Field of Work
Teaching and research at the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) investigates new materials and efficient support structures for architecture. A particular focus here is on fiber composite materials and textiles as well as the development of simulation and production techniques for these materials that are adapted to the specific requirements of the construction industry. The institute is involved in numerous application-oriented research projects in collaboration with small and medium-sized industrial partners and has particular expertise in the planning and production of demonstrators and prototypes. For this purpose, it has access to the test facilities and workshops of the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning.
In addition, the institute also participates in national and international standards committees for the use of fiber composite materials in construction.
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Personal Information
Prof. Knippers, born in 1962, obtained his degree and doctorate in civil engineering at the Technical University of Berlin. Since 2000 Jan Knippers has been director of the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) of the University of Stuttgart, having previously worked for an internationally renowned planning agency. In 2001 he founded Helbig Advanced Engineering Stuttgart, with branch offices in New York (since 2009) and Berlin (since 2014). The focus of his practice, research and teaching lies in the area of bionics, efficient support structures and new materials for architecture. Knippers was Chairman of the Architecture and Construction Review Board of the German Research Foundation (DFG) since 2011 and spokesperson of the DFG Collaborative Research Centre TRR 141 Biological Design and Integrative Structures (2014-2018). Actually he is member of the Board of Directors of the the Cluster of Excellence "Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture" (IntCDC) at the University of Stuttgart. In July 2024, Knippers was accepted into the architecture section of the renowned Academy of Arts in Berlin.