Katharina Kral

Katharina Kral is a licensed architect, Lecturer, and the Housing Innovation Research Fellow in the Department of Architecture at Cornell AAP. She also directs the Housing Innovation Lab, where she leads interdisciplinary research on adaptable housing, sustainability, and human well-being. Her work merges building science with human-centered, speculative design to reimagine responsive and equitable housing futures.

Kral teaches core and option design studios, visual representation classes, and seminars that promote rigorous, systems-based design thinking and imaginative responses to global challenges such as climate change and spatial justice. She co-developed computational tools like AutoFrame, SEED, and Viewscore.io, which support early-stage assessments of carbon, cost, daylight, window views, and visual privacy. Before joining Cornell, she led the design and construction of large-scale housing projects for Buchner Bründler Architekten in Basel, Switzerland. In her architectural practice, Kral investigates design strategies for adaptive reuse and densification in rural and urban contexts.

Kral holds a Diploma in Architectural Engineering with distinction from TU Darmstadt.