Zlatan Sehovic
Zlatan Sehovic is a U.S. registered architect, researcher, and environmental building designer specializing in energy performance, building material systems, life-cycle design, passive design strategies and building technology. Mr. Sehovic served as Product/Project Architect and Manager at Kaiser + Path/PathHouse and was previously the Director of Architecture at Generate Technologies where he led the delivery of Generate's architectural projects along with the development of its mass timber building systems and research for its digital design technologies. Mr. Sehovic received a Master in Design Studies (MDes) in Energy and Environment from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) in 2019 and holds a professional Architect's license from the state of California.
Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Mr. Sehovic immigrated to the United States as a refugee with his family following the start of the Bosnian War in the early 1990s. After settling in Torrance, California, his curiosity of the new environment around him quickly developed into an appreciation for architecture, design, and nature.
Mr. Sehovic studied Architecture at the University of Southern California where he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor in Architecture and a minor in Urban Policy and Planning in 2012 while also receiving Discovery Scholar, Global Scholar, and Renaissance Scholar distinction along with the prestigious $10,000 Discovery Scholar Prize for his original architectural research and creative design work while at the USC School of Architecture.
After his undergraduate studies, Mr. Sehovic worked as a Project Designer and Architect in the Architecture Department at Johnson Fain in Los Angeles from 2013 to 2017. His work included several high-rise towers in the U.S. and abroad along with a number of institutional, commercial, and residential mixed-use projects. His most notable project was his work on the transformation of renowned architect Philip Johnson’s Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, where he collaborated closely with other architects, designers, and engineers towards the design of an innovative shading system for the all-glass building that optimizes the building's performance for solar heat gain, lighting, acoustics, and thermal comfort.
Mr. Sehovic then went on to Harvard to complement his professional design skills with a deeper understanding of sustainable building practices. His graduate thesis, titled Thermodynamic Tectonics: Materials and Assemblies as Performative Systems, focused on how different materials impact the life cycle of buildings in terms of embodied and operational energy as well as end-of-life material recovery in an effort to challenge conventional construction methods while also using systems ecology to reimagine alternative futures for architectural design and practice. During his time at Harvard, Mr. Sehovic also served on the Council of Student Sustainability Leaders and worked as a Design Researcher at the Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities, where he developed research on HouseZero, a first-of-its-kind data-driven “zero-energy, zero-carbon” living laboratory that uses 100% natural ventilation and natural daylighting to achieve ultra-efficiency in building operations and material embodied energy.
Following Harvard, Mr. Sehovic joined Generate and began leading its pioneering mass timber projects which culminated in the design and upcoming construction of Model-C— Boston’s first-ever full cross-laminated timber (CLT) Passive House catalyst project, a five-story 20,000 square foot mixed-use apartment block for workforce housing in South Boston. Once complete, Model-C will serve as one of the most environmentally-conscious structures in the country with its all-timber structural elements storing carbon from the atmosphere while aiming to generate more operational energy than it consumes. Envisioned as a demonstration project for other communities across the region— and more generally across North America— Model-C hopes to provide a tangible example for ways to address the increasing shortage of affordable housing while also tackling the pressing challenges of climate change.
Mr. Sehovic’s current focus is on understanding ways in which the built and natural environment can be better integrated through architecture, technology and design. He hopes that by looking to natural systems for inspiration, research may uncover new strategies for how architecture can be better designed, built, and operated. Mr. Sehovic is particularly interested in how materials and assemblies can act as performative systems to improve building performance while also providing better occupant comfort and health. He hopes to eventually combine his passion for architecture and sustainable design with real estate development so more communities can have access to high quality affordable buildings. Equally important to Mr. Sehovic is his commitment to helping bring design solutions to refugees and other displaced communities around the world in response to the ever-increasing threats of armed conflicts and natural disasters due to climate change.
Mr. Sehovic is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). He holds a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) professional accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council and is also a Registered Disaster Service Worker (DSW) under the CA Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. When he isn’t busy working, he can be found exercising, traveling, reading or watching basketball.