GRADIENT MATTER

Mayfair Residence Facade. Located alongside a pedestrian corridor and a neighboring rapid transit station, the project looks to engage this new residential building façade into the cinematic process of pedestrian arrival and departure at this San Francisco bay area transit hub. Conceived as an optical assembly of visual transformation, reflective elements undulate within a view-optimized surface calibrated to site specific influences. Like a planar sundial, reflective elements of the art façade track the passage of time throughout the day, gathering, diverting and projecting the changing light patterns. The precisely angled pixellated reflectors are intended to merge and transform reflections off the nearby neighborhood and dramatic topography with transit and pedestrian flows. Within the undulations of the facade, the reflective elements of varying reflectivity weave in and out of a simple corrugated rainscreen surface, creating a playful game of hide-and-seek with viewers depending on the angle of their view. As viewers move around the building, the reflective elements create shifting patterns of light and shadow, continually redrawing sightlines and perspectives. As the reflective surface bend angles increase, the angle of the reflection bends substantially and the reflection becomes increasingly distorted and abstract, intended to create effects of melting and liquefying. This effect is celebrated, and can be particularly pronounced when viewed from certain angles, and in certain lighting conditions. Project credits: Andre Caradec (S/U/M), Andrei Hakhovich (Gradient Matter) Fabrication: S/U/M Computational Design: Gradient Matter 📷 @ekaterinaizmestieva #gradientmatter #design #architecture #parametric #art #computationalart #publicart #publicartwork #parametricarchitecture #architecturelovers #architectureoffice #architectura #nofilter #renderings #architettura #architektur #archdaily #iarchitectures #nextarch

Mayfair Residence Facade Material Effects and Fabrication. Bending the angle “liquefies” the reflection, selecting removing reflected items from context, or sampling. Dynamic geometry changes over the façade, encircling and engaging the windows, which serve as both an attractor and a deformer. Reflective geometry preserves a distinct angular geometry and grid array as reflections hide, glow, dynamically shoot, fly, blend, melt, the facade acts like a visual amphitheater. The reflectors were designed with a minimum and maximum bend angle based on the limitations of the magnetic brake bender. Fabrication first required digitally defining the reflective pixels mounting location on the panels on the corrugated rainscreen, as each of the 4000+ reflectors are unique with a specific precise address position order and sequence of construction. Once panels were cut, they were custom bent to achieve the desired reflective angle. Project credits: Andre Caradec (S/U/M), Andrei Hakhovich (Gradient Matter) Fabrication: S/U/M Computational Design: Gradient Matter 📷 @ekaterinaizmestieva #gradientmatter #design #architecture #parametric #art #computationalart #publicart #publicartwork #parametricarchitecture #architecturelovers #architectureoffice #architectura #nofilter #renderings #architettura #architektur #archdaily #iarchitectures #nextarch

Oakland wellness clinic is nearing its completion and will be ready to take new patients in January! Architecture of the clinic will allow visitors to step into a spatial environment that holds back the outside world both visually and acoustically. Environment that creates its own world and deeply intertwined with the therapeutic treatments. Computational design and digital fabrication tools were combined with sketching and manual construction technics in order to created one of a kind healing and spatial experience. Acupuncture treatments can be booked with @iingridpeterson #gradientmatter #interiordesign #architecturestudio #architecturelovers #archilovers #architectureoffice #architectura #renderings #architettura #architektur #archdaily #iarchitectures #nextarch #architects_need #healing #architecturedose #architecture_hunters #healingspace

Grateful to AIA SanFrancisco for the opportunity to share the work of Gradient Matter and BuildTechVC as part of the Makers Series and to be in conversation about Echoes of Future Matter, our new collaborative project with Alexey Dubov. It was one of those evenings that reminded us why we do this work! Especially Lise de Vito’s questions, which brought us right to the heart of what we are about: the intersection of material innovation and poetic design intent - how advanced manufacturing, rooted in local context and humanity, can bridge the gap between the innovative technicalities of our profession and a narrative-based architecture and design that carries genuine emotional resonance. Thank you to the AIASF for inviting us and creating space for exactly this kind of conversation. #AIASF #gradientmatter #echoesoffuturematter #archlovers

You’re invited! 🎉 For our first MAKERS series of the year, we’re sitting down with Andrei Hakhovich (@gradientmatter ) and Alexey Dubov (@hovl ) of Echoes of Future Matter. (@echoes_of_future_matter ) They’re redefining design by blending structural architecture with advanced robotics to create “Future Matter” that moves, adapts, and challenges everything we know about construction.   ✨ Where: 140 Sutter St. (C+AD)  ✨ When: Thursday, April 30 🎟️ Link in @aiasf bio to grab your tickets! Moderated by Lise de Vito of @zack_devito_architecture   #Architecture #MakersSeries #RoboticArchitecture

Fall semester highlights from my ARH 420 Structures Systems Investigations course and ARCH 410 Tectonics and Structure Studio (advising faculty) final reviews at AAU. Students designed projects in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, proposals were made for wide range of program from community hubs to recording studios. We emphasized iterative tectonic exploration through load tests and thoughtful designs that honor the neighborhood’s cultural heritage. Special thanks to the students and my teaching colleagues Kotting Luo and Michael Temple who made this such a rewarding experience. Students: Jeffery Luc, Evangelina Shutko, Mohammed Abdulhabeb, Simon Kouassi, Sydney Deville, Hanbin Li, Laura Shavney, Richard Thurman, Raquel Vera #creativestructures #architectureschool #architecturelovers #archilovers architecture

In addition to a fantastic conversation each our panelist brought art artifacts that embodied our discussion on digital poetics, local materials, co-invention, and material futures. Cocktail Table by Daghan Cam @daghancam Aibuild. The printed base showcases visible toolpaths that create unique light effects, while the wooden top grounds it in familiar warmth. It’s a perfect example of embracing manufacturing poetry—letting the crafting process become part of the aesthetic language. Metal Artefact by Oluseun Taiwo @solideonusa Custom metal 3D printed column pushed to reveal the novel manufacturing process. The visible toolpath from metal deposition creates an aesthetic that celebrates rather than hides the manufacturing method. Form typology optimization combined with printing process artifacts that results in something novel. Light Nexus by Andrei Hakhovich @gradientmatter A vessel is born from architectural fascination with vaults and light apertures. This hybrid piece blends manual design via physical paper mockups translated into computational model, then printed with recycled wooden filament, sanded and hand-finished with lime wash. This approach allowed to create poetic blend between order and chaos, mass and void. Vault Bench by Damaso Mayer @estudio_material Carved from natural stone, this piece is a meditation on precision, imperfection, history and nature. The vaulted section is saw-cut and rough-knocked, embracing the tool marks and material irregularities in poetic contrast to the precisely cut sides. It is a way of finding beauty in the “imperfect” and poetics in craft and material history. Wynwood Facade Study Model by Thom Faulders @fauldersstudio An architectural study model that reveals the multi-scalar process of the studio. Testing light and material effects across macro and micro scales, this model shows how architectural ideas move between studio and built reality, iterating on both scales how light, material, and perception interact. Each piece offers a valuable perspective of material futures where imperfections celebrated, design and fabrication evolve in dialogue, technology guided by narrative and intuition. #sfdesignweek

Recap from San Francisco Design Week event “Echos of Future Matter” @echoes_of_future_matter that Gradient Matter co-created with BuildTech VC. We brought together an incredible mix of voices-architects, artists, smart manufacturers, and tech innovators for a deep dive into how we can build a more meaningful and sustainable future. We explored digital poetics as a bridge between phenomenological experience and computational power, discussed working with local materials like biodegradable materials or local soils, and debated the tension between human craft and robotic manufacturing. Key were embracing material constraints as design language, preserving creative effects at scale, and building circular, cradle-to-cradle futures in our urban metabolism. Moderated by Andrei Hakhovich from Gradient Matter @gradientmatter panelists who participated in the event: -Alexey Dubov @hovl - BuildTech VC & Mighty Buildings, 3D-printed sustainable housing pioneer -Daghan Cam - Aibuild co-founder, AI-driven robotic fabrication -Oluseun Taiwo - @solideonusa co-founder, autonomous micro-factories -Damaso Mayer - @estudio_material founder, exploring overlooked raw materials -Dominique Corvez - XtreeE founder, large-scale 3D printing for architecture & construction -Thom Faulders - @fauldersstudio founder, Oakland-based multidisciplinary practice creating context-driven architecture The small exhibition of design artifacts by our panelists perfectly grounded these panel ideas in tangible practice. Big thanks to Sergei Egorov @theyegorov and Svetlana Yurkova @interiors.yurkova who helped us with the event organization! Follow @echoes_of_future_matter for more! #sfdesignweek #gradientmatter #buidtechvc #echoesoffuturematter #architecture #design #innovation #buildTech #sf #arch #digitalcraft #architecturalrobotics #3dprinting #materialInnovation #designthinking #designtech

Andrei Hakhovich is the founder of Gradient Matter — an ideas-driven, multidisciplinary design studio based in San Francisco, California. The studio operates at the intersection of architecture, public art, interiors, and bespoke objects, creating works that are poetic, atmospheric, provocative, ecological, and performative — designed to evoke a deep sensorial impact. Gradient Matter collaborates with a diverse range of clients, from developers to local communities and small businesses. As an architectural designer, Andrei’s work blends creative inquiry with material and spatial intelligence- allowing him to explore new narratives, create novel spatial experiences, and expressive forms in meaningful ways. In addition to his design practice, Andrei is a Senior Adjunct Faculty at California College of the Arts and the Academy of Art University, where he teaches architecture studios and seminars on design, digital tecnics and structural innovation. Andrei Hakhovich and Alexey Dubov are also the co-founders of Echoes of Future Matter, a design platform and exhibition series that explores how materials, storytelling, and emerging technologies shape the future of our built environments. #andreihakhovich #gradientmatter #architecturestudio #echoesoffuturematter #sfesignweek #architecturaldesign #materialInnovation #spatialnarratives #digitalfabrication #computationaldesign #architecturelovers #archilovers #architectureoffice

How do we design for a world that doesn’t yet exist? In this interdisciplinary panel, presented by #buildtechvc and @gradientmatter , creators and technologists from the Echoes of Future Matter exhibition come together to explore the evolving relationship between materiality, emerging technologies, and speculative design. Rooted in San Francisco’s layered ecological and cultural contexts, this panel invites reflection on how design can move beyond aesthetics to act as a speculative and systems-based tool for transformation Meet the Panel: 🎤 Andrei Hakhovich @gradientmatter (moderator) ⚡️Alexey Dubov @hovl #buildtechvc ⚡️Daghan Cam @daghancam ⚡️Oluseun Taiwo @solideonusa ⚡️Damaso Mayer @estudio_material ⚡️Thom Faulders @fauldersstudio @echoes_of_future_matter 📆 June 6th ⏱️ 6pm - 9pm 📍 San Francisco 🌉 RSVP in bio! 💫 /event/echoes-of-future-matter-a-panel-on-co-invention-and-material-futures/ Join San Francisco Design Week June 2-10, 2025! #SFDesignWeek #Reform #design #designexploration #sfdw2025 #inspiration

Join us for “Echoes of Future Matter: A Panel on Co-Invention and Material Futures” co-created by Gradient Matter and BuildTech VC during @sfdesignweek When: June 5, Thursday at 5-6pm RSVP link in bio! How do we design for a world that doesn’t yet exist? In this interdisciplinary panel, creators and technologists from the future “Echoes of Future Matter” exhibition come together to explore the evolving relationship between materiality, emerging technologies, and speculative design. Rooted in San Francisco’s layered ecological and cultural contexts, this panel invites reflection on how design can move beyond aesthetics to act as a speculative and systems-based tool for transformation. Moderated by architectural designer and educator Andrei Hakhovich from Gradient Matter the panel will include: -Alexey Dubov @hovl co-founder of BuildTech VC and Mighty Buildings, pioneer in 3D-printed sustainable housing; -Daghan Cam co-founder of Aibuild, AI-driven robotic fabrication company; -Oluseun Taiwo, co-founder of @solideonusa a startup behind autonomous micro-factories; -Damaso Mayer, designer and founder of @estudio_material artistic and design practice is defined by an exploration of often overlooked and raw materials; -Thom Faulders, architect and founder of @fauldersstudio an award-winning multidisciplinary design practice focusing on novel architecture and art facades. Each panelist will exhibit a tangible artifact from their work to ground our discussion in real practice! We can’t wait to see you all! Follow for more info: @echoes_of_future_matter #sfdesignweek #gradientmatter #buidtechvc #echoesoffuturematter #architecture #design #innovation #buildTech #sf #arch #digitalcraft #architecturalrobotics #3dprinting #materialInnovation #designthinking #designtech

Mayfair Residence Facade Approach. Rather than translating design ideas into rigid rules we took a more artistic approach, akin to painting, where reflective effects were shaped through visual tests, gradient density maps, and projection direction experiments. Gradient densities were continuously refined and adjusted for each region of the facade. The reflective and refractive panels were layered along the path of movement, similar to how musical instruments are overlaid in a composition, mixing, blurring and pulling environmental elements together. Project credits: Andre Caradec (S/U/M), Andrei Hakhovich (Gradient Matter) Fabrication: S/U/M Computational Design: Gradient Matter 📷 5,6 by @ekaterinaizmestieva #gradientmatter #design #architecture #parametric #art #computationalart #publicart #publicartwork #parametricarchitecture #architecturelovers #architectureoffice #architectura #nofilter #renderings #architettura #architektur #archdaily #iarchitectures #nextarch