Laboratory
University of Virginia
The Before Building Laboratory pioneers new material assemblies that sequester carbon and reduce construction’s contribution to the environmental crisis.
Current projects focus on rapidly renewable biomaterials, including wood, bamboo, grass, various invasive plant species, and hemp.
We engage emerging technologies to work with natural materials and processes in new ways, reframing the relationship between biology, technology, and authorship.
We seek to advance the accessibility of computation and robotic construction, leveraging democratized and consumer-grade technologies as well as inventing and building low-cost ground-up construction systems.
Recent Highlights
JUNE 7, 2024
Sylvan Scrapple awarded AIA National Small Project Award.
MAY 31 - JUNE 1, 2024
MacDonald & Schumann lectured and installed Crinkle Cuts at Future View: Vernacular Typologies symposium at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey.
MAY 1, 2024
Sheets & Slabs installed at Gilmer Hall at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
AUGUST 25, 2023
Sylvan Scrapple installed at the 4th cycle of Exhibit Columbus: Public by Design, in Columbus, Indiana.
MAY 3, 2023
MacDonald & Schumann awarded The Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers from the Architectural League of New York.
Recognition
PROJECT ACCOLADES
International
☆ Architect Magazine R+D Award, 2022
☆ The Architect’s Newspaper Best in Digital Fabrication Award, 2022
☆ The Architect’s Newspaper Best in Digital Fabrication Honorable Mention, 2023
☆ The Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Award in Research, 2021
National
☆ AIA National Small Project Award, 2024
☆ Society of American Registered Architects National Design Award Material Sciences Category Winner, 2023
☆ Society of American Registered Architects National Design Honor Award, 2023
☆ Society of American Registered Architects National Design Merit Award, 2023
☆ Society of American Registered Architects National Design Merit Award, 2022
☆ Society of American Registered Architects National Design Merit Award, 2022
Regional
☆ AIA Virginia Design Awards, Honorable Mention in Small Projects, 2023
☆ AIA Central Virginia Bi-Annual Design Awards, Honor Award in Architecture, 2022
Recordings
🎙 League Prize 2023 Night 3: Katie MacDonald & Kyle Schumann, Joseph Altshuler & Zack Morrison, June 29, 2023, 6:30 pm EST
🎙 Natural Building Materials Panel @ Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture, October 10, 2022
🎙 “Lush: From Field to Fabrication”@ the University of Tennessee Knoxville, September 20, 2021
🎙 “This is America: Design Practices Memorializing Difficult Histories”, @ Brown University, April 13, 2021
🎙 “Growing, Buliding” @ the University of Virginia, February 23, 2021
🎙 “Growing Buildings” @ Public Bldg, August 27, 2020
🎙 “After Specification” @ the University of Virginia, July 31, 2020
🎙 “How After Architecture Balances Practice with Materials Research” @ Architect Magazine Podcast
🎙 “After Specification” @ Pecha Kucha Knoxville, November 16, 2019
Katie MacDonald, AIA
KMACDONALD@VIRGINIA.EDU
Katie MacDonald is Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia, Cofounder of After Architecture, and a licensed architect in Virginia.
MacDonald is Codirector of the Before Building Laboratory at UVA, where she leads material research and development. MacDonald pioneers new biomaterial assemblies, with the aim of creating building material systems that sequester carbon and reduce construction’s contribution to the environmental crisis. Current projects focus on rapidly renewable biomaterials, including wood, bamboo, grass, various invasive plant species, and hemp.
MacDonald was named Educator of the Year in Metropolis Magazine's Planet Positive Awards in 2023 and Emerging Designer in the 2018 Virginia by Design Awards. She is a member of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture's Board of Directors. In 2022, she co-curated the Biomaterial Building Exposition.
EDUCATION
︎ M.Arch. Harvard University
︎ B.Arch. Cornell University
PRIOR EXPERIENCE
︎ Morphosis Architects
︎ Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects
︎ Clive Wilkinson Architects
︎ Stayner Architects
︎ MALL
AWARDS
☆ The Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers, 2023
☆ Cultured Magazine Young Architects List, 2021
☆ Architect Magazine Next Progressives, 2019
☆ Emerging Designer, Virginia by Design Awards, 2018
☆ Curbed Young Guns, 2014
☆ Educator of the Year, Metropolis Magazine Planet Positive Awards, 2023
☆ University of Virginia Outstanding Researcher Award, Research Achievement Awards, 2022
☆ Housing Design Education Award, American Institute of Architects and Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, 2020
FELLOWSHIPS
☆ Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellowship, 2022-23
☆ Tennessee Architecture Fellowship, 2019-20
☆ Robert James Eidlitz Fellowship, 2017
☆ Paul M. Heffernan Travel Award, 2015
Kyle Schumann
SCHUMANN@VIRGINIA.EDU
Kyle Schumann is Cofounder of After Architecture and Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Virginia.
Schumann is Codirector of the Before Building Laboratory at UVA , where he leads robotic fabrication research and development. Schumann seeks to advance the accessibility of digital fabrication, leveraging democratized technologies as well as inventing and building low-cost ground-up fabrication and imaging systems. His work spans analog processes in woodworking, metalworking, casting, ceramics, and textile production, to advanced and novel digital fabrication technologies, robotics, and machine visioning systems.
Schumann was awarded the Design Build Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in 2023. In 2022, he co-curated the Biomaterial Building Exposition.
EDUCATION
︎ M.Arch. Princeton University
︎ B.Arch. Cornell University
PRIOR EXPERIENCE
︎ Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
︎ Anmahian Winton Architects
AWARDS
☆ The Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers, 2023
☆ Cultured Magazine Young Architects List, 2021
☆ Architect Magazine Next Progressives, 2019
☆ Curbed Young Guns, 2014
☆ Design Build Award, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, 2023
☆ University of Virginia Outstanding Researcher Award, Research Achievement Awards, 2022
☆ William S. Downing Prize for Architectural Design, 2012
FELLOWSHIPS
☆ Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellowship, 2022-23
☆ Tennessee Architecture Fellowship, 2019-20
☆ Robert A.M. Stern Architects Travel Fellowship, 2017
☆ Robert James Eidlitz Fellowship, 2017
☆ Princeton University Fellowship, 2016-8
Researchers
︎ Paul Bourdin
︎ Shiza Chaudhary
︎ Kristina Dickey
︎ Leila Ehtesham
︎ Ammon Embleton
︎ Brandon Meinders
︎ Margaret Saunders
︎ Avery Edson
Past Researchers
2023
︎ Ross Brown
︎ Shiza Chaudhary
︎ Charlotte Devine
︎ Ammon Embleton
︎ Cecily Farrell
︎ Isaac Goodin
︎ Cara Hu
︎ Fah Keerasuntonpong
︎ Jaeger Lajewski
︎ Dillon Mcdowell
︎ Brandon Meinders
︎ Chris Osterlund
︎ Abbey Partika
︎ Emily Ploppert
︎ Charlotte Pitts
︎ Margaret Saimders
︎ Valerie Speirs
︎ Jolie Talha
︎ Julia West
︎ Natalie Zuppas
2022
︎ Collette Block
︎ Ross Brown
︎ Chris Chao
︎ Brandon Dennis
︎ Cecily Farrell
︎ Sophie Depret-Guillaume
︎ Leila Ehtesham
︎ Alex Hall
︎ Abby Hassell
︎ Caleb Hassell
︎ Mia Hsu
︎ Kristopher Kollias
︎ Jaeger Lajewski
︎ Rachel Lee
︎ Chujun Dina Luo
︎ Meredith Magness
︎ Reagan McCullough
︎ Dillon Mcdowell
︎ Liv Orlando
︎ Chris Osterlund
︎ Russell Petro
︎ Charlotte Pitts
︎ Emily Ploppert
︎ Timothy Victorio
︎ Andrew Spears
︎ Jonathan (Yianni) Spears
︎ Valerie Speirs
︎ Cecilia Yiyue Su
︎ Jolie Talha
︎ Haoran Zhang
︎ Natalie Zuppas
2021
︎ Collette Block
︎ Brandon Dennis
︎ Youfang Duan
︎ Leila Ehtesham
︎ Ephrata Johannes
︎ Kristopher Kollias
︎ Audrey Lewis
︎ Chujun Dina Luo
︎ Meredith Magness
︎ Jacob McLaughlin
︎ Lizzie Needham
︎ Kate Nguyen
︎ Chris Osterlund
︎ Andrew Spears
︎ Elizabeth Tatham
︎ Timothy Victorio
2020
︎ Sarina Hermanto
︎ Mason Millner
︎ Lisa Rowland
︎ Kevin Saslawsky
2019
︎ Connor Brown
︎ Tim Cox
︎ Ellie Cuthrell
︎ Brian Gore
︎ Aria Hill
︎ Mason Millner
︎ Alex Munro
︎ Jack Wasielewski
2018
︎ Brian Gore
︎ Brianna Morales
2017
︎ Brianna Morales