B.Arch, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo; Minor in Philosophy; M.Arch, Harvard GSD

Eric Nulman is an architect, educator and civic leader based in Los Angeles. SoA faculty since January 2011.

As a practicing architect since 1999, Eric has worked on a range of project types including cultural, institutional, commercial office, sports, entertainment, retail, multi-family housing, historic preservation, and custom single family residences. In his early career, Eric worked with several design offices including Pritzker Prize winners Thom Mayne (Morphosis – Santa Monica) and Jean Nouvel (Ateliers Jean Nouvel – London and Paris).

In 2007 Eric accepted a full-time Lecturer position at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he taught design studios, building technology courses, and history/theory seminars until 2011. During this time Eric established a teaching approach that he later termed Pedagogy at Full Scale, which promoted the construction of 1:1 material prototypes within the design studio to instill students with an understanding and appreciation of material effects. In 2010 Eric first presented his pedagogy through a peer reviewed paper “Towards an Affective Architecture” at the ACSA National Conference in New Orleans; it was at this conference where he first met USC faculty Gail Borden who promoted a material-centered design agenda. During the next five years, Eric’s design research complemented his pedagogy, and focused on prototyping material effects. In 2010 he received a grant from the AIA New Orleans to construct the “Night Flowers” installation during the two week Descours Event; at Descours Eric first met USC faculty and current Undergraduate Chair Doris Sung who was also sponsored in the event to exhibit her initial thermo-bio-metal research. In 2011 Eric joined USC SoA to teach material-centered designed studios and materials of construction technology courses alongside Professors Borden and Sung. In 2012 Eric received the New Faculty Teaching Award from ACSA/AIAS; a national award recognizing demonstrated excellence in teaching performance during the formative years of an architectural teaching career. In 2012 Eric presented his pedagogy internationally through a peer reviewed paper “An Alternative Model for Undergraduate Thesis Instruction: using collaborative full-scale design exercises to supplement individual research projects” at the ACSA International Conference in Barcelona, Spain. In 2013-2014, Eric was a Fellow and Artist in Residence at MacDowell in New Hampshire where he completed “Mono Environments” – a study of ephemeral ornament by constructing maquettes of light filtering membranes. In 2014 Eric presented his pedagogy internationally through a peer reviewed paper “Pedagogy at Full Scale” at the ACSA International Conference in Seoul Korea; the paper featured material pavilions constructed by second year studio course that Eric had coordinated for several years. In 2015 Eric exhibited his material prototype “Furry Glow” a perforated brass column integrated with light emitting polymer membranes.

In 2015 Eric shifted his agenda from the intimate scale to the urban and began seeking out alternate opportunities to engage in civic discourse and contribute to the built environment. Eric adjusted his pedagogy to address the scalar change and now emphasizes drawing and representation over material prototyping. He also embraced a new adjunct role that focuses on studio type courses with themes such as comprehensive design, heavy timber high rise, multi-family housing, and urban design. From 2016-2019 he was a Board of Director and Vice President of Operations for the LA Forum for Architecture and Urban Design; an independent nonprofit organization that instigates dialogues on design and the built environment through public programming, exhibitions, and publications. Since 2017 he has severed on the Architecture Review Committee for the West Portuguese Bend Community in Rancho Palos Verdes. In 2017 he began working with ANX architects on hillside residential projects in the city of LA. In 2021 he was appointed to the Planning Commission by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes for a multi-year renewable term. In 2022 he attended the Cal Cities Planning Commissioner Academy as a representative of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV). In 2023 he joined the Zoning Sub Committee of the Planning Commission (RPV) to advise on Zoning Code Amendments. Eric was born in Los Angeles and currently resides in the South Bay with his wife and two children. Eric was born in Los Angeles and currently resides in the South Bay with his wife and two children.

Current course:

F23: Arch 500a_Comprehensive Architectural Design

S24: Arch 202b_Architectural Design II (Coordinator)

Previous courses:

Arch 102a_Architectural Design I

Arch 102b_Architectural Design I

Arch 105_Fundamentals of Design Computation

Arch 202a_Architectural Design II

Arch 202b_Architectural Design II

Arch 211_Materials and Methods of Building Construction

Arch 302a_Architectural Design III

Arch 302b_Architectural Design III

Arch 402a_Architectural Design IV

Arch 500a_Comprehensive Architectural Design

Arch 511_Building Systems: Materials and Construction

Arch 605_Graduate Architecture Design II

Arch 611_Advanced Building Systems Integration

Arch 705_Advanced Graduate Architecture Design – Topics