Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Gergana Rusenova is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of digital fabrication, sustainable construction, and architectural design. Her work fundamentally reimagines how buildings can be made by replacing conventional materials with low-cost, locally sourced, and fully recyclable alternatives. Rusenova’s primary contribution is the development of **Jammed Architectural Structures (JAS)**—a novel material system that uses crushed stones (like railroad ballast) bound by simple string reinforcement, deposited by robotic arms to create load-bearing, reversible architectural elements. This approach eliminates the need for cement or adhesives, drastically reducing embodied carbon. Her most cited paper, *“Rock Print Pavilion: robotically fabricating architecture from rock and string”* (2020, 11 citations), demonstrates the real-world viability of this method, resulting in a full-scale, structurally sound pavilion. Her earlier work, *“Load-Bearing Capacity and Deformation of Jammed Architectural Structures”* (2018, 9 citations), established the mechanical principles behind the system. Through her research, Rusenova has shown that computational design and robotic fabrication can be harnessed to create architecture that is not only structurally intelligent but also environmentally responsible, offering a tangible path toward a circular building economy.