Jan Knippers

• Architectural Biomimetics
• Building Structures 2
• ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2017 – Performative Morphology
• Integrative Technologies and Architectural Design Research Project
• ITECH Master Thesis

Jan Knippers is a structural engineer and since 2000 head of the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart. His interest is in innovative and resource-efficient structures created at the intersection of research and development and practice.

In 2001 he co-founded „Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering“ with offices in Stuttgart, Berlin and New York and was co-lead for the first years of the practice’s growth. Some of his key projects from this time are the EXPO Axis for Shanghai in 2010, the Thematic Pavilion at EXPO 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea and the Gallery at the Staatsoper Berlin, completed in 2017. In 2018 he founded “Jan Knippers Ingenieure” (https://www.janknippers.com/)in Stuttgart to give more personal attention to innovative projects from concept to completion. The current focus of the practise is on the design and construction of novel fibre composite and timber structures

From 2014 to 2019 Jan Knippers was the lead coordinator of the DFG collaborative research centre TRR141 „Biological Design and Integrative Structures“, a collaboration between the Universities of Stuttgart, Tübingen and Freiburg.
From 2019 to 2021 he was Vice-rector for Research of the University of Stuttgart.

Since 2019 he is Deputy Executive Director of the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture” and since 2021 dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning.

He is author of several books, numerous scientific publications, is a member of various advisory boards (i.e. German Science Foundation) and is frequently invited to speak at national  and international conferences.