John E. Fernández

Professor

Architect

Scientist

Author

Advisor

Entrepreneur

John E. Fernández is a professor of architecture + urbanism and building technology in the Department of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Fernández founded and directs the MIT Urban Metabolism Group, which is focused on sustainable and biodiverse futures for cities around the world. Fernández is the former Director of the Environmental Solutions Initiative, an institute-wide center of research and action on global environmental issues. is a published author in scientific and design journals and two books and speaks to a wide range of issues in climate change and the environment. Fernández served on the World Economic Forum Global Commission on BiodiverCities by 2030, the leadership of OceanVisions, and the US Advisory Panel of EarthPercent. He is also a practicing architect with a portfolio of completed low energy and net zero carbon buildings in the US and abroad.

Books

  • Sustainable Urban Metabolism, Ferrao and Fernández, MIT Press 2013
  • Material Architecture: emergent materials for innovative buildings and ecological construction, Fernández, Architectural Press 2006

Sampling of papers

  • Norhan Bayomi, Mohanned El Kholy, John E Fernandez. (2023) Quantification of heat vulnerability using system dynamics. Front. Built Environ. Volume 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2023.1025480
  • Bayomi, N., & Fernandez, J. E. (2023). Eyes in the Sky: Drones Applications in the Built Environment under Climate Change Challenges. Drones, 7(10), 637. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7100637
  • Bayomi, N., Nagpal, S., Rakha, T. and J. E. Fernández. 2020. Building envelope modeling calibration using aerial thermography. Energy & Buildings, 233, 110648; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.110648
  • Fernández, J. and M. Angel. 2020. Ecological City-States in an Era of Environmental Disaster: Security, Climate Change and Biodiversity. Sustainability, 12(4), 5532; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145532
  • Bayomi, N. and J. Fernández. 2019.Towards Sustainable Energy Trends in the Middle East: A Study of Four Major Emitters. Energies 12(9), 1615; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12091615
  • Fernández, J. 2007. Materials for aesthetic, energy efficient and self-diagnostic buildings.  Science. Vol. 315, No. 5820, pp. 1807-10. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1137542
  • Fernández, J. 2006. “Resource consumption of new urban construction in China”. Special issue – Global Impact of Cities, Journal of Industrial Ecology, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2006. https://doi.org/10.1162/jie.2007.1199

Recent and upcoming talks

  • Department of Architecture, UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design
  • Harvard University Alumni Real Estate Board
  • Masterclass – MIT Professional Education Residential Week: Sustainable Theory to Action
  • Building Enclosure Council, Boston: Determining Existing Envelope Performance with Lamarr.AI, March 5, 2025
  • Consejo Minero, Chile
  • Future of Urbanism, Thailand
  • Sustainability and Planetary Boundaries, Chile

Advising

  • Accenture
  • Mondelez
  • Imerys
  • Millenium Partners
  • Music Industry

Lamarr.AI

Chief Strategy Officer and Co-founder of Lamarr.AI, an autonomous software platform for building envelope analytics using computer vision and artificial intelligence to detect and diagnose thermal defects, water intrusion, and material failures. Lamarr.AI operates globally and provides high quality, timely, cost effective and actionable information to owners and managers to improve energy efficiency, enhance durability and ensure safety.

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