Mattaforma is a design practice that draws on a parallel project of material and environmental research to conceive of the built environment as an actionable medium towards a more equitable planet.
Jean Suh is the Founding Principal of Mattaforma. She is a registered architect in New York and a LEED Accredited Professional. She holds an M.Arch from Yale School of Architecture and a BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia. She previously led international projects with Studio Gang and Joel Sanders Architect in New York, and contributed to projects at
Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates
in Philadelphia. From the residential towers One Delisle and Mission Rock to single family homes in the Hudson Valley, Jean has built an expertise in managing and delivering complex, award-winning projects through close collaboration with clients, industry leaders and builders to achieve impactful, cost-effective, concept-driven architecture.
Lindsey Wikstrom is the Founding Principal of Mattaforma and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Previously, she contributed to projects with The Living, Studio Gang, ArandaLasch, and Wendell Burnette Architects. She holds an M.Arch from Columbia University, where she was awarded the Charles McKim Prize, Visualization Award, and Avery 6 Award. Wikstrom is also the recipient of the SOM Prize. Her research on renewable and reclaimed materials has been published in Embodied Energy and Design: Making Architecture between Metrics and Narratives, Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival, Faktur, Cite, e-flux, Urban Omnibus, and others. Wikstrom is the organizer and moderator of Material Worlds, a speaker series hosted by MoMA's Emilio Ambasz Institute. In 2022, Wikstrom joined Formafantasma at Prada's Possible Conversation series to launch her book Designing the Forest and Other Mass Timber Futures (2023), published by Routledge, with foreword by Kenneth Frampton.
Lindsey Wikstrom is the Founding Principal of Mattaforma and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Previously, she contributed to projects with The Living, Studio Gang, ArandaLasch, and Wendell Burnette Architects. She holds an M.Arch from Columbia University, where she was awarded the Charles McKim Prize, Visualization Award, and Avery 6 Award. Wikstrom is also the recipient of the SOM Prize. Her research on renewable and reclaimed materials has been published in Embodied Energy and Design: Making Architecture between Metrics and Narratives, Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival, Faktur, Cite, e-flux, Urban Omnibus, and others. Wikstrom is the organizer and moderator of Material Worlds, a speaker series hosted by MoMA's Emilio Ambasz Institute. In 2022, Wikstrom joined Formafantasma at Prada's Possible Conversation series to launch her book Designing the Forest and Other Mass Timber Futures (2023), published by Routledge, with foreword by Kenneth Frampton.
Approach
Shaping the next generation of buildings in our built environment requires an ethical underpinning, a new perspective towards resources. Material choice is one of the greatest levers we have in this regard; it’s the moment we actively eliminate carbon from our palette. It’s when existing or new supply chains are affirmed or denied; which is why we invest in research focusing on contextual technical, historic, and cultural material values.
From high-rise residential towers to small family houses, from a worker's view on the factory floor to the sounds of bamboo chimes above an outdoor classroom, the office is interested in architecture that fosters a connection between people and the rest of the natural world, at any scale. We are dedicated to environments that are welcoming and equitably navigated, where communities feel free to create and build cultural narratives over time.
One of the ways we bring together the many stakeholders in a project and manage the complex stewardship of resources is by integrating data and applying the power of computation. This approach helps us generate a wide range of possibilities that would not otherwise be possible. We work with clients and experts to jointly imagine opportunities for improving forms of wellness and expanding the types of spaces that we enjoy spending time in. After all, architecture is an investment on behalf of one's mental and physical health, a foundation to grow community, and a gift to future generations.
Shaping the next generation of buildings in our built environment requires an ethical underpinning, a new perspective towards resources. Material choice is one of the greatest levers we have in this regard; it’s the moment we actively eliminate carbon from our palette. It’s when existing or new supply chains are affirmed or denied; which is why we invest in research focusing on contextual technical, historic, and cultural material values.
From high-rise residential towers to small family houses, from a worker's view on the factory floor to the sounds of bamboo chimes above an outdoor classroom, the office is interested in architecture that fosters a connection between people and the rest of the natural world, at any scale. We are dedicated to environments that are welcoming and equitably navigated, where communities feel free to create and build cultural narratives over time.
One of the ways we bring together the many stakeholders in a project and manage the complex stewardship of resources is by integrating data and applying the power of computation. This approach helps us generate a wide range of possibilities that would not otherwise be possible. We work with clients and experts to jointly imagine opportunities for improving forms of wellness and expanding the types of spaces that we enjoy spending time in. After all, architecture is an investment on behalf of one's mental and physical health, a foundation to grow community, and a gift to future generations.
Past & Present Collaborators
Emma Jurczynski
Jessica Martin
Yiting Zhong Blake Kem
Tanvi Rao
Jordan Readyhough
Caroline Ditzler
Alek Tomich
Angela Keele
Gustavo Lopez Mendoza
Gene Han
Adela Locsin
Charlotte Yu
Anirudh Chandar
Rahul Gupta
Sixuan Liu
Mustafa Kahn
Studio Elana Schlenker
Bldg Works
Design Advocates
BAAO Studio
Studio For
Who Builds Your Architecture?
Drawing Agency
Michael K Chen Architecture
JIMA Studio
Ifeoma Ebo
Jordan Carver
Emma Jurczynski
Jessica Martin
Yiting Zhong Blake Kem
Tanvi Rao
Jordan Readyhough
Caroline Ditzler
Alek Tomich
Angela Keele
Gustavo Lopez Mendoza
Gene Han
Adela Locsin
Charlotte Yu
Anirudh Chandar
Rahul Gupta
Sixuan Liu
Mustafa Kahn
Studio Elana Schlenker
Bldg Works
Design Advocates
BAAO Studio
Studio For
Who Builds Your Architecture?
Drawing Agency
Michael K Chen Architecture
JIMA Studio
Ifeoma Ebo
Jordan Carver