SINA MOSTAFAVI
Ph.D. TU Delft, M.Arch., B.Arch.Eng.
Associate Professor at TTU HCoA
Director & Founder of Hi-DARS lab
Dr. Sina Mostafavi is a practicing architect, researcher, educator, and design innovator whose work integrates advanced theory, methods, and technologies in computational design and architectural robotics. He combines experience in practice, research, and education to explore emerging materials and hybrid human-machine intelligence. He is currently an Associate Professor at Texas Tech University's Huckabee College of Architecture, where he directs the Hi-DARS Lab (Hybrid Intelligence Design & Architectural Robotic Systems Lab). Mostafavi's research focuses on innovative applications of emerging materials and technologies driven by hybrid human-machine intelligence for integrated design, inclusive automation, and circular production. He is also the founder of the award-winning SETUParchitecture studio and has received multiple honors, including the Architizer A+Award for the Soft Stone project. He holds a doctoral degree from TU Delft, where he served as a senior researcher and managed the Hyperbody Research Group's robotic building lab.
His projects have been exhibited at global venues such as the Venice Architecture Biennale, Centre Pompidou Paris, V2 Gallery in Rotterdam, NAi in Rotterdam, and Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Mostafavi serves on the Board of Directors of ACADIA and the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Architectural Computing (IJAC). He has served as Principal Investigator for several funded projects, supported by industry partners like AUDI in Germany, NWO in the Netherlands, and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), where he is a recipient of the NSF ReDDDoT Grant.
Mostafavi is the author of the book Hybrid Intelligence in Architectural Robotic Materialization (HI-ARM), which introduces Porosity, Hybridity, and Assembly as three main constituents in robotic materialization. This work centers on incorporating computational, fabrication, and material intelligence into integrated design-to-robotic-production workflows. Internationally published and lectured, he has presented his work at ETH Zurich, AA-London, UT Sydney, USC Los Angeles, TU Vienna, Paris Malaquais, KNAW Amsterdam, and Teulo Talks in New Zealand. He is also a scientific committee member for journals and conferences such as eCAADe, ACADIA, CAAD Futures, 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, and Automation in Construction.
Before joining Texas Tech University, Mostafavi held several academic and research appointments, including Senior Researcher and Manager of the Robotic Building Lab at TU Delft, Unit Master and Director of DARS.hub at the Dessau Institute of Architecture in Germany, and Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor at the University of Huddersfield, UK. He has led over 60 design studios and seminars and supervised more than 60 graduate and postgraduate students. He is currently advising several Ph.D. projects focused on emerging design-build technologies and material systems, with research spanning from fundamental inquiries to applied innovations in architectural design, production, and the theoretical and methodological development of the discipline.
At the Dessau Institute of Architecture, he initiated the DARS.hub unit (Design, Architectural Robotics & Systems) and led interdisciplinary projects such as the 100 Years Bauhaus Pavilion, Bioplastic Robotic 3D-Printing, and the Adaptive City Car project sponsored by AUDI. As a design innovator, he has filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on novel methods for self-balancing timber lattice structures, advancing research in integrated design and circular production. As a practicing architect, he continues to explore the adaptation of digital design-to-production technologies to geo-cultural specificities through SETUParchitecture.
His recognitions include the Architizer A+ Award 2020, the 2A Continental Euro-Asia Award 2018 in IAAC Barcelona for the Soft Stone Building, and the Emerging Scholar Digital Futures 2021 award. Mostafavi's work has been featured in several prestigious international exhibitions, including the V2 Gallery in Rotterdam, Synthetic Exhibition in Le Mans Lillie, NAi in Rotterdam, Construction Week in Utrecht, and Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven, Venice Architecture Biennale, Print the World at Centre Pompidou Paris.
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Dr. Sina Mostafavi is an Associate Professor at Texas Tech University's Huckabee College of Architecture, where he directs the Hi-DARS Lab (Hybrid Intelligence Design & Architectural Robotic Systems Lab). Mostafavi's research centers on the innovative applications of emerging materials and technologies driven by hybrid human-machine intelligence for integrated design, inclusive automation, and circular production. As a design innovator, he has been recognized with the Emerging Scholar Digital Futures award and has filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on novel lattice structures, advancing research in integrated design and circular production. He is also the founder of the award-winning SETUParchitecture studio, receiving multiple honors, including the Architizer A+Award for the Soft Stone project. Mostafavi holds a doctoral degree from TU Delft, where he served as a senior researcher and managed the Hyperbody Research Group's robotic building lab. His projects have been exhibited globally, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, Centre Pompidou Paris, Dutch Design Week, and NAi in Rotterdam. He serves on the Board of Directors of ACADIA and the Editorial Board of the IJAC Journal and has led several funded projects supported by partners and foundations such as AUDI and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
