Jeffrey Huang

Jeffrey Huang is the Director of the Institute of Architecture at EPFL (since May 1, 2020), that comprises 25 laboratories and groups in Architecture and Urban Design. He is also the Head of the Media x Design Laboratory and a Full Professor in Architecture and Computer Science, at the Faculty of Computer and Communication Sciences (IC), and at the Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC).

He holds a DiplArch from ETH Zurich, and Masters and Doctoral Degrees from Harvard University, where he was awarded the Gerald McCue medal for academic excellence. He started his academic career as a researcher at MIT’s Sloan School of Management (Center for Coordination Sciences). In 1998 he returned to Harvard as an Assistant Professor of Architecture and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2001. In 2006 he was named Full Professor at EPFL in Switzerland where he holds joint professorships at I&C and ENAC, and heads the Media x Design Lab. He was also a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University, a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s d.school, a Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Sheffield, and a Berkman Fellow and Faculty Associate at Harvard University (Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society).

Professor Huang’s research examines the convergence of physical and digital architecture. His recent work investigates new artificial design paradigms (machine learning for design decoding and encoding), theories of experience design, and computational urbanism (digital city twins). His current teaching examines the possible role of artificial intelligence in architecture (see MxD studios).

In collaboration with Muriel Waldvogel, he heads Convergeo, an award-winning, international strategic and experience design firm. From 2014-2017, while on leave from EPFL, he led the creation of a ground-breaking, new school of architecture in Singapore, as the Head of the Architecture and Sustainable Design Pillar at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), established in collaboration with MIT.

Fields of expertise

Design thinking, Smart buildings, Smart Cities, Artificial Design, Digital Architecture, Experience Design

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Koh, I., Huang, J. (2019) “Citizen Visual Search Engine: Detection and Curation of Urban Objects”, in International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Futures, 168-182. Khokhlov, M., Koh, I., Huang, J., (2019). Voxel Synthesis for Generative Design, in: Gero, J.S. (Ed.), Design Computing and Cognition ’18. Springer International Publishing, pp. 227–244. (*both are 1st authors) Savić, S., Magarshack, L., Huang, J., (2018), “Landscape of connectivity. Measuring and representing fluctuations in wireless network traffic in space,” In: Automation in Construction, Volume 89, 2018. P. 275-291. Huang, J., Ortner, P., Doumpioti, C., (2018), Xixinan: Rural Return, Lausanne: MxD Books. Koh, I., Keel, P., Huang, J. (2017), Decoding Parametric Design Data: Towards a Heterogeneous Design Search Space Remix in CAADRIA 2017 Huang, J. and Viray, E. (2017), Forming/Unforming, Singapore: SUTD Books. Lim, J., and Huang, J., (2017), Algorithmic Upcycling Offcuts, in Proceedings of the 12th CAADRIA International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia Huang, J., Ortner, P. (2017), Singapore Prototypologies, Lausanne: MxD Books. Koh, I., Keel, P., Huang, J. (2016), Decoding Parametric Design Data: Towards a Heterogeneous Design Search Space Remix in Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia Koh, I., Huang, J. (2016), Design Decoder, in Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition DCC'16 (Poster section)

Huang, J. (2015), Growth Typologies, Localities and Defamiliarisation: Experiments with Artificial Urbanism in Sichuan, Guangzhou and Beijing. Archit Design, 85: 70-75. doi: 10.1002/ad.1980

Meagher, M., Huang, J., Zuelzke, N., Patt, T., Labelle, G. and Nembrini, J. (2015) Code and its image: the functions of text and visualisation in a code-based design studio. Digital Creativity, 26 (2). 92 - 109. ISSN 1462-6268

Shih-Yuan Wang, Yu-Ting Sheng, Alex Barchiesi, Jeffrey Huang, (2015), Transient Materialization, In: Adaptive Architecture and Programmable Matter Symposium: Next Generation Building Skins and Systems from Nano to Macro, MRS Proceedings, Volume 1800, 2015, Cambridge University Press.

Huang, J., and Waldvogel, M., (2014) "Pabellones experimentales. Lausanne, Suiza: Convergeo." AV proyectos 57: 20-21

Savic, S., and Huang, J., (2014) “Research Through Design: What Does it Mean for a Design Artifact to be Developed in the Scientific Context? A Matter of Design,” in Proceedings of the 5th STS Italian Conference,STS Italia Publishing, December 2014

Patt, T., & Huang, J. (2014), Scenario modeling for agonistic urban design, In Proceedings of the Symposium on Simulation for Architecture & Urban Design (p. 18), Society for Computer Simulation International

Savic, S., and Huang, J., (2014), “Connect or Not: Exploring Seamless Infrastructures through Out-Bodied Interaction,” in City | Data | Future research symposium, Venice, September 2014

Huang, J., Patt, T., and Ortner, P., (2013), "Artificial Morphogenesis: The Guangzhou Tower Delta Studio,” in Landscape Architecture Frontiers, Volume 1, Issue 5 (2013) Pages: (138-149)

Meagher, M., van der Maas, D., Abegg, C., Huang, J., (2013) Dynamic Ornament: Architectural Investigation of Responsive Thermochromic Surfaces in Architecture, in International Journal of Architectural Computing, issue 3, volume 11, pp. 301-318

Sempere, A., Savic, S., Huang, J., Badura, J. (2013), "Experience Catalysts and Architecture. Towards a New Tradition." In Future Traditions: Rethinking Traditions and Envisioning the Future of Architecture Through the Use of Digital Technologies, 1st eCAADe Regional International Workshop Proceedings, 171-182. eCAADe: Regional Internaional Workshops. Porto, Portugal: University of Porto, 2013.

Savic, S., and Huang, J., (2013), “Emperor's New Architecture: The Spatial Experience of Wireless Communication”, Conference proceedings from the 3rd Annual International Conference on Architecture, 10-13 June 2013, Athens, Greece.

Zuelzke, N., Patt, T., and J. Huang, (2012) “Computation as an Ideological Practice,” in Digital Aptitudes, Proceedings of ACSA, Boston, Massachusetts, 2012

Knoche, H., Huang, J. (2012) Text is not the Enemy - How illiterate people use their mobile phones, NUI workshop at CHI'12

Friscira, E., Knoche, H., Huang, J. (2012) Getting in touch with text: Designing an application for illiterates to harness SMS, in proceedings of ACM DEV 2012, 2nd Annual Symposium on Computing for Development, Atlanta, GA, USA

Lew, M., Knoche, H., Huang, J. (2011) Rousseau 2012: Designing a historical location-based mobile cinematic game, ACE workshop on New Narrative frontiers: Alternate Reality Games, Lisbon, Portugal

Knoche, H., Sheshagiri Rao, P.R., Huang, J. (2011) Human Centered Design for Development, in International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction, 3(3), July-September, pp. 1-13

L. Bindschaedler, Knoche, H., Huang, J. (2011) Making Mobile Augmented Reality A Reality, in Proceedings of the First Mobile Augmented Reality workshop at mobile HCI 2011, Stockholm, Sweden

Knoche, H., Sheshagiri Rao, P.R., Huang, J. (2011) Human Centered Design for Development, to appear in International Journal of Mobile HCI

Costanza, E., Giaccone, M., Küng, O., Shelley, S., Huang, J. (2010) "Ubicomp to the Masses: A Large-scale Study of Two Tangible Interfaces for Download", in Proceedings Ubicomp 2010, September 2010, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Knoche, H., Sheshagiri Rao, P.R., Huang, J. (2010) The missing H in ICTD: Lessons learned from the development of an agricultural decision support tool, in Proceedings of Mobile HCI and Technical ICTD: A Methodological Perspective Workshop, Lisbon, Portugal

S. Flaxman, J. Huang, J. Stephenson, and X. Comtesse. (2010), “CityRank: a dynamic tool for exploring and generating new indices of cities.” Information Design Journal. 17:3, January 2010.

Costanza E., Huang J.,(2009) "Designable Visual Markers" in ACM CHI2009, April 2009, Boston, MA, USA. Nominated for Best Paper Award.

Meagher, M., Van der Maas, D., Abegg, C., and Huang, J., (2009),"Dynamic ornament: Climatically responsive surfaces in architectural design" in Proceedings of the 13th International CAAD Futures 09 Conference.

LaBelle, G, Nembrini, J, Huang, J., (2009), Programming framework for architectural design ANAR : Object oriented geometry" in Proceedings of the 12th International CAAD Futures Conference. Winner of Best Presentation Award.

Nembrini, J, LaBelle, G, Meagher, M, Zuelzke, N, and Huang, J: (2009), "Source studio:teaching programming for architectural design," Poster in CAAD Futures 2009.