Vanessa Schwarzkopf and Catherine De Wolf

Prof Catherine De Wolf (Circular Engineering in Architecture, D-BAUG) and Vanessa Schwarzkopf talk about their research at the Chair of Circular Engineering in Architecture, which led to the construction of the 'Mehrwerk' stand, in the context of the exhibition AAA Experiments. While De Wolf offers insights into the research of the whole department, Schwarzkopf explains how AI was tested as a design tool.

The evening is moderated by Adrian Notz; the discussion will take place in English.

These talks are public and free; they take place on Thursdays between the 10 October and 19 December 2024, starting each week at 7 pm.

Prof. Dr. ir. arch. Catherine De Wolf is a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), where she leads the chair of Circular Engineering for Architecture (CEA). After studying Civil Engineering and Architecture in Brussels, she earned her PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Subsequently, she founded companies related to circular construction such as De Wolf EArTh and Anku Gmbh, served on the boards of various technology and innovation initiatives, and is a faculty of the Centre for Augmented Computational Design in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (Design++), the ETH AI Centre, the National Competence Centre in Research (NCCR) on digital fabrication, the Circular Future Cities lab, as well as at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA).

Vanessa Schwarzkopf joined the Chair for Circular Engineering in Architecture as a PhD student in 2024. Her master’s thesis, 'Dreaming Architecture', explored the potential of generative AI in the early phase design stages. After graduating, she continued working as a research assistant at the Chair of Architecture in Context in Hanover. In addition to her position at the university, she worked on projects in exhibition scenography for several studios. Vanessa’s background lies in architecture, with a bachelor’s in architecture (B.Sc.) and a master’s in architecture and urban design (M.Sc.) from the Leibniz University Hanover in Germany, while also studying at the ENSA Paris Malaquais in France as an exchange student. She is now eager to explore the possibilities of AI-driven design for circular design strategies.