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About

Rena Giesecke is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of digital fabrication, architectural design, and advanced glass manufacturing. Her work focuses on developing robotic fabrication methods for polychromatic glass elements, fundamentally challenging traditional approaches to architectural glass as a purely transparent material. Giesecke’s major contributions include creating novel additive manufacturing techniques for color grading glass, enabling locally differentiated color and opacity that can filter light and view in unprecedented ways. Her research on large-scale robotic fabrication of polychromatic relief glass demonstrates how computational design and robotic production can replace labor-intensive manual processes or limited film applications. Notably, her 2022 study on structural behavior and micro-structural characteristics of colored kilned glass panels provides critical insights into the mechanical performance of these novel materials. With her most-cited works accumulating citations in the emerging field of robotic glass fabrication, Giesecke is establishing a new paradigm for architectural glass that moves “beyond transparency” toward expressive, functionally graded building envelopes. Her work represents a significant step toward integrating digital design approaches with material innovation in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.