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About

Rachel Armstrong is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of architecture, biology, and sustainability, whose work redefines how we conceive of the built environment. Her key research areas include experimental architecture, regenerative design, and animate materials—a field she helps define as materials that exhibit activity, adaptability, and autonomy akin to living systems. Armstrong’s major contributions lie in advancing design-led interdisciplinary practices that move beyond net-zero approaches to actively invigorate ecosystems. Her groundbreaking book *Experimental Architecture* (2019, 22 citations) offers the first comprehensive overview of how design research is reshaping architectural practice, while her roadmap for animate matter (2025, 11 citations) charts a future where materials emulate life’s properties. She also explores regenerative strategies inspired by nature, such as the spatial choreography of flowering plants (2023, 1 citation), and critically examines space exploration as an ecological challenge (2014, 5 citations). With a career spanning speculative design and sustainability, Armstrong’s work challenges conventional boundaries, inspiring students and researchers to imagine architecture as a living, responsive ecology.