Allison Dring

Allison Dring is CEO and Co Founder of Made of Air, a company producing carbon negative materials for manufacturing. Allison is an experienced entrepreneur, initiating climate positive technologies and applying them to real world building applications. Previously, as Co-Founder of Ellegant Embellishments, she invented and manufactured proslve370e, an award winning facade module that reduces urban air pollution. She is a veteran speaker on topics involving technology and the environment, including a TEDx Berlin talk entitled “Ornament & Climate”, serves as Advisory Board Member for Creating Urban Tech Berlin, the Lifeboat Foundation, and is a member of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leaders Network. 

Amelia Vey Henry

Amelia Vey Henry is an architect, and was Finch’s first sales hire, helping establish the foundation for how the company engages with customers and partners. She began as an intern, and as Finch grew, she grew alongside it, continuously taking on new responsibilities as the company expanded. Today, Amelia is a Senior Partnership Lead, supporting architecture firms worldwide in implementing Finch into their workflows and making AI-powered tools accessible and impactful. Educated in both Sweden and the USA, she combines a strong foundation in technical design with experience in teaching, digital adoption, and global collaboration. As one of Finch’s earliest employees, she has been integral to driving the company growth, shaping customer success and sales strategies, and helping Finch unlock new markets, while also contributing to the culture that defines the company today.

Anaïs Cimbidhi

Anaïs Cimbidhi is an investor at PT1, a Berlin-based venture capital fund, where she focuses on early-stage European startups, particularly in construction robotics and the built environment. She began her career at a proptech startup in Paris, before moving into commercial real estate investment in Berlin, working across European markets. Anaïs holds a Master’s in Business Management from EDHEC and studied sustainability at Universität Hamburg. PT1 is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm investing in transformative technologies across Europe that make a tangible impact in real estate technologies, energy transition, infrastructure resilience and climate adaptation.

Anastasiya Popova

Anastasiya Popova is an environmental engineer with an MSc in Integrated Building Systems from ETH Zurich. For her master’s thesis at the Future Cities Lab in Singapore, she developed heuristics for designing low-carbon urban districts, a work awarded the ETH Medal. She then joined ETH Zurich’s Architecture and Building Systems group, contributing to research on future scenarios for urban development and energy consumption in Switzerland. Beyond academia, Anastasiya has broad experience in the construction industry, spanning energy design, environmental assessment, product management, and digital construction. As Sustainability Lead at an international façade manufacturing company, she established and implemented sustainability strategies at both corporate and project levels. Today, she drives business development at Zurich Soft Robotics, an ETH spin-off commercialising Solskin — a world’s first climate-adaptive façade.

Débora Mesa Molina

Débora Mesa Molina is Professor of Architecture, Art and Technology at ETH Zurich and Principal of Ensamble Studio, the cross-functional practice she leads with her partner Antón García-Abril. Balancing imagination with reality, and art with science, their work redefines typologies, technologies, and methodologies to address challenges ranging from the construction of the landscape to the prefabrication of the house. Since their earliest projects, experimentation has been integral to their process, with each work conceived as a vehicle to advance the field of architecture. Their contributions to theory and practice have been recognised internationally, including the 2022 American Academy of Arts and Letters Award and the 2019 RIBA Charles Jencks Award. Through their startup WoHo (World Home), they are currently developing strategies to improve quality and affordability in architecture by integrating offsite construction technologies. Alongside her practice, Débora is deeply committed to sharing ideas and fostering exchanges between professional and academic spheres through teaching, lecturing, and research.

Jorge Christie

Jorge Christie is a specialised generalist. He has been trained as an architect but has also experience in graphic design, art, music composing and production, programming, and structural design. He holds a MAS ETH in Architecture and Digital Fabrication (MAS DFAB) from ETH Zurich, and an MSc. in Integrative Technologies and Architectural Design Research from the University of Stuttgart, where he is realising a PhD in Engineering. Jorge is currently the CPO of Strong by Form, where he creates and develops lightweight wood-based composite materials, products and production technologies.

Dominik Reisach

Dominik Reisach is an architect and computational designer. He studied architecture in Munich and Weimar and served as a teaching assistant in both places. He has also worked for architecture offices in Germany and Denmark. Currently, Dominik is pursuing a PhD at ETH Zurich as part of the NCCR Digital Fabrication.

Eliott Sounigo

Eliott Sounigo studied architecture at École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris la Villette (ENSAPLV) and at École Spéciale d’Architecture (ESA) in Paris. He then moved to New York to work at THEVERYMANY, where he gained experience in designing, fabricating, and directing projects from temporary pavilions to permanent structures. He also worked in Kazakhstan, Canada, and in China for Marc Fornes. In 2019, he joined the Master of Advanced Studies ETH in Architecture and Digital Fabrication at ETH Zürich, following which he joined Gramazio Kohler Research to pursue the work on a novel method of robotic surface finishing. Since 2021 he is the co-founder and CEO of Layered GmbH.

Prof. Dr. Ena Lloret-Fritschi

Prof. Dr. Ena Lloret-Fritschi is an architect and Assistant Professor at ARC-USI, where she leads the FMAA research group on digital fabrication methods that reduce material use in architecture. She began her career in leading architectural offices before moving into academia in 2010. As a PhD and later as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication at ETH Zurich, she worked at the intersection of building materials science at the Physical Chemistry of Building Materials group (PCBM) and robotic fabrication for architecture at Gramazio Kohler Research (GKR). She has since led multiple industry transfer projects in this field and is also co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Foldcast Sagl.

Fabio Amicarelli

Fabio is an architect, researcher, and entrepreneur passionate about driving innovation in the construction industry and advancing the built environment towards a more sustainable future. In 2024, he co-founded and is the CEO of Foldcast Sagl, Swiss startup committed to decarbonising construction by developing sustainable concrete building elements produced with innovative paper moulds. Since 2022, he has been pursuing his PhD at the Fabrication and Material Aware Architecture (FMAA) group at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Università della Svizzera italiana (ARC-USI), where he developed the core technology behind Foldcast. Prior to this, he worked at the Zurich-based architectural firm ROK GmbH, focusing on computational design and digital fabrication.

Federica Sofia Zambeletti

Federica Sofia Zambeletti is the founder and managing director of KoozArch, a platform and studio for critical design. She is an architect, researcher and storyteller whose interests lie at the intersection between art, architecture and regenerative practices. In 2022 Federica founded KoozArch with the ambition of creating a space where to research, explore and discuss architecture beyond the limits of its built form. Prior to dedicating her full attention to KoozArch in 2024, Federica collaborated with the architecture studio and non-profit agency for change UNA/UNLESS working on numerous cultural projects and the research of “Antarctic Resolution”. 

Götz Hilber

Götz Hilber is co-founder and CEO of Rematter. He combines experience in startup and project finance with a background in carpentry, social science, and finance. He has closed high-impact investments and has been driving the circular economy for over a decade before founding Rematter. Motivated by the urgency to transform the highly polluting construction industry – and recognizing the vast market opportunity – he decided to throw all his bodyweight into building a startup with a mission: to replace reinforced concrete at scale and make construction climate- and resource-positive. Together with a strong team in robotics and engineering, he has led Rematter from the lab to pilot production and now to its first industrial micro factory – gearing up to meet the rapidly growing demand.

Dr. Jelle Feringa

Dr. Jelle Feringa is a pioneering architect and robotics specialist. Following his PhD research at TU Delft, he founded Odico Formwork Robotics – the first publicly traded architectural-robotics firm. As CTO of Aectual, Jelle scaled bespoke, lights-out 3-D printing of building components for clients such as Hermès, Nike, BMW, Schiphol and the Dutch government, contributing to projects like Opus Dubai and Fjordenhus. In 2021 he founded Terrestrial, patenting “shot-earth” 3-D printing for large earthen structures. In 2024 Terrestrial won a tender from ProRail, the semi-governmental company that manages the Dutch rail network, to create sustainable acoustic barriers. His work has been published and exhibited widely and acquired for the permanent collections of institutions including the Centre Pompidou, FRAC.

Jess Clemans

Jess is a Principal at noa, Europe’s largest built world VC, backing technology to accelerate the decarbonisation of the built world. Launched in 2019 as A/O, noa partners with visionary founders to drive disruption across the entire spectrum of the built world, from structures and materials to energy and environment. Jess is responsible for deal sourcing, investment due diligence, and portfolio management. He also leads the firm’s focus on construction technology and deep tech businesses.

Juan Nieto

Juan Nieto is Zacua Ventures Founder & General Partner, and has also worked as a ConTech investor for CEMEX CVC unit since 2018, where he developed Asia Pacific investment strategy, and set up the Shanghai Office in 2019. Prior to this, Juan worked as an alternative asset manager for Altamar CAM Partners, one of Europe largest private managers, in Madrid, and as a Consultant for Techedge Group in Chicago (USA). Juan holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Madrid and Tongji University of Shanghai

Katharina Benjamin

Katharina Benjamin studied architecture at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar where she completed her Master’s degree in 2018 with a thesis on “Architecture as a Medium of Remembrance: Reconstruction of the Ez-Chaim Synagogue in Leipzig”. She worked for Peter Zumthor at Atelier Zumthor in Haldenstein as project coordinator for the XIV. International Bauhaus-Colloquium at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, and from 2019 to 2022 as research assistant at the Chair of Architectural Design and Construction I at TU Dresden. Since 2021 she has worked as research assistant at the Institute for Construction at the TU Braunschweig. In 2017 she founded the digital architecture platform Kontextur.

Kunaljit Chadha

Kunaljit Chadha (Dr. Sc. ETH Zurich, expected Oct 2025) specialises in large-scale additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, and robotics for construction. His work integrates non-standard, locally sourced materials with digital fabrication to promote sustainable, low-carbon building. He began at Menis Arquitectos in Spain, earned a Master’s at IAAC, and later taught and led robotic fabrication there for five years. From 2021 to 2025, he conducted doctoral research at ETH Zurich’s Gramazio Kohler Research, focusing on robotic manufacturing with excavated materials. He is the co-founder of Impact.build, an ETH spin-off developing solutions to decarbonise the construction industry through innovative fabrication methods.

Dr. Lauren Vasey

Dr. Lauren Vasey has an interdisciplinary background with a Bachelor degree in Engineering (cum laude), Masters in Architecture (distinction,) and a PhD on Adaptive Robotic Construction Processes. Since 2020, she has worked at ETH Zurich, specialising in sustainable and adaptive robotic building processes. She currently focuses on the commercialisation of impact printing, a new type of robotic manufacturing for on-site and off-site construction with insitu materials. The process has been recognised in international additive manufacturing competitions (3D pioneers challenge), and recently in startup competitions (startup campus, Venture Kick). Previously, she was a Research Associate at ICD Stuttgart, where she did her PhD and taught in the ITECH Masters Programme. She has collaborated with many government and industry partners, including the European Space Agency, Autodesk, and has been a finalist including the Kuka Innovation Award.

Marcel Studer

Marcel Studer earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in architecture from ETH Zurich, completing his diploma in December 2024 under Roger Boltshauser. He gained practical experience as an intern at Gigon/Guyer in Zurich and Herzog & de Meuron in Basel. Since completing his Master’s, he has been working as an architect at Boltshauser Architects in Zurich.

Markus Gatterwe

Markus Gatterwe is a Corporate Investor with experience in multiple industries. After managing venture activities in the R&D department of the BMW Group in Germany and California for close to four years, he joined Holcim Maqer Ventures in early 2025 to manage their Corporate Venture Capital Arm. He holds a Master’s Degree in Management Science & Engineering from Technical University of Munich and Stanford University with a focus on Corporate Innovation and Computer Engineering. 

Mathias Niffeler

Mathias Niffeler is a co-founder and CTO of uuen Company and has been collaborating with the Chair of Architecture and Building Systems for almost four years in the development of the open-source City Energy Analyst (CEA). Now he is part of the small team that leads the development CEA-4 Pro, a cloud and AI-assisted planning suite that turns complex simulation and optimisation into clear, decision-ready insights for architects and urban planners. His work bridges physics-based models and machine learning to help teams design net-zero, cost-effective district energy systems. Before returning to Switzerland, Mat spent several years in Singapore advancing methods for urban cooling and understanding how cooling systems shape city heat. He recently turned his focus to AI Agent frameworks to help simplify urban energy planning.

Dr. Matthias Leschok

Dr. Matthias Leschok is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and co-founder of SAEKI Robotics AG, a Swiss startup founded in 2021 that develops solutions for large-scale, bespoke 3D-printed elements across industries. Together with co-founders Andrea Perissinotto and Oliver Harley, he is building SAEKI into a leading provider in advanced manufacturing.
Matthias earned his architecture degree with distinction from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in 2015, worked there until 2016, and completed the Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Architecture and Digital Fabrication at ETH Zurich in 2017. He subsequently pursued his PhD at ETH’s Chair for Digital Building Technologies (dbt), focusing on novel additive manufacturing processes.
His doctoral research, Hollow-Core 3D Printing (HC3DP) for Facades, introduced a patented method for extruding large-scale hollow or tubular polymer beads, enabling lightweight components with excellent thermal performance. HC3DP is exclusively licensed to SAEKI Robotics AG.

Nikola Znaor

Nikola Znaor is a Croatian/Dutch licensed architect and founder of Airshade Technologies B.V., based in Amsterdam. His R&D venture, Airshade, has been developed over 10 years and is implemented in projects with ARUP, MVRDV, Metadecor, and the AMOLF Institute. Airshade uses only air expansion with soft robotics under sunlight to move façade elements – without electronics, sensors, or motors – offering a sustainable alternative to conventional electronic façade automation. It resulted in the world’s first patented passive shading system actuator, showcased through the solar-powered SOMBRA pavilion during this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale. Nikola graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and previously worked with robotic 3D printing companies, DUS Architects and Aectual. His work has been widely published and exhibited internationally, earning recognition such as the Holcim Award, the James Dyson Award, and most recently, Innovation of the Year by the Society of Façade Engineering (SFE) in London.

Prof. Philippe Block

Prof. Philippe Block is a structural engineer, architect and researcher, known for his expertise in structural design, computational engineering, and digital fabrication of sustainable construction, specialising in masonry and (unreinforced) concrete. He is Full Professor of Architecture and Structures at the Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA) at ETH Zurich, where he has been leading the Block Research Group (BRG) with Dr Tom Van Mele since 2009. He studied architecture and structural engineering at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned his PhD in 2009. His research is translated into practice through the ETH spinoff VAULTED AG, which he co-founded.

Dr. Selen Ercan Jenny

Dr. Selen Ercan Jenny is an architect and digital fabrication researcher specialising in the use of mobile robots for in-situ construction. She studied at METU and Delft University of Technology, and has contributed to numerous projects at the Chair of Architecture and Digital Fabrication, Gramazio Kohler Research, ETH Zürich, focusing on the application and commercialisation of automation in construction. She completed her PhD at the Gramazio Kohler Group, where she continues as a senior researcher. Since 2024, she is Chief Scientific Officer at Layered GmbH, a startup she co-founded with Eliott Sounigo. Layered develops novel spray-based, gravity-resisting, smart coatings applied by mobile on-site robots, aiming to make construction processes more efficient, safe, and sustainable.

Tizian Rein

Tizian Rein is pursuing his master’s degree in architecture at TU Munich. During his programme, he studied at ETH Zurich on a scholarship. In Munich, he is part of the Mentorship Programme “Computational Methods in Architecture” and contributes as a research assistant, specialising in computational design, robotics, and digital fabrication.

Bruno Knychalla

Bruno Knychalla is an architect, and entrepreneur trained at the Technical University of Munich and the University of Suttgart. He is also the founder and Managing Director of additive tectonics, the industrial partner for large-scale 3D printing of furniture, interiors, and architectural elements. Our portfolio of building-code compliant materials includes econitWood, a wood-based composite for interior products, and tectonitX, 3D-printed structural concrete for load-bearing elements. Powered by one of the world’s fastest industrial 3D printers and an interdisciplinary team spanning materials science, machine engineering, design, and construction, we deliver bold geometry with production-grade reliability. Our process enables new functionality and spatial expression while reducing waste, time, and excess material.

Fabio Gramazio

Prof. Fabio Gramazio is a Swiss architect, and Professor of Architecture and Digital Fabrication at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich. He is also the co-founder of the architecture and design group Gramazio Kohler Research, which focuses on the integration of digital fabrication and robotic technologies into architectural design and construction. Gramazio has been a leading figure in the field of digital fabrication in architecture, and his research and practice have contributed significantly to advancing the use of robotic technologies in the building industry. The research is outlined and theoretically framed in the books “Digital Materiality in Architecture” (2007) and “The Robotic Touch: How Robots Change Architecture” (2014). He has lectured and exhibited his work worldwide and has received numerous awards for his contributions to the field.

Greg Demchak

Greg Demchak is the Vice President of Industry and Market Development at Motif, a next-generation platform built for collaborative design for the AEC industry. With over two decades of experience at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and cutting-edge software, Greg is a recognised leader in crafting digital innovations for the built environment. Before joining Motif, Greg led the Innovation Lab (iLab) at Bentley Systems, where he used interactive prototyping to envision next-gen solutions for the design, construction, and operations of the build environment. Prior to Bentley, he led product management at the start-up Synchro, a 4D visualisation platform for construction. His career also includes formative work as a product designer for Revit/Autodesk, contributing to the early evolution of Building Information Modeling. Greg holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon and a Master of Science in Architectural Studies from MIT. He currently resides in London.

Bettina Baggenstos

Bettina Baggenstos studied architecture at ETH Zurich and BFH Bern University of Applied Sciences. She has specialised in timber construction and hybrid systems combining timber and earth. With deep expertise in sustainable building technologies, she bridges architectural design, digital planning, and material innovation. As co-founder of the startup Lehmit, she focuses on developing new construction systems that integrate structural efficiency with ecological responsibility, advancing timber-earth solutions for the built environment. Lehmit is a specialised venture dedicated to developing innovative building systems that combine timber and earth. As a joint venture of Lehm Ton Erde, Blumer Lehmann, and gbd, Lehmit unites architectural planning, material research, and industrial production. The company focuses on scaling sustainable solutions by using locally available earth and timber resources. Through digital workflows and automised construction methods, Lehmit pioneers resource-efficient, climate-conscious building systems that respond to today’s ecological and architectural challenges.

Romana Rust

Romana Rust is a computational architect, researcher, and software developer. She is co-founder and CTO of vyzn AG, an AI-powered platform that helps developers, planners, and architects optimize buildings for GHG emissions, energy efficiency, costs, thermal comfort, and overall performance. She holds a Master’s in Architecture from TU Graz and a Dr.sc. in Digital Fabrication from ETH Zurich, where she specialised in computational design, robotic fabrication, and data-driven strategies. Her research focuses on intuitive computational methods for design exploration and optimization, integrating multiple objectives, such as geometry, materiality, and acoustics, through performance-based generative design, form-finding, and predictive modeling. Romana is also a core developer of COMPAS, an open-source framework for collaborative research in architecture, engineering, and construction. At vyzn, she leads the development of intelligent tools that accelerate early design decisions and support the transition toward net-zero, sustainable, and resilient buildings.

Maximilian Rietschel

Maximilian Rietschel is the co-founder and CTO of Romantic Labs, the makers of the Grasshopper AI copilot ‘Raven’. After receiving a BSc in Architecture and briefly working as an architect, he diverted into more technical realms, completing his Master’s in Integrated Building Systems at ETH with an immersive learning experience in architecture and construction education. He has since developed a host of XR and AI applications before founding Romantic Labs with his co-founders Moritz Rietschel and Philipp Hölzenbein, where he is now exploring how AI can transform the creative process in architecture by deeply integrating intelligent systems into CAD-based design workflows.

Martin Piekarz

Martin Piekarz is the co-founder of Bricks & Bytes, a leading podcast that explores innovation at the intersection of construction, technology, and investment. Alongside this platform, Martin is the Managing Director of CAD Engineering Solutions Group, a London-based practice delivering structural engineering services across major projects. Under his leadership, the company has grown into three specialised brands, each addressing distinct challenges of design and construction. From an early curiousity about how things are built to building companies and communities, Martin brings both entrepreneurial and technical expertise to advancing the future of construction.