F. Peter Ortner is Assistant Professor and MArch and PhD Coordinator for Architecture and Sustainable Design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Peter’s research leverages computational techniques to create sustainable architecture and urban design. His current research introduces optimization into the process of design for circularity, augmenting the ability of the architect to contribute to zero-waste, carbon neutral cities. Predicting urban metabolism data for urban design scenarios is another on-going research pursuit. In recent research Peter has applied computational design to challenges of urban resilience and automated mobility.

His doctoral research built on insights from critical data studies and computational design to elucidate the changing role of architecture and architect in complex, data-driven urban systems.

Peter received a PhD from EPFL where his doctoral thesis was nominated for the EPFL and City of Lausanne prizes. At EPFL Peter was a collaborator with Media x Design Lab, a cross-disciplinary team of designers and computer scientists. He holds a Master’s in Architecture from Harvard University where he was recipient of the Faculty Design Award, and a Bachelor of Arts cum laude with distinction in architecture from Yale University. Peter has practiced architecture in the United States and Switzerland.
Peter has experience running computational design workshops at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, MxD Lab for MArch students (2012-2019), Singapore University of Technology and Design for undergraduate and graduate students (2018-2023), and digital design + fabrication workshops at the University of Applied Arts Vienna as part of their summer DDF series (2014).