George Elvin

George Elvin is an artist, architect, and educator whose work is inspired by some of the world’s most extreme natural environments. Having traveled to the hottest, windiest, stormiest, rainiest, and snowiest regions on Earth, Elvin uses photography and visual art to convey the raw power and beauty of nature, fostering a deeper connection between people and the planet.

Raised with 600 acres of forest just beyond his backyard, Elvin developed an early bond with the natural world. As a high school student hiking through Canada’s mountains, he was deeply affected by the sight of clearcut forests. This experience helped shape his lifelong environmental awareness. Elvin began his career in carpentry, leading a team of volunteers to build enrichment structures for Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling—the first giant pandas in the United States—at the National Zoo. He later launched his own design-build firm before pursuing higher education.

He earned a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and held academic appointments at the University of Illinois and the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. He concluded his teaching career as a professor at North Carolina State University, where he focused on Architecture for Extreme Environments.