Kirk Dimond

About

Kirk Dimond is an associate professor in Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona's College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. He holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Utah State University and a Master of Science in Landscape Architecture from Penn State University. His teaching encompasses graduate and undergraduate studios with a focus on landscape performance, emphasizing the optimization of social and ecological synergies and tradeoffs in design decisions related to ecology, energy, and water. His research over recent years has concentrated on renewable energy infrastructure and the opportunities and challenges they pose in urban and landscape contexts. Currently, he seeks to enhance connections with professional landscape architects and researchers worldwide to improve understanding of place-based design performance, particularly in balancing water and energy resources within built environments.

Research topics

• Engineering
• Architectural engineering
• Environmental science
• Electrical engineering
• Physics
• Environmental resource management
• Construction engineering
• Geography
• Environmental economics
• Ecology

Selected publications

• Agrivoltaics provide mutual benefits across the food–energy–water nexus in drylands

  Nature Sustainability · 2019-09-02 · 860 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sustainable roof selection: Environmental and contextual factors to be considered in choosing a vegetated roof or rooftop solar photovoltaic system

  Sustainable Cities and Society · 2017-08-14 · 39 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The Power of Place: Unleashing the Potential of Place-Based Green Energy Landscapes

  Architecture · 2024 · 4 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  This research explores the role landscape architects can play in shaping renewable energy infrastructure in the Southwest United States. Conventional energy development often neglects the impacts on landscapes and communities, resulting in community frustration and project terminations. To address this issue and tackle the need for decarbonization, the Southwest Regional Virtual Workshop was convened to foster co-creation and generate innovative ideas for new energy solutions. The Southwest Regi…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Association between relative surface temperature and urban park visits during excessive heat

  Environmental Research Communications · 2025-06-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Abstract Parks provide essential services for urban residents. In arid/semi-arid regions and urban areas in general, frequent extreme heat events and prolonged heat waves are threatening people’s visits and use of parks. A variety of heat indicators have been developed in the literature. Prior studies on the impact of thermal environments on park usage rarely examined the associations between site-level heat indicators and park visits and usage behaviors. In this study, we assess the impacts of…

  PublisherDOI

• Effects on the compressive strength of cement-stabilized rammed earth blocks with varied content of buffelgrass-based fibers in wet-dry conditions

  Frontiers in Built Environment · 2024-04-19 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Stabilized rammed earth blocks have been an alternative building material around the world due to their cost efficiency, low embodied energy, and environmental footprints. However, the lower compressive strength and resistance to wearing limits their use in comparison to higher-cost alternatives. The integration of fibers in rammed earth blocks has been a promising technique for enhancing their properties. In this research, the viability of buffelgrass as a reinforcing fiber in stabilized earth…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Gary Paul Nabhan

  3 shared

• Mallika Bose

  Pennsylvania State University

  2 shared

• Isaiah Barnett-Moreno

  University of Arizona

  2 shared

• R. L. Minor

  Bates College

  2 shared

• Moses Thompson

  University of Arizona

  2 shared

• Andrea K. Gerlak

  University of Arizona

  2 shared

• Jordan Macknick

  National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  2 shared

• Mitchell Pavao‐Zuckerman

  University of Maryland, College Park

  2 shared

Education

• Master of Science, Landscape Architecture

  Pennsylvania State University

  2011

• Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

  Utah State University

  2008

Awards & honors

• CELA TRIAD Award