Katrin Klingenberg
Katrin Klingenberg, CPHC
Executive Director, Co-founder | Phius
With an intensive background in architecture, Katrin Klingenberg has excelled for decades as an educator and a leader of organizations geared toward energy efficiency and sustainable architecture—driven by her dedication and concern for the environment and humanity. Since 2003, she has served as the executive director and co-founder of Phius—Passive House Institute US—a nonprofit aimed at promoting energy-efficient housing development; here, she oversees 30 employees, works with consultants and trainers who help them with technical work and research, collaborates with policymakers, observes research development, develops curriculum to help people identify and use technology, and works with the Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and many others.
As a testament to her commitment, Ms. Klingeberg built her own passive house, which became the first of its kind in the United States. Since then, she has spearheaded several projects, ranging from a single-family home in Urbana to high rises, which have become her most notable accomplishments. Phius’ Passive Building Standards has been used by New York City for its Buildings of Excellence Competition, encouraging others to utilize the same standards to promote the safest, most resilient, and most energy-efficient buildings. She also authored a peer-reviewed research paper titled “Client-specific Passive Building Standards,” for which she received a grant from the Department of Energy in collaboration with Building Science Corporation, making passive buildings grow exponentially. For this effort, she also earned a Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University—where she earned a Master of Architecture in 1996—in 2022. Her other accolades have included a Woman in Sustainability Leadership Award from gb&d Magazine, an Intent to Matter: Outstanding Organization Award from the U.S. Green Building Council, and a Professional Leadership Award from the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association.
In the midst of this role, Ms. Klingenberg also found success as the executive director and founder of the Ecological Construction Laboratory and taught as a visiting assistant professor within the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2008 to 2009. She previously built her career as a project architect at JAHN from 1997 to 2000 and then Solomon Cordwell Buenz from 2000 to 2001, and entered the world of academia as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture from 2001 to 2002. Born and raised in Germany, she completed coursework in architecture at the Technical University of Munich and earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the Technische Universitat Berlin in 1994 before relocating to the United States.
Looking ahead, Ms. Klingenberg strives to become a developer architect in the next five years. She plans to utilize her more than 20 years of experience to create sustainable and energy-efficient buildings, combining passive building concepts with renewable zero-energy production. Her ultimate aim is to contribute to making the power grid more resilient and reliable.
Press Release
Marquis Who’s Who Honors Katrin Klingenberg, Dipl.Ing, MArch, CPHC, for Expertise in Architecture
Katrin Klingenberg has dedicated her career to developing sustainable building practices
Marquis Who’s Who Honors Katrin Klingenberg, Dipl.Ing, MArch, CPHC, for Expertise in Architecture Katrin Klingenberg has dedicated her career to developing sustainable building practices CHICAGO, April 29, 2024 — Katrin Klingenberg, Dipl.Ing, MArch, CPHC, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Klingenberg has carved a distinguished career in the fields of sustainable architecture and energy efficiency for more than 25 years. As co-founder and executive director of Phius, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting energyefficient housing development, she has dedicated her career to advancing passive building standards. Her leadership at Phius involves overseeing 30 employees, collaborating with consultants and trainers on technical work and research, working with policymakers, overseeing research development, developing standards and policies, and reviewing building certifications launched in 2008. Her efforts have garnered attention from the White House, the Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and other labs, highlighting her significant impact on the industry.
In addition to her tenure at Phius, Ms. Klingenberg founded the Ecological Construction Laboratory in 2003, a housing development organization, and served as its executive director until 2009. This role allowed her to further explore sustainable building practices and lay the groundwork for her future endeavors with Phius. Her architectural expertise was also honed through positions as a project architect at Solomon Cordwell Buenz from 2000 to 2001 and at JAHN from 1997 to 2000. In addition to her professional roles, Ms. Klingenberg has contributed to academia as a visiting assistant professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign from 2004 to 2005 as well as 2008 to 2009, and as an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Architecture from 2001 to 2002.
Ms. Klingenberg’s academic background laid a solid foundation for her illustrious career. She earned a Bachelor of Architecture at Technische Universität Berlin in 1994 and a Master of Architecture from Ball State University in 1996. Further enriching her expertise, she undertook coursework in architecture at Technical University Munich in Germany from 1991 to 1992. Her qualifications are bolstered by certifications as a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) and as a Registered Architect in Germany.
One of Ms. Klingenberg’s major achievements was building her own passive house, which was the first of its kind in the United States. Since then, she has spearheaded several similar projects that range from single-family homes to highrise buildings. She attributes her success to her dedication to environmental sustainability and humanity.
Throughout her career, Ms. Klingenberg has been recognized with numerous awards for her leadership and contributions to sustainable architecture. These accolades include the Professional Leadership Award from the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association in 2022, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University in 2022, the Emerald Award for Intent to Matter: Outstanding Organization from USGBC – Illinois in 2017, the Women in Sustainability Leadership Award from gb&d magazine in 2015, and the Vital Voices Award from Bank of America. Additionally, she has been involved as a mentee in the Global Ambassadors Program through a partnership between Vital Voices and Bank of America since 2017.
Outside of her professional life, Ms. Klingenberg finds joy in working on systems design, engaging in entrepreneurial work, and gardening. She has set ambitious goals for herself to become a developer architect within the next few years. With the aim of creating sustainable and energy-efficient buildings that integrate passive building concepts with renewable zero-energy production, her goal is to contribute to making the U.S. power grid more resilient and reliable.
