Sandy Curth

I am a designer and computational researcher focused on developing tools for democratization and access in the world of architectural additive manufacturing. I work at the intersection of material science, biology, and structural optimization to create design/fabrication methods for rapidly deployable, climate-resilient housing. In practice, this generally looks like designing and 3D printing buildings and building elements with locally sourced earthen materials.

Currently, I am a PhD candidate in the Design and Computation Group at MIT where I lead the Programmable Mud Initiative, advised by Dr. Larry Sass. At MIT I have been fortunate to collaborate with and receive support from Digital Structures, the Huang Hobbs Biomaker Space, and the Center for Bits and Atoms.

Previously I completed a Master of Architecture at UC Berkeley where I designed and built full-scale 3D printed earthen architecture with Emerging Objects, printed lightweight spanning structures with the Flexible Structures Lab, and developed AR/VR compatible digital fabrication strategies with the XR Lab. I was a 2019 Norman Foster Foundation Robotics Scholar. I completed undergraduate degrees in Physics and Anthropology at Bennington College.

Beyond architecture, I have worked on the Long Now Foundation's 10,000 Year Clock Project, shucked a lot of oysters for Hog Island Oyster Co. and run my hometown’s annual Christmas Bird Count, part of the world’s largest, longest running citizen science project.