But I think being an architect is going beyond just designing. Probably unusual, in that regard, having sort of self-identified that at a very, very young age. JAMES TIMBERLAKE: As I think about trying to unpack my definition of what an architect is, I have to go back to what got me here, which, simply, is that I've wanted to be what I think an architect is ever since I was 5 years old. And you currently hold an attitude about what architecture should be, how one should think about it. Let me begin by asking you what you think an architect is, the definition of which has shifted over time. KELLY WILSON: James and Stephen, his partner, are guests to the IU campus as the recipients of the Patten Lecture Series, IUвЂ™s most prestigious lecture series, and we're happy to have you here.

So, IвЂ™ll just set the black cape aside for the moment, andвЂ¦but appreciate the fact that what we do is, we think, very special. And there's just so many others in the firm that enable us to do what we do. We work and collaborate with many firms - over 100 people - and I have a longtime partner, Stephen Kieran, who would have loved to have been here and was here the last couple of days, but unfortunately he had to leave to go to Washington for a project. But I need to take the architect's black cape off. I do just want to amend one thing about the introduction, which was just lovely. KELLY WILSON: We're so pleased you could join us for Profiles. James received his bachelor's of environmental science degree from the University of Detroit and a master's of architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Since 2002, he has co-authored seven books on architecture, including the influential book Refabricating Architecture and the newest monograph KieranTimberlake: Fullness. And James was an inaugural recipient of the Benjamin La Trobe fellowship for Architectural Design Research from the AIA College of Fellows in 2001. He is a recipient of the Rome Prize of 1982 through '83. And the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in 2010.

Under his guidance, the firm has received over 200 design citations, including the AIA Firm award in 2008. Embassy in London, which employs strategies to significantly reduce energy consumption and sets an agenda to achieve carbon neutrality. Cellophane House, a fully-recyclable, energy-gathering dwelling exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. And SmartWrap, a mass-customizable building envelope exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. They have notably built with their firm the Melvin and Claire Levine Hall at the University of Pennsylvania, which employs the first actively-ventilated curtain wall of its type in North America. James explores some of today's most important topics, among them efficient construction methods, resource, conservation strategies, and novel use of building materials. James is a partner at KieranTimberlake, an award-winning architectural firm recognized for its environmental ethos, research expertise and innovative design and planning. Irwin Miller architecture program in the Eskenazi School of Art Architecture and Design here at Indiana University. On Profiles, we talk to notable artists, scholars and public figures to get to know the stories behind their work. KELLY WILSON: Welcome to Profiles on WFIU. (SOUNDBITE OF BELA FLECK AND THE FLECKSTONES' 'BLU-BOP')

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