Principal Systems Architect – ADPT (80–100%)
Looking For A System Problem Worth Solving?
We don’t develop buildings.
We build a system that generates them.
With ADPT, we are developing a circular planning and construction system that connects architecture, systems design and software. We see buildings not as resource-intensive one-off projects, but as configurable expressions of a shared system that enables an efficient and economically viable delivery of circular buildings.
We are now building the core team that will define the architecture of ADPT – and help shape how buildings will be planned, configured and delivered.
Your Mission
As Principal Systems Architect, you shape the core architecture of the ADPT.engine – the system logic that determines how building components, typologies and contextual data become high-quality, resource-efficient living and working environments.
Your contribution:
- You design the system architecture and take responsibility for its implementation
- You translate architectural, structural and regulatory requirements into clear rules and decision logic
- You develop a consistent rule and constraint system as well as combinatorial strategies for exploring the solution space
- You define the decision logic from which valid building configurations and downstream processes are derived across the entire lifecycle of the components
You work directly at the intersection of:
Architecture & System Design
together with the Architecture Design Lead and the Modular Systems Architect
Research & Software Development
in close collaboration with a leading research group in the digitalisation of construction (Chair of Computing in Engineering, Prof. Dr. Markus König, Ruhr University Bochum)
Engineering Practice
in close collaboration with Arup as part of our development partnership for circular and future-ready construction
What You Bring
- Several years of experience in designing complex, scalable systems or platforms
- Deep understanding of rule-based, constraint-based or generative systems
- Ability to structure complex solution spaces systematically
- Experience with interoperable systems and interfaces (APIs, BIM environments or similar)
- Ability to bridge architecture, systems design and software development and integrate different requirements into a coherent understanding of the system
- Ability to structure and prioritise complex digital development tasks and steer their implementation across multiple disciplines
- Interest in the meaningful integration of AI and machine-learning approaches
- Very good command of English; German is an advantage for working within the German planning and project context
Your background may be in architecture, engineering, computational design, software or adjacent technology-driven fields. What matters is your ability to structure complex systems and a very good understanding of spatial, structural and planning-related relationships.
What Makes This Role Unique
- You don’t work on individual buildings, but on the logic from which they emerge
- Your work determines what is possible within the system and changes how buildings are planned, built, used and optimised
- You develop core parts of this logic from the ground up
- You join at an early stage and shape the system architecture on which ADPT will build
- You work with leading partners from engineering practice and research in the digitalisation of construction
- ADPT buildings are not only designed and simulated – they are actually built
- Your work contributes directly to the transformation of the construction sector – with tangible impact in real pilot projects funded by the EU, the German federal government and state-level programmes (e.g. ADPT-Pilot Zukunftsquartier Kunstwerkerschule)
Framework
Duration: minimum 16 months; for an excellent fit, option to take on long-term technical leadership responsibility
Location: Essen or Berlin; a high degree of remote work is possible during the current build-up phase
Collaboration: high level of autonomy and close teamwork, with targeted in-person collaboration during key development and workshop phases
Compensation: salary, option for equity participation
Start: by agreement
If This Role Resonates With You, Send Us:
- a short profile or your CV
- 2–3 projects or examples you have worked on (link + brief context)
- a few lines on why building ADPT interests you and which systems or architecture questions you most enjoy working on
The Process:
- A short intro conversation
- 1–2 in-depth conversations on systems, architecture and integration
- A conversation about the framework and working conditions
Interested? Reach Out.
Contact: Bastian Michael
Email: systems@futur2k.com
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