Malcolm Wells, R.I.P.

Malcolm Wells was a pioneer of sustainable design, with an emphasis on green roofs and underground buildings. He died recently at the age of 83.

1 minute read

December 24, 2009, 5:00 AM PST

By Tim Halbur


Design Boom has a profile of Wells.

"Wells devoted most of his life to finding ways of building without destroying the land, making it his credo to 'leave the land no worse than you found it.' having never been formally trained or holding any sort of degree, at the age of 60 he was asked to teach an environmental design course at Harvard. Wells tried through writing, illustrations, lectures and personal examples, devoting his life

to convincing his fellow humans that 'a building should consume its own waste, maintain itself, match nature's pace, provide wildlife habitat, moderate climate and weather and be beautiful.'"

Monday, December 21, 2009 in Design Boom

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Close-up of 10 mph speed limit sign.

Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law

Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.

45 minutes ago - The Urbanist

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

1 hour ago - CBC

Traffic and old buildings in Manhattan, New York City.

USDOT Could Pull Federal Funding for New York

The federal government gave the state until May 21 to end new York City’s congestion pricing program or risk losing federal funding and project approvals.

2 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive