U–TT Archive

The Studio

Urban-Think Tank (U-TT) is an interdisciplinary design practice dedicated to high-level research and design on a variety of subjects, concerned with contemporary architecture and urbanism. The philosophy of U-TT is to deliver innovative yet practical solutions through the combined skills of architects, civil engineers, environmental planners, landscape architects, and communication specialists. In 1998, Alfredo Brillembourg and Hubert Klumpner founded U-TT in Caracas, Venezuela. Since 2007, Brillembourg and Klumpner have taught at Columbia University, where they founded the Sustainable Living Urban Model Laboratory (S.L.U.M. Lab), and from July 2010 – July 2019, they jointly held the chair for Architecture and Urban Design at the Swiss Institute of Technology, ETH in Zurich. From August 2019, the Chair is held solely by Hubert Klumpner. Their work concerns both theoretical and practical applications within architecture and urban planning. Working in global contexts by creating bridges between first world industry and third world, informal urban areas, they focus on the education and development of a new generation of professionals, who will transform cities in the 21st century. They have been awarded the 2010 Ralph Erskine Award, the 2011 Holcim Gold Award for Latin America, the 2012 Holcim Global Silver Award for innovative contributions to ecological and social design practices, and the 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture Golden Lion.

Founders

Alfredo Brillembourg

Founding Partner

From: Venezuela/United States

Alfredo Brillembourg was born in New York. He received his Bachelor of Art and Architecture in 1984 and his Master of Science in Architectural Design in 1986 from Columbia University.

Hubert Klumpner

Founding Partner

From: Austria

Hubert Klumpner was born in Salzburg, Austria. He graduated in 1993 from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna in the Master Class of Prof. Hans Hollein.