Michelle Kaufmann | Architect + Technologist
Google, Director of R+D for the Built Environment
Michelle is a visionary architect at the intersection of technology and design. She leads The Lab, including the R+D work for the built environment within Google, where she is tasked with driving foundational and future-focused scalable innovations that seamlessly create an extraordinary experience in a carbon-free workplace in 2030.
With a passion for thoughtful, sustainable, accessible design, Michelle employs a cross-section of digital tools, prefabrication, and systems building approaches. Prior to joining Google, she worked with X on a moonshot for architecture, Flux, Frank O. Gehry and her own practice Michelle Kaufmann Studio.
Michelle's work has been featured in the New York Times, Dwell, WIRED, The Today Show, Popular Science, Sundance Channel, HGTV, TIME magazine, and Architectural Record. A full-size replica of Michelle’s home was built at the Smithsonian National Building Museum as part of the exhibit and was featured on PBS show “10 Homes that Changed America”. Her work has also been exhibited in many museums, including her design of the Smart Home in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and LA MOCA.
Michelle serves as an advisor on the MIT Architecture Committee and is the 2023 Distinguished Fellow at Berkeley's Department of Development + Design. She received her MArch from Princeton University and BArch from Iowa State University. She has been a lecturer and keynote speaker for numerous events, including the U.S. White House and the Smithsonian Museum.