Markus Hudert

wooden sculpture towering a man standing besides it.

Novel Timber Tectonics

Modular timber buildings can contribute to a higher degree of circularity, and increasing the use of wood in buildings can activate them as carbon sinks. In addition, the material properties of wood can serve as agents in the design of building structures and systems. This lecture features case studies that illustrate how this could be achieved.

Markus Hudert

Markus Hudert is a researcher, designer, and educator working at the intersection of architecture, building structures, and material systems. He joined Aarhus University in 2019 and is currently a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering.

Hudert obtained a Diploma in Architecture in Coburg and finalized his postgraduate studies in Conceptual Architectural Design at the Städelschule – Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Frankfurt am Main. After working with internationally recognized practices such as UNStudio and Benthem Crouwel Architects, he took on a position as a postgraduate research and teaching assistant at the IBOIS Laboratory for Timber Constructions at EPFL in Lausanne, where he received his doctoral degree in 2013. As a postdoctoral researcher and research fellow, he worked in collaboration with renowned institutions such as Technische Universität Braunschweig, Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research, Aalto University, and the SUTD-MIT International Design Centre at Singapore University of Technology and Design.

His work aims to bridge the gap between architectural and structural design and seeks synergies in combining digital and analogue design environments. Markus’ current research employs material and assembly driven design strategies, as well as algorithmic design and fabrication, for the development of modular and reversible timber construction systems. Other research topics include additive manufacturing, bio-based materials, human-robot collaboration, as well as XR and automation, and their potential of promoting reuse and circularity in building construction.

He is a co-editor and author of the book “Rethinking Wood: Future Dimensions of Timber Assembly,” which is a compilation of forward-looking approaches towards wood-based materials and timber construction. As an invited guest critic, he has participated in project reviews at MIT, UdK Berlin, the University of Liverpool, and the University of Sheffield, among others. His work has been exhibited at Archizoom EPFL, Lausanne town hall, EXPO 2010 Shanghai, Aalto University, RMIT Design Hub Gallery, and ETH Zurich.