Judith Mussel

Judith-Karoline Mussel, AIA, LEEDAP, founder and principal of XP& Architecture, is a Licensed Architect and Designer, with more than 18 years of professional experience designing at prestigious firms including Gehry Partners, NBBJ Sports & Entertainment, and Coop Himmelblau. She is the founder of XP& Architecture, an architectural practice dedicated to performance driven design that intertwines design research, construction technology and ecological innovation. XP& Architecture designs span from product design to urban planning and the portfolio includes residential, commercial and institutional projects.

Ms. Mussel provided inspiration and innovative design solutions for projects including the Sinfonia Varsovia Concert Hall Warsaw, Green Housing for Greenburg Kansas; Hochschule fuer Technik Stuttgart, Architecture School in Stuttgart; and Águas de Março, residence, Venice, California. Her abiltiy to guide teams and stakeholders through projects from inception to completion is driven by her exemplary decision making skills. Her expertise includes construction technology, design innovation, hypermodern architecture, and project and client management. She also teaches architectural design and construction technologies at CCA, mentoring the next generation of designers.

Recognized for resolving complex project designs and coordinating diverse teams with her unique blend of motivational leadership and innovative problem solving, she regularly surpasses client's expectations. She has deep knowledge of architecture, diverse project types, building components, and construction methods. As an Associate at Gehry Partners for four years, Ms. Mussel directed the design efforts for significant projects including: Beekman Towers, a 74 Story Residential High-Rise in Manhattan, New York; a 10-story Office Building, New York; and Winnick Institute, Jerusalem, Israel.

Ms. Mussel's early career was developed in Europe at leading firms including Eichinger oder Knechtl Architects, Artec, and Coop Himmelblau Architects in Vienna, Austria. She also spent a year at Stulchi Architects in Switzerland. She received her Master of Architecture, Master Class Wolf Prix, (with Honor) from the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria in 1996 and a Bachelor of Architecture from Technical University, Berlin, Germany in 1992. In 1993, she participated in an Exchange program at Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Her publications include 2003 Automation in Construction, Volume 13, Issue 2, A parametric strategy for free-form glass structures, and she is the 2007 Winner of the USC Stevens “Innovation Inside” Grand, Wild Structures USC. In 2010, Ms. Mussel was the Featured Artist at the Prinz Eisenbeton, in Vienna.

In addition to running her practice, she has been teaching for the past four years at UCLA, USC and Woodbury University, and currently teaches graduates and undergraduates at California College of the Arts. Her commitment to education and advanced construction and computer technology research and design keep her engaged and involved in the design community, where she is an active member of the local USGBC and AIA chapters.