Department of Energy honors architect Nea Maloo

She was recognized for mentoring students in sustainable design and advancing climate-responsive architecture.

Nea Maloo / Howard University

Indian-American architect Nea Maloo has received the 2025 Department of Energy (DOE) BuildingsNEXT Outstanding Faculty Award for her contributions to sustainable architecture education and student mentorship.

The award celebrates faculty who have demonstrated leadership in building science, energy efficiency, and climate-responsive design.

Also read: Society of Petroleum Engineers honors Nagu Daraboina

Maloo, an assistant professor of architecture at Howard University, has led Howard student teams in the DOE’s BuildingsNEXT Student Design Competition since 2022, guiding them to multiple national-level successes. In their debut year, Team Howard Gateway earned the Director’s Award, followed by Team Retro Booming’s third-place finish in the retrofit division in 2023. Her students reached the finals again in 2024 and 2025.

BuildingsNEXT, formerly the Solar Decathlon, challenges students to design affordable, resilient, and energy-efficient buildings. Maloo’s mentorship and curricular innovations have positioned Howard University as a national leader in sustainable design education.

In 2022, Maloo developed the course Equitable High-Performance Buildings, helping Howard become the first institution awarded the DOE’s Zero Energy Design Designation (ZEDD) for its architecture program. She also received the 2022 ACSA Course Development Prize in collaboration with Columbia University for her proposal, Environmental Justice + Health + Decarbonization.

Beyond academia, Maloo serves as a Maryland Real Estate Commissioner and advocates for sustainable, affordable housing practices. She was honored with the 2024 Fair Housing Award and was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 2023.

Maloo is the founder of Showcase Architects, an award-winning firm specializing in biophilic design. Her research spans architectural resilience, biomimicry, and building science, and she regularly speaks at national seminars. She also leads the Building Technology Educators’ Society as its current president.

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