Martin Bechthold
Kumagai Professor of Architectural Technology
Profile
Outside professional activities
Profile
Martin Bechthold is the Kumagai Professor of Architectural Technology in the GSD’s Department of Architecture and currently serves as the GSD’s Academic Dean as well as the head of the Advanced Studies Programs. Bechthold was the founding Co-Director of the Master in Design Engineering Program and is Affiliate Faculty at the Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) at Harvard. He teaches courses in design and research methods, material systems, and building structures. Recent courses include ‘Towards a New Science of Design?’, ‘Nano, Micro, Macro: BioFabrication’, ‘Faux: Design, Performance and Perception of Fake Materials’ as well as ‘Structural Design II’.
Bechthold received a Diplom-Ingenieur degree in architecture from the Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule in Aachen, Germany, and a Doctor of Design Degree from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is a registered architect in Germany and has practiced in London, Paris, and Hamburg. During this period he was associated with firms such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Santiago Calatrava and von Gerkan, Marg & Partner.
In 2010 Bechthold founded the GSD’s Design Robotics Group and, in 2014, merged it into the Material Processes and Systems (MaP+S) Group, a collaboration of faculty, post-doctoral fellows, research associates, and students that pursues sponsored and other research projects. MaP+S’s current research focuses on low carbon material systems, architectural ceramics, and on understanding the role materials play in our perception of and behavior in buildings. In 2018 Bechthold initiated the creation of the Laboratory for Design Technology as a collaborative platform that connects Harvard Faculty and researchers with forward looking thought leaders from industry.
Bechthold is co-author of ‘Structures’ and ‘Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing’, as well as the author of ‘Innovative Surface Structures’. His most recent book is ‘Ceramic Material Systems’. Bechthold’s peer reviewed journal papers have been published in widely read journals including Nature Reviews, Advanced Functional Materials, and Energy and Buildings. He holds multiple patents on material innovations.
Contact
Email: mbechthold@gsd.harvard.edu
Phone: 617-495-6012
Additional Website: https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/person/martin-bechthold/
Outside professional activities
Outside Professional Activities
In the spirit of transparency and integrity, Salata Institute Faculty Associates disclose publicly their key professional activities outside of Harvard University. The activities disclosed below are for the most recent reporting period, as defined by University policy. Some of the activities may be paid, some may be unpaid, and others may be in exchange for expense reimbursement only.
Outside Professional Activities For Martin Bechthold
Organizations:
Relationships:
AECOM
Professional Services or Employment
Technical University of Graz
Fiduciary Board Membership
University of Michigan
Professional Services or Employment
The Salata institute
The Salata Institute supports interdisciplinary research that leads to real-world action, including high-risk/high-reward projects by researchers already working in the climate area and new endeavors that make it easier for Harvard scholars, who have not worked on climate problems, to do so.