Principal Systems Architect – ADPT (m/w/d, 80–100%)
Looking for a system problem?
We don’t develop buildings.
We build a system that generates them.
With ADPT, we develop a modular system for digital, circular and scalable construction — contributing to a more cost- and resource-efficient building industry.
Your Mission
As Principal Systems Architect, you shape the core architecture of the ADPT.engine — the system logic that determines how future-proof living and working environments emerge from components, rules, typologies and contextual data.
Your contribution:
- You define and evolve the system architecture and guide its implementation
- You translate architectural, structural and regulatory requirements into clear rules and decision logic
- You develop a consistent rule and constraint system
- You define search and combinatorial strategies to explore the solution space
- You define the decision logic behind valid building configurations and downstream processes – across the entire lifecycle of ADPT building blocks.
You work directly at the intersection of:
Architecture & System Design
together with the Architecture Design Lead and Modular Systems Architect
Research & Software Development
in close collaboration with a leading research group in digital construction (Chair of Computing in Engineering, Prof. Dr. Markus König, Ruhr University Bochum)
Engineering Practice
in close collaboration with Arup, as part of a development partnership focused on circular and future-ready buildings
What you bring
- Proven experience in designing complex, scalable systems or platforms
- Deep understanding of rule-based, constraint-based or generative systems
- Ability to structure complex solution spaces and to make them explorable
- Experience with interoperable systems and interfaces (APIs, BIM or similar)
- Understanding of AI and machine-learning approaches and their role within complex decision systems
- Ability to bridge across architecture, system design and software engineering
- Strong interest in shaping future-proof ways of designing and building
What makes this role unique
- You don’t work on individual buildings, but on the logic that generates them
- Your work redefines how buildings are planned, built and operated
- You shape core design rules and system logic from the ground up
- You join at an early stage and help shape the system architecture and its future direction from first principles.
- You collaborate with leading engineering practice and research in digital construction
- ADPT buildings are not only designed and simulated — but actually built
- Your work contributes directly to transforming the construction industry — with immediate impact through pilot projects funded at EU, federal and regional level (e.g. the ADPT pilot project „ZukunftsQuartier Kunstwerkerschule„)
Framework
Duration: minimum 16 months, with long-term perspective for the right fit
Location: Essen or Berlin and remote
Remote: flexible, depending on project phase and requirements
Compensation: salary, option for equity participation
Start: by agreement
If this role resonates, send us:
- a short profile or CV
- 2–3 projects or examples you‘ve worked on (links + brief context)
- A short note on why you’re interested in building ADPT and which system or architectural questions interest you most
What to expect:
- A short intro conversation
- 1–2 deeper technical discussions
- A conversation about terms and conditions
Interested? Reach out.
Contact Person: Bastian Michael
Mail: systems@futur2k.com
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