Research Expertise and Interest

architecture, architectural design, performance-based design, next-generation building systems; self-regulated facades; biologically inspired technologies; multifunctional materials, sustainable built environments, design-based research

Research Description

With years of international professional experience exploring alternate representation methods and innovative architectural assemblies, Giovanni’s work investigates how environmental performance can be a powerful driver and form generator in the architectural design process.

Giovanni Betti (MA, MSc) is a qualified Architect in Italy and UK and an environmental design specialist with 10+ years of experience in international and innovative projects.

After graduating Summa Cum Laude from architecture studies in Italy and specializing in environmental design in the US, Giovanni joined the Specialist Modelling Group (SMG) at Foster+Partners where he was involved in numerous projects spanning a diverse range of typologies and geographies, including Masdar City (Abu Dhabi, UAE), the new Apple Campus (Cupertino, USA) and the European Bloomberg Headquarter (London, UK).

He left F+P as Associate Partner after 7+ years and moved to Berlin in 2015 to found and lead the Performance Based Design Team at HENN. There, he grew a unit devoted to promote computational approaches to design with a strong focus on environmental performance, façade design and applied research, bringing a new design approach to a well-established international practice.

In Summer 2020, he accepted a position as Assistant Professor in Architectural Design for Building Performance at the University of California, Berkeley, where he hopes to continue his explorations in reimagining a truly sustainable built environment and inspire the next generation of practitioners.