Xavier De Kestelier, the newly appointed Principal and Head of Design Technology and Innovation at Hassell brings considerable experience in a variety of fields to the firm.
Kestelier brings with him internationally acknowledged experience in parametric design, digital fabrication, computational design, rapid prototyping, augmented/virtual reality and the use of robotics in design. His rich portfolio of global projects includes the Apple HQ in Cupertino, The Smithsonian in Washington, Beijing Airport, the European HQ of Bloomberg in London, and the Yachtplus motor yacht.
Kestelier was previously co-Head of the Specialist Modelling Group at Foster + Partners. An internationally renowned, project-driven research and development unit, the group specialises in complex geometrical problems, environmental analysis, simulation and digital fabrication. In this role, Xavier also led several funded research projects in the field of large scale 3D printing.
Kestelier is also a Director of Smartgeometry, a non-profit educational organisation for computational design and digital fabrication that has grown to become an independent worldwide network for computational and digital design specialists.
A member of RIBA’s Research and Innovation Group, Kestelier has also held academic positions at the Syracuse University (London), University of Ghent (Belgium) and The Bartlett (London).
Kestelier says he looks forward to working with the Hassell team on some innovative and highly technical projects around the world, pushing the boundary of possibilities in architecture and design. Kestelier will be based in Hassell’s London studio but working globally.
