Lucas Epp is a structural engineer whose work sits at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and craft. He leads the engineering department at StructureCraft, advancing timber and natural materials as primary, high-performance structural systems – from mass timber to long-span, free-form geometries. He has pioneered modern all-wood structural systems and joinery techniques at the new National Performing Arts Centre in Barbados and the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Kansas, blending ancient craft with state-of-the-art computational design and robotics – and opening new possibilities for timber architecture.
In 2021, he founded Branch, an in-house software venture creating the next generation of digital tools for structural design-to-manufacture, informed by direct feedback from engineers, fabricators, and field crews. It aims to let users explore concept designs and immediately see the impact in terms of literal nuts and bolts (shop drawings, BOMs, etc.). The platform is highly interactive and hackable, allowing designers to explore options without limitations. Branch has been used to model over 2 million square feet of built timber and steel construction to date.
Epp has practiced across the UK, New Zealand, China, the United States, and Canada. He has taught at ETH Zurich, the Architectural Association, and MIT; serves on Canadian and American timber code committees; and has authored multiple industry guidelines. His practice points toward a near future in which structural engineering, fabrication, and software merge – a return to the master builder mindset.
