From the McGill Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture Director, Prof. David Theodore:
« The Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture is excited to announce the appointment of a new Assistant Professor: Célia Küpfer
Célia Küpfer is a Swiss-affiliated architect, currently working as postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Her work promotes the development and large-scale adoption of sustainable design and adaptation solutions in construction along three axes: designing with emerging sustainable materials, decomposing demolition dynamics, and adapting current buildings to address climate change. Her approach is directly linked to practice. As an independent architect, Küpfer transformed a derelict sheepfold into habitable space and retrofitted a stone-timber house in Switzerland. She also collaborates on design competitions as a sustainability and reuse consultant.
Küpfer holds a B.Sc. in Architecture, a Master (M.Sc.) in Architecture, and a PhD from EPFL. Her PhD thesis, “Reuse of concrete elements in architecture: characterisations and design methods for sustainable structures,” was completed in 2024. Her published research on topics such as the reuse of concrete blocks and slabs for new construction has contributed to the fields of sustainable construction, circular economy, and existing resource management. She has been a Visiting Researcher at the University of Cambridge, and an Expert for the European Commission, evaluating research proposals for the European Research Executive Agency. Starting in January 2026, she will teach in our professional design studio stream, required undergraduate technical courses, and graduate seminars.
Welcome, Célia! »