Stephen Meder is the Director of the Environmental Control Systems Laboratory at the University of Hawai‘i, School of Architecture where he is a member of the faculty. Meder has a Doctor of Architecture degree from the University of Hawai‘i. He directs the school’s energy and environmental research projects and teaches sustainable architecture design to graduate and undergraduate architecture students along with core classes in hydraulics, lighting and mechanical systems design. Meder was recently a principal author for a US Department of Energy publication on energy efficient residential design entitled, “Field Guide for Energy Performance and Comfort in Hawai‘i Homes”. He was a steering committee member for the recently completed “Hawaii Built Green” home rating system for the Building Industry Association of Hawai‘i. He is a member of the State of Hawai‘i Commercial Building Guidelines Advisory Group, and was instrumental in initiating the first Energy Efficient Mortgages and Residential Energy Star Programs in Hawai‘i. He is past chair of the Energy and Environment Committee of the Honolulu Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (1999-03) and remains an active member of that committee.

Meder has designed building integrated photovoltaic systems for the US Navy, the United States Postal Service, and the Hawai‘i utilities. He has conducted photovoltaic design workshops around the state and is currently directing a study to assess the solar energy potential on Hawai‘i’s buildings. He and his research team are currently monitoring Department of Education portable classrooms for the purpose of improving comfort in the classrooms. He recently performed preliminary site and sustainable design investigations for the “Greening Federal Facilities Initiative” at the US Marine Corp Base in Kāne‘ohe. Meder was awarded a Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) 2001 Project of the Year Award from the US Department of Energy for his design work of the roof integrated photovoltaic system at Pearl Harbor and a 2003 US Department of Energy Book Award for the “Field Guide for Energy Performance and Comfort in Hawai‘i Homes”.

In 2002, Meder co-authored the University of Hawai‘i Charter of Sustainability and has been very active in working to establish programs to reduce water and energy demand on campus and to assist in establishing the University of Hawai‘i as a model for a sustainable future.