Glen Howard Small

Glen Small is an American architect and visionary who has dedicated his career to integrating ecological principles with architectural design. After studying at Oregon under Alvin Boyarsky and later at Cranbrook Academy of Art (1965), Small became deeply involved in environmental architecture during the 1960s and 1970s. He was one of the founding faculty members of the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) alongside Ray Kappe, Thom Mayne, and others. Early in his career, Small worked at various Los Angeles firms including Smith and Williams, where he was influenced by the Frank Lloyd Wright tradition through John Lautner's work.

His exposure to Paolo Soleri's ecological urbanism and Malcolm Wells' underground architecture shaped his commitment to environmentally responsive design. Small taught at Cal Poly Pomona and later at SCI-Arc, where he developed the influential 'Natural Structures' course that he taught for 15 years. Small's architectural philosophy centers on the belief that 'Nature is the ultimate machine' and that human technology should increasingly apply natural principles until the two merge into 'technological nature.' He advocates for systems-based thinking, drawing inspiration from organic forms and ecological processes to create responsive environments.