Milestones
“The International Mass Timber Conference brought together architects, contractors, fabricators, and foresters” by The Architect’s Newspaper, 2023Public Lecture at University of Oregon, 2023
Towards Biodiverse Mass Timber presented at New York State Green Building Conference, 2023
Public Lecture at Syracuse University, 2023
Mattaforma named Young Architects 2023 by Cultured Magazine
Lecture at Columbia GSAPP, 2023
Lecture for Circular Practices in Construction, invited by Georg Hubmann (TU Berlin) & Vera van Maaren (C-Creators, TU Delft), 2022
Towards Biodiverse Mass Timber published by IOP Publication Earth and Environmental Sciences after being presented at sbeBerlin, a conference sponsored by UNEP among others, 2022
Cave Bureau lectures at Columbia GSAPP, response by Lindsey Wikstrom & Lola Ben-Alon, 2022
Lecture at Roots Collaborative, India 2022
Panel conversation with Formafantasma at Prada’s Possible Conversations, New York 2022
“A Gold Mine, Above Ground”
Commissioned by e-flux Architecture and the 2022 Tallinn Architecture Biennale, supported by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), the Estonian Museum of Architecture, and Friendship Products. Presented at e-flux in conversation with Anthony Vidler and Lydia Kallipoliti.
Mattaforma included in “International Women’s Day 2022: On Rebalancing Forces and Adjusting the Narratives” by Arch Daily
ACSA Juror
Timber in the City 4: Urban Habitats Competition, 2022
Lindsey Wikstrom’s Fringe Timber Advanced IV MArch Studio at Columbia GSAPP wins ACSA Timber Education Prize, 2022
Associative Practice Lecture
Spaces of Exception at CCNY, Invited by Lindsay Harkema, 2021
Who Builds Your Architecture? Here, There, and Elsewhere Lecture
Non-Extractive Architecture by Joseph Grima and Space Cavia V–A–C Zattere, Venice Biennale, 2021
Pre-projective Materials Lecture
Invited by Andres Jaque
Techno-Critical Assemblies, 2021
Collaborations: The Secret Lives of ArchitectureLecture
WBYA?, Invited by Beatriz Colomina
Princeton University, 2020
Drawing on the CityLecture
Invited by Tei Carpenter
UT Daniels, 2020
Three Material Stories exhibited
Broken Nature Milan Triennale XXII Symposium, 2019
Empathy + Immersion Symposium moderator with invited guests Jessica Brillhart, Steven K Feiner, Keiichi Matsuda, and Frank Rose, 2017
Project Summary
2023BFF World, Spatial IO / Active
Daily Adaptive Living Classroom, New York / Active
2022
Rancho Almasomos, Arizona / Active
The Nursery at Public Records, New York / Active
Holly Springs Community, North Carolina / Feasibility Study
Mass Timber Factory, North Carolina / Active
Blue Grass House, North Carolina / Active
Edgewater Flat, New Jersey / Completed
Material Worlds, Ambasz Institute / Active
Rugby Road Duplex, New York / Under Construction
Springy Banks Addition, New York / Active
Micro City, Colorado / Active
2021
Parkview Mountain House, Utah / Active
Missing Middle Housing, California / Feasibility Study
Glen Rock House, New Jersey / Completed
Primrose Community Plan, Rhode Island / Feasibility Study
All Weather Garden, New York / Feasibility Study & Community Workshops
Passive House, New Jersey / Feasibility Study
8 Stories, Linee Occult Exhibition / Completed
Bar Cicchetti, New York / Feasibility Study
C.C. Housing, California / Competition
Natural Numbers Houses, Invited Feature / Completed
Black Swan Espresso, New Jersey / Feasibility Study
2020
Nine Reciprocities, Invited Publication / Completed
Thank you for your interest!
There are no open positions at this time.
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