Blake Davis

Education

M.A., City and Regional Planning, Illinois Institute of Technology
B.A., City and Regional Planning, Illinois Institute of Technology

Research Interests

Davis has taught at IIT since 2002. For the first seven years, with the College of Architecture, he taught all of the required planning courses for students to qualify to take the Architectural Licensing Exam, including Residential Design and the Ecological Basis of Design.

With INTM, Davis has facilitated numerous IPROs, most of which focused on the areas in which biology and technology interface. Many of his IPROs have won awards, and several have resulted in grants for sustainability work at IIT. For a complete list of Davis' projects, click here. Davis' independent study courses have included "Water Supply in Rural Ghana”, “Heavy Timber Building Systems Using Small Diameter Timber”, “Planning for the Redevelopment of Detroit, Michigan” and “Alternative Food Marketing Systems to Alleviate Food Deserts in the City of Chicago”

Davis is the creator of IIT's first IPRO project with The Plant, and continues to serve as faculty adviser for one of the first vertical farms in the world, in a former meat packing plant in Chicago's former Stockyards. He worked with students to design and construct this working aquaponics facility which utilizes fish and plants in a controlled environment agricultural system to produce food year-round in Chicago. All of the professional staff at the facility are current or former students of this IPRO. The Plant, has been featured in many local and national publications including the May 2012 Issue of Discover Magazine, and has been the subject of several books and documentary films. Davis previously served as the faculty advisor for IIT's Boeing Scholars Academy, a science and technology honors program for elite high school students, sponsored by the Boeing Company.

Davis' industry experience includes involvement in three start-up businesses. He is a partner in MP Custom made, a company which utilizes recycled wood to create unique paneling and furniture for the interior design profession.

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

Board member, The Plant - Chicago Advisory Board member, Museum of Science & Industry Fab Lab International Secretary and former CEO, International Human Powered Vehicle Association

Awards

Outstanding IPRO Faculty Award - 2009

Publications

Advisory Board member, Museum of Science & Industry Fab Lab

Projects

IPRO 320 - Building Agricultural Structure in Bronzeville (Summer 2013). This project is planned to continue in the fall 2013 semester as part of a newly-formed multi-team IPRO 497-02 Urban Agriculture Innovation Cluster.

Grants

EPA People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant 2007 for IIT Project: The Cast Paper Dome: An Opportunity to Develop New Materials and Construction Techniques for Sustainable Building. Davis' Organic Recycling IPRO (2009) resulted in IIT receiving a grant to purchase a complete composting system for all of its organic waste and WISER receiving a $350,000 grant from the Cook County Department of the Environment to study energy conservation in Cook County.

Community Service

President, the Inner Voice homeless shelter, Chicago

Additional Info

Experience