Joy Monice Malnar, AIA is a professor emerita in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has co-authored The Interior Dimension: A Theoretical Approach to Enclosed Space, and lectured on aspects of sensory design in Montréal, Singapore, Sydney, Seoul and most recently Doha. Her latest book is titled Sensory Design, which develops a sensory typology to assist designing for the full range of the human senses. She believes that if designers had a better understanding of the human senses, and sharpened their skills in perception, our designed environment would be enriched. Malnar is one of the founding editors and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the journal The Senses & Society published by Berg, UK. For four years her main responsibility was the “Sensory Design” section which focused on the review of architecture, landscape architecture and products.
She has also been a National Center for Supercomputing Applications Faculty Fellow for 2000-2002, engaging in collaborative research with CAVE™ technology. She has investigated the use of immersive virtual reality technologies and worked with the NCSA to develop custom programs as a means of aiding the design process. Her professional experience includes employment with such firms as Sargent and Lundy, Whitaker Associates, and Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, where she worked on large commercial projects. During the last few years Malnar has been a member of the “The Last Four Miles” Visioning Committee of the Friends of the Parks as they develop a conceptual plan to facilitate the completion of Chicago’s 30 mile lakefront. Her M.Arch is from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a licensed architect, registered interior designer and member of the American Institute of Architects.