B.S., University of Maryland-College Park
M.Arch, Yale University

Years at Morgan: 14 Years

Biography:

Fred Scharmen is the co-founder of the Working Group on Adaptive Systems, an art and design consultancy based in Baltimore, Maryland. His work as a designer and researcher is about how we imagine new spaces for future worlds, and about who is invited into them. He received his Masters in Architecture from Yale University, and Bachelors Degree in Architecture from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2022, he co-founded Brick Moon, a consultancy for space habitat design. Scharmen's first book, Space Settlements, was published in 2019 by Columbia University Press. His second book, Space Forces, was published in 2021 by Verso. His work has been exhibited internationally, at the Venice Architecture Biennale, and the Museum of the Future in Dubai. His writing has been published in the Journal of Architectural Education, Log, CLOG, Volume, and Domus. His architectural criticism has appeared in the The Architect’s Newspaper, and in the local alt-weekly Baltimore City Paper.

List of Professional Affiliation(s):

• Co-Founder, The Working Group on Adaptive Systems
• Associate Member, AIA Baltimore
• Board Member, Baltimore Heritage
• Editorial Advisory Board Member, The Architect's Newspaper
• Co-Founder, The Baltimore Modernism Project

List of Research Interest(s):

• Modernism
• Space Science
• Space Architecture
• Future Studies
• Urban Design
• Technology

List of Classes Taught:

• ENST 510 - Environmental Design I
• URBD 511 - Urban Design 
• ARCH 520 - Studio II
• ARCH 523 - Environmental Controls

List of Selected Publication(s):

• "Highest and Best Use; Subjectivity and Climates Off and After Earth," The Journal of Architectural Education 71:2, Environments, 2017
• "Home Tweet Home" in Log 36: ROBOLOG, 2016
• "What is a Big Dumb Object?" The Journal of Architectural Education 69:2, S,M,L,XL, 2015
• "Ground into Sky - The Topology of Interstellar" in The Avery Review No. 6, 2015
• "The Shape of Space" Places Journal, 2018
• "Unforbidden Planets: Form, Theory, Vacancy and Robots, a dispatch from Baltimore" Volume, 2013

List of Grants and/or Awards:

• Graham Foundation Grant: 2021, 2018
• Baker Award Finalist, 2018
• President's Award for Architectural Journalism, AIA Baltimore, 2016
• Jason M. Pettigrew Memorial Scholarship, AIA National, 2016
• Associate Member Scholarship, AIA Baltimore, 2016
• Sondheim Prize Semifinalist, 2014
• City Paper Top Ten Art Shows, National Park, 2012
• President's Award for Civic Engagement, AIA Baltimore, 2011

Media:

• Website
• Twitter