Kennesaw State University, College of Architecture and Construction Management is please to announce the following new faculty as part of to the architecture department:

Assistant Professor Giovanni Loreto, PhD has been appointed to a tenure-track position. Dr. Loreto holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering and also a Master in architectural engineering from the University of Napoli “Federico II”, Italy. Before joining KSU in the Fall 2016, he gained extensive academic experience during his postdoctoral appointments at the University of Miami and, more recently, Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Loreto’s research activity focuses on the advancement of high strength/high performance concrete materials and steel composite (SC) structures. He has conducted research across different disciplines with particular focus on novel construction materials and structural performance evaluation. His research interests include the study of crumbling structural systems and focuses on the need for rehabilitation/retrofit of existing reinforced concrete structure/infrastructure while envisioning next-generation systems.

At KSU, Dr. Loreto’s teaching efforts will focus on the integration of structural concepts within the architectural design process as well as advising thesis students. He is currently teaching courses on structural analysis, design of concrete/masonry/steel structures, and architecture studio design. Furthermore, his hopes are to enhance the architectural learning experience of structures with an overarching goal of bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Assistant Professor Arash Soleimani, PhD has also been appointed to a tenure-track position. Dr. Soleimani holds a Ph.D. in Planning, Design & the Built Environment from Clemson University, a M.Arch. from University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, and B.A. in Architectural Engineering, Isfahan University of Art, Iran. Before joining KSU in the Fall 2016, he gained teaching experience at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Furthermore, he holds a multidisciplinary Ph.D. and Certificate in Digital Ecologies from Clemson University’s School of Architecture in collaboration and partnership with the faculty and researchers in Education, Electrical & Computing Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering and Human Factors Psychology. The objective of Dr. Soleimani’s research is to focus on the design, prototyping and evaluation of “Intelligent Environmental Technologies”; in other words, computation embedded in the built environment along with the development of digital interactions whilst exploring new architectural paradigms.

At KSU, Dr. Soleimani’s teaching efforts will focus on the integration of environmental technology within the architectural design process as well as advising thesis students. He is currently teaching Environmental Technology I: Systems, Materials & Methods and second year architecture studio. His architecture concentrates on intelligent forms while inventing new possibilities for content and everyday use; it is a concept of futurism through a persistent investigation of the symbiotic potentials in nature and technology.