Ulrich Knaack was trained as an architect at the RWTH Aachen / Germany. After earning his degree he worked at the university as researcher in the field of structural use of glass and completed his studies with a PhD.

In his professional career he worked as architect and general planner in Düsseldorf / Germany, succeeding in national and international competitions. His projects include high-rise and offices buildings, commercial buildings and stadiums.

In his academic career Ulrich Knaack was professor for Design and Construction at the Hochschule OWL / Germany. He also was and still is appointed professor for Design of Construction at the Delft University of Technology / Faculty of Architecture, Netherlands where he developed the Façade Research Group. In parallel he is professor for Façade Technology at the TU Darmstadt / Faculty of Civil engineering/ Germany where he participates in the Institute of Structural Mechanics + Design.

He organizes interdisciplinary design workshops and symposiums in the field of facades and is author of several well-known reference books, articles and lectures.