Pliny co-founded the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems in 1975, and currently serves as Co-Director. The Center is recognized as the oldest architecture and planning 501C3 non-profit in the U.S. focused on sustainable design. In addition, Pliny also serves as Fellow in Sustainable Urbanism and Fellow in Health Systems Design at Texas A & M University where he holds a joint position as signature faculty in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning. In 2002, Pliny was awarded the U.S. Green Building Council's first Sacred Tree Award in the public sector category. He is also recipient of the Passive Solar Pioneer Award from the American Solar Energy Society, the Herrin Distinguished Fellow from Mississippi State University, the Presidential Team Award for the sustainable relocation of towns displaced by the Mississippi Flood, and the National Center for Appropriate Technology's 15th Year Distinguished Appropriate Technology Award, recognizing significant work in the field of environmental protection. |  |
Pliny’s special contributions in the research field have been principally in materials and methods; from low-cost building systems development referred to as open building, to wide ranging material development that includes low carbon and carbon balanced cements, and many other low impact materials. He was instrumental in developing the first input/output life cycle assessment model for material flow in the U.S. and connecting this to a Geographic Information System, so that human activities can be placed into the context of natural systems on a national scale. The model represents greenhouse gases, criteria air pollutants and toxic releases of over 12,500,000 businesses. He has also developed an alternative land planning and design methodology referred to as Eco- Balance Design and Planning.
Pliny received B.Arch., M.Arch., and M.L.Arch. Degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. His graduate studies focused on ecological land planning under the guidance of Professor Ian McHarg. His work has also been influenced substantially by Russell Ackoff in various disciplines associated with the systems sciences.
