, covering sustainability, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, human
4.00/4.00
comfort, heat transfer, passive and active heating and cooling, lighting, and acoustics.
Advanced Architectural Acoustics
Graduate and upper-level undergraduate 10-person seminar class focusing on room acoustics, noise control, and
community noise.
Design Studio
All seven undergraduate and graduate design studios, freshman design through masters thesis, focusing on rigorous
exploration of design through making.
Design at Every Scale
Walking tour and field trip oriented course for graduate students not enrolled in architecture or design fields.
4.00/4.00
4.00/4.00
4.00/4.00
Other Courses Taught: Building Assembly (materials and methods of construction, instruction within studio), Building
Analysis (architectural case study investigation), Architectural Structures, Undergraduate and Graduate Thesis (student -
directed design projects).
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1 Average overall student evaluations of instructor for a recent semester the course was taught on a 1 to 4 scale where 4=excellent, 3=good, 2=fair, 1=poor.

EXTERNALLY RECOGNIZED AND FUNDED STUDENT AWARDS 2
Student Project Title Award Prize
Keith Stricker Maryland AIA undergraduate student design award, 2011 1 st Prize $500
Emily Garber Newman Medal, Room shaping to optimize 1 st order reflections, 2011 Medal Books, $200
Jesse Newcomb Newman Medal, Microperf absorbers and the design of a performance space, 2010 Medal Books, $200
Julia Mitchell Maryland AIA undergraduate student design award, 2009 1 st Prize $1000
Ji Ae “Sky” Kim Luraline “Itʼs Your Light” international student design competition, 2008 2 nd Prize (out of 220 students)
Chelsea Greemore Architecture for Humanity-Chicago newStand design competition, 2006 1 st Prize, Humanitarian category Work Exhibited
in Chicago
Jonathan Hanahan Architecture for Humanity-Chicago newStand design competition, 2006 1 st Prize, Provocative category
Leon Davis Design/Build straw bale construction art studio for the Jacksonville Center, 2006 Thesis Book Award Raised $5,000+
David Gagnon Acoustics measurements at Salzburg Music Festival, 2006 Horton Honors Fellowship $10,000
Rebecca Hughes Newman Medal, Appalachian Music School Design, 2006 Medal Books, $200
Dan Mennitt Newman Medal, Sound Field Mapping, 2005 Medal Books, $200
Bill Yoder Newman Medal, Coupled Volume Concert Halls, 2004 Medal Books, $200
Narissa McCoy Investigation, design, and analysis of restaurant acoustics, 2004 Royster Prize for Acoustics $2,500
Seven separate
students or teams
Various poster entries into the North Carolina Acoustical Society, 2003-2006 Architectural Acoustics Prizes Total of $2,250
51 students Successfully passed the LEED Certification exam as part of their undergraduate
coursework, 2006-2009
LEED Accredited Professional Status
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2
Includes only externally recognized work involving my role as primary mentor

SELECTED OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
Pro-bono acoustics consulting, 2002 to present
Building Tomorrow, an organization that builds African schools. Acoustics was identified as the most common complaint in
their existing buildings, 2011.
Pulaski county animal shelter, a new prototype facility with an outdoor kennel adjacent to residences, 2002.
School committee involvement, 2003 to present
School of Architecture + Design Executive Committee, University Department Headsʼ Council, Virginia Tech Center for the
Arts Technical Committee, Virginia Tech Presidentʼs Energy and Sustainability Subcommittee to develop a climate
commitment for Virginia Tech, School Curriculum Committee, School Research Committee.
Acoustics booklet floor impact noise
Design competition creator, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 2011
Initiated competition with six design studios, helped to fundraise $10,000, wrote project brief, and published book of
winnersʼ work.
Discovery Channel news magazine: interviewed for piece on inflatable construction noise barriers, 2011
See http://news.discovery.com/tech/inflatable-sound-barrier-111102.html
Entry, Metropolis Next-generation Design Competition, Fix our Energy Addiction, “Translucent night insulation,” 2008.
Author, neighborhood master plan, 2003 to 2005
Wrote “Neighborhood Planning,” “Economic and Cultural Development,” and “Utilities and Services,” portions of Miller-
Southside master plan adopted by town council into Blacksburgʼs comprehensive plan.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Acoustic Measurements: Noise criteria (NC), transmission loss/sound transmission class (TL/STC), impact insulation class
(IIC), impulse response, model spark testing, rapid speech transmission index (RASTI), reverberation time (RT), room
acoustics simulation and auralization software
Hanahan newsstand comp winner
Other: AutoCAD two-dimensional and three-dimensional, Photoshop, Illustrator, Energy10
Davis straw bale design-build art studio
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