Manuel Kretzer is the initiator and core administrator of the materiality research network.

He is a visiting professor in Digital Crafting at the Braunschweig University of Art and partner at responsive design studio, based in Cologne.

His research aims at the notion of a soft and dynamic architecture – created through an experimental use of new (smart) materials – in relation to the demands of young generations, strongly influenced by the advantages of information technologies.

He has previously worked with Philip Beesley in Toronto, Canada on the development of interactive environments and taught seminars in experimental architecture at the Institut für Industrielle Bauproduktion, University of Karlsruhe, Germany.