Team

The Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) at the University of Stuttgart is dedicated to the teaching and research of computational design and computer-aided manufacturing processes in architecture. The ICD’s Material Programming Research Group is engaged in the development of humidity-responsive, biobased material systems for passively actuated adaptive structures for applications ranging from biomimetic weather-responsive facade systems to personalized self-adjusting wearable systems in sports and medicine.

Achim Menges

ICD Founding Director

Achim Menges is a registered architect in Frankfurt and full professor at the University of Stuttgart, where he is the founding director of the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the director of the Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture (IntCDC). He is the awardee of the DFG’s 2023 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize and has been a Visiting Professor in Architecture at Harvard University University’s Graduate School of Design as well as multiple other visiting professorships in Europe and the United States.

Tiffany Cheng

ICD Research Group Lead

Tiffany Cheng is Research Group Leader of the ICD’s Material Programming Research Group, incoming Assistant Professor at Cornell University, and director of the MULTIMESO Lab at Cornell’s Department of Design Tech. Her research examines biobased materials and bioinspired structures for smarter and more sustainable forms of making, and her work has been exhibited internationally at the Eiffel Tower, Mori Art Museum, and London Design Biennale. Tiffany earned her Doctorate in Engineering from the University of Stuttgart, Master of Design Studies (Technology) from Harvard University, and Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Southern California.

Ekin Sila Sahin

ICD Research Associate

Ekin Sila Sahin is a Research Associate at ICD’s Material Programming Research Group. Her research focuses on developing integrated computational frameworks for designing and fabricating self-forming and responsive structures to expand the architectural applications of additively manufactured responsive systems. She has been actively involved in national and international organizations for developing students of technology and has tutored architectural design studios in Bachelor’s and Master’s programs. Ekin holds a Master of Science from the Integrative Technologies and Architectural Design Research (ITECH) Program at the University of Stuttgart and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Istanbul Technical University.

Sujie Park

ICD Research Associate

Sujie Park is a Research Associate at ICD’s Material Programming Group. As a researcher, she is interested in multifunctional material systems leveraging additive manufacturing for new design possibilities and more sustainable construction practices. Before joining ICD, she worked at leading architectural firms across New York, Boston, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Seoul. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ewha Womans University and a Master of Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where her thesis was awarded the Peter Rice Prize for its innovation in architecture and structural engineering.