About

R. Spencer Steenblik is a registered architect in New York, designer, researcher, educator, and curator whose work operates at the intersection of material science, computational design, and full-scale architectural fabrication. His research advances “physics-first” biomimetic design: translating nature’s underlying structural principles—not merely its visual forms—into accessible, efficient, and circular building systems. Collaboration with students, faculty, engineers, fabricators, and community partners is central to this work.

At Indiana University, Steenblik is Assistant Professor of Comprehensive Design in the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design. His research trajectory moves from experimental material investigation through patent development and public exhibition to computational simulation and strategically informed future experiments. Its central project is the patent-pending [Xyl]ode joint system, which translates carbon’s tetrahedral bonding logic into a mechanical joint for standard dimensional lumber. Indiana University graduate researcher Alireza “Ali” Alikaei is a named co-inventor on the patent and co-author with Steenblik of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture paper on the system’s use in Valence. Alikaei and graduate researcher Jonathan Hill are also co-authors with Steenblik of the forthcoming Architectural Material Technology paper on [Xyl]ode.

The system was demonstrated at architectural scale in Valence, a 2025 Exhibit Columbus installation designed by the Design Education Team. Steenblik served as faculty adviser and jointly led the educational process with Columbus Area Career Connection instructor Darin Johnson. Alikaei and Hill contributed as graduate collaborators and mentors, and Virginia Melnyk collaborated on the woven cladding. The larger team included high-school and university students, community partners, fabricators, engineers, and institutional supporters, credited in full below. Steenblik’s current research extends this material work into intelligent knowledge graphs and physics-first three-dimensional modeling intended to encode material behavior, structural performance, and fabrication constraints before physical prototyping, accelerating discovery while reducing material waste.

Steenblik has built, taught, published, exhibited, and curated internationally. He participated in the official public program of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, where he organized a panel at the GENS Speakers’ Corner and curated the parallel exhibition “Connecting Intelligens.” His work has also been presented through the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, DigitalFUTURES, Exhibit Columbus, Art Basel, FutureLab Shanghai, and Site Santa Fe’s Design Lab, and at institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tongji University, and Yonsei University.

Through phi architecture φ, the multidisciplinary practice he founded in 2004, Steenblik designs across scales for clients including Google, Huayi Space, Venture Anyway, Brigham Young University, and Fictionist. His prior academic appointments include Pratt Institute, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, the City University of New York, Kean University, and Wenzhou-Kean University. He holds a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Selected Publications

Ralph Steenblik and Alireza Alikaei. “Valence Pavilion: Molecular-Inspired Sustainable Architecture Through the [Xyl]ode Joint.” Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture 114th Annual Meeting, 2026.

R. Spencer Steenblik, Alireza Alikaei, and Jonathan Hill. “The [Xyl]ode System: Carbon-Inspired Joint Design for Dimensional Lumber Space Frames.” Architectural Material Technology 2025 edited volume, forthcoming.

Ralph Spencer Steenblik. “Developing a Hybrid Intelligence Through Hacking the Machine Learning Neural Style Transfer Process for Possible Futures.” Hybrid Intelligence: Computational Design and Robotic Fabrication, Springer, 2023.

R. Spencer Steenblik. “Carbon Natural: Using Molecular Logics as Inspiration in Micro-Bamboo Structures.” Proceedings of the 2019 DigitalFUTURES, Springer, 2020. Best Paper Award.

Will Wang and Ralph Spencer Steenblik. “Bespoke Tools Providing Solutions for Contemporary Problems: Novel BIM Practice for Architects.” BIM denotes building information modeling. Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, 2019.

Phillip Anzalone, Stephanie Bayard, and Ralph S. Steenblik. “Rapidly Deployed and Assembled Tensegrity System: An Augmented Design Approach.” Proceedings of the 37th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, 2017.

*Role: R. Spencer Steenblik, faculty adviser, jointly leading the educational process with Columbus Area Career Connection instructor Darin Johnson.

Design Education Team: R. Spencer Steenblik, Darin Johnson, Alireza Alikaei, Jonathan Hill, Virginia Melnyk, Elizabeth Alderfer, Haniel Cruz, Jonathan Ruch, Sarah Morales, Elaina Penrod, and Alex DePaul, and others.

Fabrication support: Ana Meza, Alireza Lahijanian, Kevin Potter, and Columbus Propeller, Inc.

Additional support: the Comprehensive Design Program and Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at Indiana University Bloomington; Juhong Park; Katahdin Engineering, LLC; and Louis Joyner Architect.

Official project and credit record:
https://www.exhibitcolumbus.org/archive-design-education-team-valence