Nate Kolbe

Nate Kolbe is Course Leader and Senior Lecturer for Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch in the School of Art, Architecture and Design. 

Foam Henge artwork by Nate Kolbe

Nate Kolbe

Nate has a Masters in Architecture and Urbanism from the AA and Bachelors in Environmental Design in Architecture from the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA.

He taught at the AA between 2000-2008 with Inter4 and from 2008 I have been teaching at London Met with Unit04. In that time my students have won the RIBA Bronze Medal and the RIBA Silver Medal. Together with our students we have built full-size buildings from mycelium, bio-foam, CLT and EPS. We have constructed projects in China, Ghana, Spain and the UK.

Nate runs an architectural practice, Superfusionlab Architects, working on projects all around the globe. Current projects include the Museum of Infinite Realities in London, Brussels, Paris, New York, Rome and Berlin and an Eco-resort in Cameroon.

Nate has been Course Leader since 2013 and runs the post-graduate course in Architecture RIBA 2 - MArch. He also runs the PG unit four which focusses on digital design tools, techniques and development. The unit includes first-person design environments utilising VR tools and telemetry scanning techniques. Previously, the unit has completed live-build projects including a house constructed entirely of bio-foam for the Solar Decathlon in Datong, China, Madrid and Spain as well as a multi-unit dwelling for the Colombian Solar Decathlon.

His teaching interests include the use of digital tools and techniques in design, particularly VR and AR design experiences and processes. The work involves material and spatial research into the design of architecture utilising materials such as mycellium, bio-foam, carbon fibre and others that explore super-sustainable materials for architecture.

His teaching interests center on digital design processes and techniques. He uses AR and VR as design tools and works with digital outputs such as rapid prototyping, CNC and robotic fabrication to develop and control our input and output. Furthermore, he uses photogrammetry and digital scanning to create context specific constructions. Digital craft is foremost in his work and finding new ways to develop beauty, intricacy and detail in his outputs.

Archilab, Radical Experiments in Architecture

Space of Extremes Supermodel

The Making of a Super-High-Rise-Tower

Portfolio

Portfolio

Foam Henge

By Nate Kolbe and team HelioMet