Prof. Dr.
Marirena
Kladeftira
Alumni
Marirena Kladeftira is an Assistant Professor at the multi-college department of Design Tech at Cornell University, where she investigates adaptive, low-impact construction systems at the intersection of design, fabrication, and human craft. Her research challenges traditional notions of automation, prioritizing localized, anthropocentric solutions that enhance human agency during the design and making process. Before joining Cornell, she was a postdoctoral researcher at EPFL and holds a doctorate from ETH Zurich as a fellow of the NCCR in Digital Fabrication, where her thesis explored the potential of additive manufacturing for ultra-lightweight modular structures.
Work Topic
"Capsules of Complexity" proposes a new framework for bespoke space frames by formulating, implementing, and evaluating fundamental methods for the geometric articulation of their joints in a holistic approach, centered around the triad –design, fabrication, assembly– with the understanding that the constraints of each process are interlinked.
Role in the NCCR Digital Fabrication
Alumni: PhD Researcher
NCCR publications
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Re:Config – Human-Robot Adaptive Workflows for Disassembly, Repair, and Construction (2026)
- Date: 20.05.2026
- Authors: Eric Duong, Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Dalila Romero Zenker, Alberto Johnsson, Prof. Dr. Stefana Parascho, Prof. Dr. Corentin Fivet
- Event: Future of Construction 2026: Construction of Future/s
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- Date: 01.01.2024
- Authors: Dr. Matthias Leschok, Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Nik Eftekhar Olivo, Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger
- Event: Fabricate 2024: Creating Resourceful Futures
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Self-interlocking 3D Printed Joints for Modular Assembly of Space Frame Structures (2023)
- Date: 01.01.2023
- Authors: Pascal Bach, Ilaria Giacomini, Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira
- Event: 8th Design Modelling Symposium (DMS 2022)
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- Date: 01.01.2022
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Dr. Matthias Leschok, Eleni Skevaki, Dr. Davide Tanadini, Patrick Ole Ohlbrock, Pierluigi D'Acunto
- Event: 42nd Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA 2022)
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- Date: 01.01.2022
- Authors: Dr. Davide Tanadini, Patrick Ole Ohlbrock, Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Dr. Matthias Leschok, Eleni Skevaki, Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger, Pierluigi D'Acunto
- Event: Annual Symposium of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS 2022)
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Redefining Polyhedral Space Through 3D Printing (2021)
- Date: 01.01.2021
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Dr. Matthias Leschok, Eleni Skevaki, Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger
- Event: 2020 Advances in Architectural Geometry Conference (AAG 2020)
- Notes: Conference lecture held on April 29, 2021. The conference should have taken place in Paris on August 30 - September 2, 2020. Due to Corona virus (COVID-19) the conference was rescheduled to April 26-29, 2021 and was conducted virtually.
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Generative Modelling with Design Constraints – Reinforcement Learning for Object Generation (2020)
- Date: 01.01.2020
- Authors: Yuta Akizuki, Mathias Bernhard, Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Reza Kakooee, Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger
- Event: 5th Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA 2020)
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- Date: 01.01.2019
- Authors: Mania Aghaei Meibodi, Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Thodoris Kyttas, Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger
- Event: 39th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture: Ubiquity and Autonomy (ACADIA 2019)
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Design strategies for a 3D printed acoustic mirror (2019)
- Date: 01.01.2019
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Maria Pachi, Mathias Bernhard, Demetris Shammas, Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger
- Event: 24th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia (CAADRIA 2019)
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Printing Whisper Dishes (2018)
- Date: 01.10.2018
- Authors: Prof. Dr. Marirena Kladeftira, Demetris Shammas, Mathias Bernhard, Prof. Benjamin Dillenburger
- Event: 38th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA 2018)