Salmaan Craig
B.Sc., Eng.D.(Brunel)
I am a building scientist, architectural educator, and Assistant Professor at McGill University School of Architecture. I used to be a Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. I also spent several years in practice, first as a façade engineer at Buro Happold and then in the Specialist Modelling Group at Foster + Partners, contributing to Masdar Institute, Apple Campus, and Bloomberg Headquarters.
Today, my research program develops new concepts for solar architecture with biogenic materials. I ask how to compose and shape these materials as part of natural thermal and ventilation cycles, so they can one day replace mechanical systems for air-conditioning. We derive most of our insights about these thermal flow cycles from physical experiments in the lab and out in the field. My architectural interest in these cycles is as a catalyst for building form, spatial seduction, and new patterns for living and working. Meanwhile, my ecological interest lies in understanding if these new biomaterials can not only replace air-conditioning but also help reconcile construction with natural climate solutions at the regional scale.
A. Halepaska, A. Adams, S. Craig (2023). 19th-century thermosiphon ventilation and its potential use for heat recovery in buildings today. iScience. 27(1) 108765. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.108765]
R. Fortin, J. Mandal, A.P. Raman, S. Craig (2023). Passive radiative cooling to sub-ambient temperatures inside naturally ventilated buildings. Cell Reports Physical Science. 4 (9) 101570. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101570]
T. de Toldi, S. Craig, L. Sushama (2022). Internal thermal mass for passive cooling and ventilation: adaptive comfort limits, ideal quantities, embodied carbon. Buildings and Cities 3(1) [http://doi.org/10.5334/bc.156]
F. Suerich-Gulick, A. Halepaska, S. Craig (2022). Cascading temperature demand: The limits of thermal nesting in naturally ventilated buildings. Building and Environment 208:108607 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108607]
S. Craig, A. Halepaska, K. Ferguson, P. Rains, J. Elbrecht, A. Freear, D. Kennedy, K. Moe (2021). The Design of Mass Timber Panels as Heat-Exchangers (Dynamic Insulation). Frontiers in Built Environment, 6: 606258 [https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2020.606258]
J. Grinham, S. Craig, D. Ingber, M. Bechthold (2020). Origami microfluidics for radiant cooling with small temperature differences in buildings. Applied Energy, 277: 115610. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115610]
S. Craig (2019). The optimal tuning, within carbon limits, of thermal mass in naturally ventilated buildings. Building and Environment, 165: 106373. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106373]
S. Craig and J. Grinham (2017). Breathing walls: The design of porous materials for heat exchange and decentralized ventilation. Energy and Buildings, 149: 246–259. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.05.036]
Research Funding
S. Craig (2022-2027) Towards the physical programming of bio-based buildings for natural thermoregulation. NSERC Discovery Grant.
S. Craig, M. Jemtrud (2020-2025). Building Architecture Research Node (BARN). CFI Innovation Fund.
S. Craig, B. Côte, K. Moe, M. Jemtrud (2021-2024). Buildings as a Global Carbon Sink. CleanTech for Climate Action. The McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI).
