Jury Members

Alan is Crawford Partnership’s Managing Director, having founded the company in 1997. He has 30-years’ experience working in architecture, including time spend in the Middle East. Following previous practice experience, he founded the company and continues to work with incredible passion, seeing the role as more of a vocation.

Alfonso Padro is a Regional Practice Director, Education and a Principal at the HKS London office. Operating in the UK and throughout Europe, Alfonso is responsible for managing design teams and understanding client needs and aspirations to deliver beautiful buildings that are both functional and enjoyable. He is a sought-after speaker at design conferences worldwide.

Ann is one of the two design directors at Hayball, leading the practice’s vision and ethos and building a solid design culture for the Australian-based national practice. With 25 years of experience in architecture and urban design on projects in Australia, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia, and a career history working with practices in Australia, Beijing, and the Netherlands.

She is an interdisciplinary practitioner working across scales and boundaries in architecture, interiors, and urban design. Her passion works in synergy with her deep thinking, listening, and research-led approach, bringing unbiased scrutiny to a design alongside a broad range of design skills across project typologies to define and clarify the project’s vision. Design teaching and critique have played an essential role in her practice, demonstrated by her continuous engagement with academia over twenty-plus years, both in the teaching and critique of design and course advisory involvement with schools of design. She believes that teaching enriches and complements architectural practice. The practice of teaching itself can hone an architect’s sense of empathy, the ability to listen, communicate, and collaborate, and skills that are crucial in bridging designers with clients and audiences to develop meaningful and outstanding project outcomes.

Ann regularly serves on design award juries and is a past Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter Councillor. A champion of the advancement of professional knowledge, she has undertaken university teaching and lectures in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the US. She is a mentor in the Property Council of Australia’s 100 Women in Property program. A former Associate Professor of Architecture at Deakin University and served on course advisory panels for RMIT Architecture & Urban Design program and Swinburne University. She is currently a panel member of the Victorian Design Review Panel (VDRP) of The Office of the Victorian Government Architect in Australia. She believes that architects must, through their practice, be advocates for ethical civil societies, where gender, race and ethnic diversity, social and environmental justice, housing, health, and education should be a right for all.

Annette Fisher is a practising international British/Nigerian architect. Her practice FA global operates in London and Lagos. She started her career working for commercial UK practices, TP Bennett, Rolfe Judd and Whinney Mackay Lewis before setting up her own practice in the capital in 1994.

Now her mission and ambition are to use her skills, privilege, position and experience to motivate others to greater heights, and transform other people’s lives. She and her team are spearheading a global mass low cost housing project starting in Nigeria to meet the 25 million housing deficit; and a major UK project showcasing women and minority architects.

She’s the founder and co-chair Unionne a consortium of female led architects’ practices, and the chair Let’s build a televised forum championing women and diversity in practice. A part-time professional RIBA part 3 tutor at Westminster University, London and a former RIBA Vice President, nominated presidential candidate 2002 and council member.

Annette was the first black woman to be elected to RIBA Council in 1999. Whilst also being a Commonwealth Association of Architects Trustee, former executive council member of the Association of Consultant Architects Nigeria(ACAN) and former Chair Kush Housing Association and Group Board Director for Places for People HA.

She has also won awards including the Barclays Men & Women of Merit Award, Natwest Award for African Professional of the Year, the Judge Malta Architecture & Spatial Planning Awards, Judge Civic Trust Awards, and Judge IDA awards and OPAL awards, and recently Judge Dezeen Awards 2022: and author “Oyinbo: a Foreigner’s Guide to Living in Lagos”.

Benjamin Hizon Mendoza is the Co-founder of BAAD Studio Co. along with his wife Annabelle Bermejo Mendoza. He graduated from Xavier School in Metro Manila where his early education formed his
foundations and basic principles. He then gained his Bachelors Degree in Architecture in the University of
Santo Tomas. Currently he is completing his Masters Degree in Urban Design in the University of Sydney,
NSW Australia.
They started BAAD Studio in 2010, where they been carefully working on small to large design projects
ranging from Architecture, Interior Architecture, community and physical town planning that challenge
current conditions of contemporary design in their local context.
Their projects have won awards such as “MADE” 2018 for Best Residential Design for the “Tree-Line
House”, and Future Civic Project Award in the World Architecture Festival 2018 and was First Highly
Commended by the Super Jury for Future Project of the Year Award for the “Sunken Shrine of Our Lady of
Lourdes, Cabetican Pampanga”. They have also been shortlisted for two categories in the 2022 WAF to be
held in Lisbon, Portugal.
Benjee Mendoza has been an active speaker in several major conventions and Universities around the
country. He was a Judge at the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam last 2019, WAF China 2020,
WAF China 2021, and this year’s WAF 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal.
The studio comprised of a strong team of Architects, Engineers and Interior Designers who share a strong
belief in atmospheric Architecture that strive a balance between well-being and ecological sensitivity. It
has always been a deep commitment for the team to produce progressive responsive and responsible
designs that can have positive influence in shaping our urban and rural future.
Publications & Features
Main feature and magazine cover for Bluprint entitled “Designed for disaster”
Second Main feature and magazine cover for Bluprint entitled “Opposite House”
2 featured projects in the “Tropical houses for the 21st Century Book 1”
Featured project in the “Tropical houses for the 21st Century Book 3”.
Project study feature in the book “Design for Better Book 1”
Awards
MADE Architecture Awards 2018 for “Best Residential Design” featuring the Tree-line House
World Architecture Festival 2018 Winner for Future Civic Category
First Highly Commended Award for Future Project of the Year – World Architecture Festival 2018
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Engagements
Design Anthology Festival 2018, Manila – Panel Speaker
Design Anthology Festival 2019 – 60min Talk at the Wall Stage & Design Competition Panel of Jury
2019 World Architecture Festival Judge – RAI Amsterdam, Netherlands
2020 World Architecture Festival Judge – WAF CHINA Virtual
2021 World Architecture Festival Judge – WAF CHINA Virtual
2022 Design Speaks AU, Brisbane Australia – Visiting Speaker
2022 World Architecture Festival Judge – Lisbon, Portugal

Bernard Gomez B.Sc (B.E), M.Sc (Arch), F.I.A. (S.L), qualified with a Masters Degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa in 1993 when he distinguished himself by being awarded high commendation in both his thesis and Comprehensive Design Project. Subsequently he apprenticed with some of Sri Lanka’s architectural pioneers including Architect Valentine Gunasekara, and the late Architect. Minette De Silva. He concluded his apprenticeship as Project Architect on the iconic Kandalama Hotel in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, working with the late Archt. Milroy Perera in conjunction with the late Archt. Geoffrey Bawa.

Since then he has authored several prestigious, award winning projects including Aditya Hotel, Galle, Sri Lanka, the Mercedes Benz Center of Excellence, Colombo, and most recently the Corporate HQ, multi story tower for Dialog Axiata. His work has been featured in many important international publications like the Phaidon World Atlas of Architecture, DOMUS magazine, and he has presented papers at several local, and international fora, including the SAARCH and ARCASIA, Architects forum. He is currently Vice President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, and a long standing council member for the past 10 years, where he has the distinction of having served as Chairman of the three boards of the Institute: The Board of Architectural Education, The Board of Publications, and the Professional Affairs Board. He serves as a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa, and has been appointed as a local juror in the final year critique panel of the Colombo School of Architecture.

He is the Managing Director, Principal Architect, and founder of BGJF Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd, a is a multi disciplinary international consultancy practice known for their dedication to design excellence and meticulous execution of projects. The practice is a brand much sought after by discerning clientele in Sri Lanka. This dedication to excellence has resulted in several international commissions notably in India, Dubai, and the Far East, where the company is involved in several Commercial, Residential, and Hotel developments.

Bernard has exceptional experience on a wide range of commercial, residential, institutional
and hospitality projects in the UK, Europe, China, Japan and the Middle East. He is one of
PLP’s key creative thinkers and designs in an open and accessible manner that emphasises
team involvement and end-user satisfaction. Bernard has worked at all scales all around the
world, from high-end residential in London conservation zones, to large scale mixed-use
developments in prominent locations in Tokyo. He is currently working on a new
headquarters building on a prominent and sensitive site at Holborn in the City of London.

Dr. Carol Bentel, FAIA, FIIDA, ASID, LEED AP

SVA BFA Interior Design: Built Environments, Chair

Bentel & Bentel Architects, Partner

Dr. Carol Bentel FAIA, FIIDA is a partner at Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners and Chair of SVA’s BFA Interior Design: Built Environments department. Dr. Bentel is a Fulbright Scholar, Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, and Fellow of the AIA College of Fellows. Dr. Bentel was the 2008 Chair of the AIA National Committee on Design and Vice-Chair of the NYS Preservation League. Dr. Bentel is a World Architecture News Female Frontier “Interior Designer of the Year” Awardee, Hospitality Design Platinum Circle Honoree, a three-time recipient of the James Beard Award for restaurant design, also receiving other national awards from the AIA, SARA, and IIDA. Dr. Bentel’s work is in Built by Women NYC. She co-authored the book, Nourishing the Senses: Restaurant Architecture of Bentel & Bentel.
Dr. Bentel has served on the faculty of SVA, NYIT, NYCCT, Harvard University, MIT, and Georgia Tech. Dr. Bentel received her Ph.D. in History, Theory and Criticism in the Department of Architecture at MIT.

Cristiano Luchetti is an architect, researcher, and educator with more than 25 years of experience in both professional practice and academia. Since 2012, Cristiano has taught and researched architectural and urban design for UAE universities. He is currently an Associate Professor at the American University of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE and a Ph.D. candidate at the Universita’ Politecnica delle Marche in Italy. In his professional activity, Cristiano carries out consultancy for large-scale projects in the Middle East’s residential, commercial, and hospitality sectors. He is associate editor of Compasses Architecture & Design and regularly writes about the architecture and urbanism of the Arabian Gulf. In 2018 he co-curated the Egyptian pavilion at the Architecture Venice Biennale, and in 2021 co-authored the book “Desert:Space – Architecture for Emptiness.” He recurrently serves as a juror for the most prominent international competitions and awards.

CS Nel is a professional Senior Architect. He has worked globally in Europe, Asia and Africa. His specialities range from residential to hospitality and retail architecture; however, he has also completed projects within the medical and commercial sectors. His projects have ranged from large-scale multi-billion dollar projects to luxury fit-outs.

CS excels in the built environment process, from the conceptual stage to its completion and project handover. His work is impeccable at every step, and he will always go the extra mile.

His philosophy is delivering the highest quality whilst making a lasting impact. His work in Asia, the Middle East and Africa is a testament to this philosophy, where he often worked in unison whilst leading various international teams. He quickly adapts to the needs of a project and the people working with him. To him, one cannot exist without the other, and he is adept at keeping that balance.

Diogo Burnay lives and works in Halifax, Canada and Lisbon, Portugal.
Associate professor and Director of the School of Architecture, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, since 2012.
Architecture diploma, Faculdade de Arquitectura, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal, 1989.
MSc in Architecture, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, London, England, 1995.
Registered architect, Portugal since 1989.
Worked in Lisbon with Maria Manuel Godinho de Almeida and Duarte Cabral de Mello in 1989; in London at Building Design Partnership, between 1988 and 1990; In Macau with Manuel Vicente, between 1992 and 1995 and at OBS Arquitectos, between 1995 and 1997.
Taught at the University of Hong Kong Architecture School in 1995; at the Faculdade de Arquitectura University of Lisbon, from 1997 to 2011; at the College of Design, University of Minnesota in 2002 and 2006 and at the Architecture School University of Texas, Arlington, 2007.
Co-curator With Cristina Veríssimo, Ana Vieira and Nuno Sampaio, Metropolitan Public places exhibition, Lisbon first Architectural Triennale 2007 “urban Voids”.
External examiner, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London from 2010 to 2014.
Member, Advisory Council of the Lisbon Architectural Trienal Foundation since 2014.
Founded CVDB Arquitectos with Cristina Veríssimo in 1999 and in partnership with Rodolfo Reis since 2012.
The practice work focuses on architecture’s relation to the public realm, in the context of a larger physical and cultural landscape, and to the individual’s experience and perceptions of spaces and places.
Projects and buildings have been exhibited and published worldwide and have received national and international awards and prizes (WAN 2013 education building 1st prize and Archdaily Best Education building of the year 2014, Architectural Review 2015, highly commended for education buildings).
Together with Cristina Verissimo will be the chief curators of the 2022 Lisbon Architecture Triennale.Diogo Burnay lives and works in Halifax, Canada and Lisbon, Portugal.
Associate professor and Director of the School of Architecture, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, since 2012.
Architecture diploma, Faculdade de Arquitectura, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal, 1989.
MSc in Architecture, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, London, England, 1995.
Registered architect, Portugal since 1989.
Worked in Lisbon with Maria Manuel Godinho de Almeida and Duarte Cabral de Mello in 1989; in London at Building Design Partnership, between 1988 and 1990; In Macau with Manuel Vicente, between 1992 and 1995 and at OBS Arquitectos, between 1995 and 1997.
Taught at the University of Hong Kong Architecture School in 1995; at the Faculdade de Arquitectura University of Lisbon, from 1997 to 2011; at the College of Design, University of Minnesota in 2002 and 2006 and at the Architecture School University of Texas, Arlington, 2007.
Co-curator With Cristina Veríssimo, Ana Vieira and Nuno Sampaio, Metropolitan Public places exhibition, Lisbon first Architectural Triennale 2007 “urban Voids”.
External examiner, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London from 2010 to 2014.
Member, Advisory Council of the Lisbon Architectural Trienal Foundation since 2014.
Founded CVDB Arquitectos with Cristina Veríssimo in 1999 and in partnership with Rodolfo Reis since 2012.
The practice work focuses on architecture’s relation to the public realm, in the context of a larger physical and cultural landscape, and to the individual’s experience and perceptions of spaces and places.
Projects and buildings have been exhibited and published worldwide and have received national and international awards and prizes (WAN 2013 education building 1st prize and Archdaily Best Education building of the year 2014, Architectural Review 2015, highly commended for education buildings).
Together with Cristina Verissimo will be the chief curators of the 2022 Lisbon Architecture Triennale.

Elena Grigoryeva is an honoured architect of Russia, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences (RAACS), full member of the International Academy of Architecture, Moscow Branch, Eurasia (IAAM). Her architectural works include more than 150 projects: schools and universities, residential complexes, The Water Sports Complex for Olympians, as well as restoration of historic areas in Irkutsk. Her projects, including the bridge over the Angara River in Irkutsk, are winners of national and regional competitions.
Along with her design practice, Elena Grigoryeva performs social, research and international activities. Since 2008 she has been a vice-president of the Union of Architects of Russia (UAR) for Siberian Federal District. She represented the UAR at the UIA Professional Practice Commission. In 2005, 2008 and 2011 the UIA General Assembly elected her an alt-member of the UIA Council. In 2001 she founded the interregional festival Zodchestvo in Siberia. Since then, it has been held annually, occupying an important place in the calendar of Russian architectural events.
In 2004 Elena Grigoryeva founded the international architectural journal Project Baikal, winner of the Interarch 2009 Grand Prix at the International Academy of Architecture Triennial. Indexed in Scopus and a number of other academic research databases, Project Baikal has become nationally and internationally recognized as a journal that highlights not only successful architectural projects and realizations, but also urgent problems of urban planning and architecture, ecology and climate, resettlement and urban environment.

Elisabete Saldanha was born in 1977 in Clermont Ferrand, France. In 1982 she returned to Portugal to her home town of Guimarães, where she lived and studied until the age of eighteen.

A graduate of Architecture from the University Lusíada, she started her professional career in 2001. Later, she increased her knowledge and perception of the business side of the industry, participating in a one year General Management Program at a Catholic University in Lisbon. In 2003 she created her own project, es1arq, where she since has developed architectural projects of various typologies, nationally as well as internationally.

Of these, the rehabilitation work of Guimarães House stands out, awarded by Archdaily as the best building of the year in the rehabilitation category in 2016.

In parallel to this activity, for more than a decade, Elisabete Saldanha has been integrating the architectural projects and technical support teams of one of the largest global companies in the construction sector, exposing her to cultures and markets like South America and Africa, specially in Angola, where she lived for over a year.

From 2005 to the present, collaborating pro-bono with the Portuguese branch of the Humanitarian Association Habitat for Humanity, she has taken an executive role in the Building Committee and developed projects for execution.

A Master in Architecture graduate from YALE University, Issa

Diabaté is the Managing Director of the Koffi & Diabaté Ar-
chitectes office (founded in 2001 with Guillaume Koffi) and

co-founder of Koffi & Diabaté Group (Specialized in Architec-
ture, Real Estate Development and Construction). Previous

architecture internships include: Goly Kouassi, Devrouax and
Purnell and Jean Nouvel et Cattani, SAU Guillaume Koffi.
Very much involved on the topic of African urban issues, over
the years, Issa Diabaté has participated in a number of local

change-geared initiatives, addressing context-oriented pro-
blems (through projects and the mentoring of young archi-
tects, namely). As an architect practicing on the continent,

he aims to shed light on both the issues at hand and on those
creative solutions required to build (now) the African City of
Tomorrow. Issa Diabaté has participated as speaker, sharing
on these issues at the following conference events: “Other

Desires” at Columbia University, New York, 2016; African Lea-
dership Network, Kigali, 2014; Design INDABA, Cape Town,

2014; Afritekture, Munich, 2013; Ted Talk, Arusha, 2007.
A Member of Côte d’Ivoire’s Order of Architects with whom
he initiated Côte d’Ivoire’s first Architecture and Building Fair,
ARCHIBAT in 2007, Issa Diabaté also evolves in the design world

and is a laureate of Senegal’s DAK’ART Contemporary Art Bien-
nale (1998). Most recently, he participated in the exhibitions

ABIDJANOW 2013 (Salon ARCHIBAT -Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire)
and DESIGN INDABA 2014 & 2017 (Cape Town, South Africa).
In 2019, he collaborated with the Swedish group IKEA for their
first collection by African designers : “OVERALLT”.
For his work and contributions to his field and to the nation of

Côte d’Ivoire, Issa Diabaté has been appointed Knight of the Order of Cultural Merit.

Koffi & Diabaté’s works have been presented, internationally, at the Triennale di Milano and at the Louisiana Mu-
seum of Denmark.

Jennifer Siegal is Associate Professor in the School of Architecture at USC and the founder and principal of the Los
Angeles-based firm Office of Mobile Design (OMD). Since its establishment in 1998, OMD has been recognized
internationally with over 100 publications and awards for the fearless pioneering research and development of
prefabricated and environmental construction systems.
Siegal is Managing Partner and Chief Design Officer of Wildernests. The company is described as “the Tesla of
real estate” for disrupting the real-estate industry and spearheading the sector’s transition from carbon-intense to
carbon-negative.
She is the author of Mobile: The Art of Portable Architecture (2002) and More Mobile: Portable Architecture for
Today (2008) both by Princeton Architectural Press, and a monograph Jennifer Siegal by China Architecture &
Building Press (2005). She was a 2003 Loeb Fellow in the Department of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate
School of Design and has held Residencies at The MacDowell Colony, Taliesin, Arcosanti and the Chinati
Foundation in Marfa, TX.
Winner of the internationally acclaimed arcVision Prize – Women and Architecture, Siegal was unanimously
chosen by the jury for being “a fearless pioneer in the research and development of prefabricated construction
systems.” Recently she was awarded the inaugural EARTH award from ELLE DECOR a celebration of
accountability, renewal, transformation, and humanity in design.

Jese has developed an expertise in hospitality and food + beverage design, but his experience stretches across multiple sectors such as aviation, residential, retail and workplace projects. Over the last 15 years, Jese has lived in London, Paris, Milan, Singapore and Melbourne, where he has designed projects in all five inhabited continents and has explored the blurred boundaries between the hospitality world and other design sectors. He has worked for several high-profile clients and brands such as Four Seasons, St Regis, W, Jumeirah, British Airways and Hakkasan to mention a few. He has worldwide experience across all aspects of interior projects, from concept design to final construction. His distinctive approach hinges on his expertise on the meaning of brand in architecture and interiors, bringing brand strategy and powerful storytelling to the very core of the design process for every project.

Oscar Hernández (1990) is a young mexican Architect graduated from the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes (UAA) in 2013. He also has been an Architectural Photographer and filmmaker since 2012, where he has contributed to the documentation and distribution of Mexican architecture around the world, obtaining numerous awards and publications, in different online editorial sites, books and printed magazines, both nationally and internationally. He has experience in the documentation of more than 450 projects, in Mexico, the United States and Spain. His approach to architecture, through his eyes and camera, brings together vast first-hand knowledge, through learning and a direct relationship with the creators of the spaces and the end users of each documented project. For Oscar, photography corresponds to his practice architectural as life itself; it’s his way particular to observe and perceive the spaces from of the acommunication found between the volumetry and the light. Among the main lines of attention for him is correctly interpretation of the scale, the materials, the context in conjunction with climate and function, in order to create narratives that speak to intentions and sensibilities who created the project, as well as the experience same of the user.

He is also Co-founder and co-director of STVX Architects, a firm focused on architectural design, real state development and urban projects based in Aguascalientes and Mexico City. They have been invited as teachers and workshop leaders at different national architecture conferences. In 2018, STVX + María Eizayaga + Emilio López won First Place at the Open International Competition for Alternate Layout Design in Standard Housing, organized by the Ministry of Construction Industry, Housing and Infrastructure of Russia in conjunction with the Unified Development Institution in the Housing Sector and the firm Strelka KB.

Pınar Dinç Kalaycı is a professor of architecture at Gazi University, Turkey. She is the coordinator/facilitator of the Studio ThinkImagine, one of the leading architectural design studios of the Department. Professor Dinç Kalaycı has numerous publications mainly on post-occupancy evaluation of buildings, environment and behavior studies, criticism in architecture, education of future architects and re-use of heritage buildings. She published two books: One is about criticizing architecture, proposing idea-existence-place-actors quartet as the dynamics of criticism; as another book of her is on the studio philosophy, proposing “integration” as an ultimate goal for architecture. Recently, she deals with fluidity, sustainability, resiliency, integration issues in architecture whereas using architectural design competitions for students as a form of studio pedagogy is also in her unique area of interest.

Rita Al Rawashdeh is the creative director and senior partner at maisam
architects & engineers and Heading its Designlab™.
With over twenty years of experience, Rita leads a team of architects that seeks
to create original spaces and experiences that elevate the quality of human living
through research, knowledge, and design. Her experience is across Jordan,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, India, Pakistan, and the USA. She combines the
disciplines of architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, and art in an
untraditional way.
Rita has been a jury member of different international awards, the latest being
WAF 2022,
A ‘Design Awards & Competition, besides she won many prestigious
international awards.

 2022 World Architecture Festival jury member
 2022 Grand Award Jury member for A ‘Design Awards & Competition
 ̵ 2021 ــJury member for Ethiopian Satellite Preschool, in Africa, by
Archstorming
 ̵ 2019 WAF Educational Future Project of The Year, The School in A Park,
Winner
 ̵ 2019 WAFX Ethics and Values Award, The School in A Park, Winner
 ̵ 2019, ASGBSA New Campus Architectural Competition, Winner
 ̵ 2016 The Chicago Atheneum Museum of Architecture Award, Petra
Museum, Winner
 ̵ 2016, Bloom Park Architectural Competition, Winner
 ̵ 2015 Architizer A+ Popular Choice Awards, Winner
 ̵ 2014 LEAF Awards, Winner, Petra Museum, Winner
 ̵ 2013 Cityscape Emerging Market Award, Winner, Ahyaa’ Amman
Boutique Hotel
 ̵ 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Arabian Property Awards, Winner
 ̵ 2012 ArchTriumph Battersea Power Station Competition, Winner of
Winners
 ̵ 2006 Edgo & Foursan Architectural Competition, Winner
 ̵ 2003 College of Arts & Design Architectural Competition, Winner

Dipl.-Ing. Roland Bechmann, Werner Sobek AG
Roland is Managing Director and Partner of the international engineering consultancy Werner Sobek. Born in Berlin, he subsequently moved to Hanover, Germany, where he studied Structural Engineering. Having accomplished his diploma, Roland started working at Werner Sobek and soon rose to be appointed first principal, then general manager, and finally managing director and partner. Roland heads the department of competitions and is a specialist of project management, lightweight structures and steel constructions. He has extensive experience in various important high rise projects, such as ADAC Headquarters in Munich/Germany, the Hegau Tower in Singen/Germany and the 400 m high Olympic Tower in Nanjing/China. In addition, Roland has been in charge of several complex and large-scale projects such as World Expo 2017 in Astana/Kazakhstan and the underground railway station in Stuttgart/Germany. Since 2013, Roland has also been Country Representative of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Architect by the University of Coimbra, was Senator and Member of the Assembly of the University.

Doctoral candidate and Postgraduate on Advanced Studies in Architectural Heritage by the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto.

Editor of Design Media Publishing’s “Urban Complex” book, and its Chinese edition by Liaoning Science and Technology Publishing House “城市综合体”.

Published throughout the world, Tiago do Vale has given lectures and signed articles on architecture, urban planning and rehabilitation in several publications.

His work has been exhibited both in Portugal and abroad.

Juror for the 2016 and 2017 editions of the DAS Awards (Moldavia).
Juror (on behalf of the Portuguese Architects Board) for the 2016 and 2017 editions of the João de Almada Award (Portugal).
Juror for the Architecture MasterPrize since 2020 (United States of America).
Juror for the Muse Design Awards since 2020 (United States of America).
Juror for the Muse Hotel Awards since 2020 (United States of America).
Juror for the Titan Property Awards since 2021 (United States of America).
Juror for the Rethinking the Future Awards 2021 (India).
Juror for the Toronto BUILD Awards 2021 (Toronto, Canada).
Juror for the Architecture Design Awards 2022 (United States of America).

Curator of the “Urban Dialogues, International Architecture Congress” in 2014 (Portugal).

Curator of the 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 editions of the “Mesturas, International Architecture Encounters Galicia-Portugal” (Spain and Portugal).

Columnist at the RUA Magazine.

Regional Adviser for the Asia Designer Communication Platform.

2022 Simon Architecture Prize, Nominated
2022 Loop Design Awards, Winner Best Small Architecture Firm Award, Winner Best Renovation Firm Award and Winner Design & Small Scale
2021 Loop Design Awards, Honorable Mention
2021 International Design Awards, Third Prize
2020 DNA Paris Design Awards, First Prize
2019 National Wood Architecture Award, Finalist
2019 Architecture Masterprize, Small Firm of the Year
2019 Baku International Architecture Award, First Prize and Honorable Mention
2019 Muse Design Awards, Platinum Award and Double Gold Award
2018 Architecture MasterPrize, Honorable Mention
2018 Blueprint Awards, First Prize
2018 International Architecture Awards, Third Prize
2018 Global Architecture & Design Awards, Honorable Mention
2018 Architizer A+Awards, Double First Prize
2018 International Design Awards, Third Prize
2017 Construir Awards, Finalist
2017 American Architecture Prize, First Prize
2017 COAG Architecture Awards, Finalist
2016 American Architecture Prize, Third Prize
2015 Architizer A+ Awards, First Prize
2015 National Wood Architecture Award, Selected
2014 Institute of Housing and Urban Renewal Award, First Honorable Mention
2014 ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards, First Prize

Tim Kwan is Founding Partner and Principal of Office AIO, an interdisciplinary design studio based in Beijing. Led by Tim, the studio’s work is known for its poetic and meaningful sense of place. His design approach explores ways to define new values, with a passion to bring forth solutions that ties strongly with its context. Office AIO’s distinctive, award-winning portfolio of works encompasses commercial and residential projects of various scales. In 2020 Office AIO was nominated in global interior design authority – FRAME and Dezeen Awards “Emerging Designer of the Year”. Actively involved in the design community, Tim was a design lecturer at the School of Architecture, University of Auckland and regularly serves as jury panel on industry leading design awards such as Architizer A+, World Architecture Festival and the RTF awards.

www.office-aio.com

Trevor Boddy is a critic, curator, historian of architecture/urbanism, teacher and consulting urban designer. He curated the 2008 exhibition Vancouverism and related Trafalgar Square site-specific construction, named a marquee event for the 2008 London Festival of Architecture, and re-mounted in 2009 at Place d’Invalides, Paris. An expanded version was installed at Woodward’s for the 2010 Olympics. His career retrospective exhibition entitled Telling Details: The Architecture of Clifford Wiens toured nationally to five galleries nationally. For the City of Surrey he was co-organizer of TownShift: Suburb Into City, the largest ideas design competition ever mounted by a Canadian municipality, and conceived their new civic design awards.

Trevor has written on architecture and cities for the Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Seattle Times, Architectural Review, Architectural Record, Bauwelt, A/V and l’Architecture d’aujourdhui, and has won the Western Magazine and Alberta Book of the Year prizes. He holds a Master’s degree in architecture from the University of Calgary, has taught design studio, history, and urbanism on four continents, and lectures globally on contemporary design and city-building. RAIC awarded Trevor its 2010 Advocacy Award, and he is an honorary member of AIA and the Bulgarian Union of Architects.

Aaron Forrest is a registered architect and co-founding Principal of Ultramoderne. He received both his Bachelor’s Degree and Masters in Architecture from Princeton University. In addition to co-leading Ultramoderne, he is Associate Professor of Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. He has extensive professional experience, having practiced in New York with Bernheimer Architecture and Guy Nordenson and Associates Structural Engineers, and in Madrid with Ábalos & Herreros Arquitectos.

Ivorian architect and city planner Ahmed Sangaré is the co-founder of Totem Architects, an architectural design practice that describes his conceptual approach as resolutely contemporary but proudly rooted in African cultural heritage.
Totem Architects’ projects span residential, cultural, commercial and office buildings design. Recently delivered projects include the Africa headquarters of FrieslandCampina.
As a city planner, Ahmed has participated in local initiatives aimed at understanding and alleviating issues encountered in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods in Abidjan.
He has also presented several papers in the annual congresses of the International Society of City and Regional Planners, co-chairing the track about “Transforming human settlements” during the 52nd congress in Durban, South Africa in 2016.

Alireza Razavi (1970) is a registered architect in France (DPLG 1996), a licensed professional in the USA (Registered Architect NYS 2005) and a Chartered Architect in the UK (RIBA 2016). He holds a Master’s Degree from Columbia University in New York (MSAAD 1998) and a Master’s Degree from the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (Aii 1997). Early work collaborations include Eisenman Architects, Agrest & Gandelsonas, Shigeru Ban Architects, François de Menil Architects and senior project manager at FTL-Happold in New York. Alireza Razavi is a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Amanda helps clients think in new creative ways. An innovation specialist whose work bridges the worlds of creative development, audience engagement and social change, Amanda has more than 12 years’ experience in designing and delivering tools, formats, products and programmes for both public and private sector clients – from Apple to the V&A. As Director of The Liminal Space, Amanda leads a unique, purpose-driven organisation that brings together the creativity of a cross-disciplinary studio with the rigour of a think tank to transform what people think, feel and do. Trained as a designer and with a background in consumer insight, Amanda is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of The Courvoisier Future 500 and a mentor at Year Here.

Amanda sits at the forefront of workplace design; currently working with a broad portfolio
of corporate clients worldwide. Her role encompasses strategy and interior design across
the commercial, lifestyle and public sectors. Her mix of skills and diversity of knowledge
provides a unique, comprehensive and innovative approach to projects for her clients.
Amanda has been instrumental in creating some of the most cutting edge workplaces –
which have delivered real business advantage and positive change for the organization

Antoine Chaaya
Partner, Director
Architect DPLG based at Paris Office, Antoine Chaaya was born in Lebanon in 1960. He
studied architecture at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon. After
graduating, he joined the Paris office in 1987. He worked as a lead architect on a variety of
projects including the Kanak Cultural Center in New Caledonia and the Potsdamer Platz in
Berlin.
Since becoming a Partner in 1997, he has been the Partner in charge of other projects
including the “Il Sole 24 Ore” headquarters in Milan, The Broad Contemporary Art Museum
(BCAM) and The Resnick Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Phase
One of The New Columbia University Manhattanville Campus with four academic buildings
and a residential tower, a residential project in Miami, the Headquarters of the SGBL Bank in
Beirut, as well as the Beirut City Museum. Currently, he is the Partner in charge of the Grand
Hospital of Saint-Ouen Paris Nord, and Pathé Headquarters in Paris.
Antoine was appointed member of the RPBW board in 2014.
He has been elected as a distinguished alumnus at USEK and was nominated as the patron of
the class of young architects 2017. He received a new distinction in 2018. He is also an
honorary member of the Lebanese Green Buildings Council (LGBC).
He has lectured in France, Italy, Denmark, Lebanon, Canada, and the USA, including talks at
Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, as well as the AIA – NY and Middle
East.

Arturo and Lauren Engel are Cinematographers and Photographers focusing their shared expertise on architecture, interior design, and hospitality. Together, they have more than 25 years of experience capturing various brand’s visual language and elevating their stories with compelling imagery.

Engels are international professionals that are split between Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong, and Spain. Arturo, having grown up in Mallorca, and Lauren in Hong Kong, both share a global nature and a distinctive understanding of how to holistically capture a location’s influences and surrounding context.”

Benedikt Hartl is the founder of the award winning architecture studio Opposite Office. Opposite Office draws, writes, imagines and builds architectural stories. By creating spatial solutions to social and political problems, Opposite Office engages in the fields of architecture, society and its interfaces. Their projects traverse theoretical and activist registers to create new forms of architectural work through critical interventions. Opposite Office works through architecture and its refusal. The activist spatial practice is grounded in research of public, cultural and political contexts and is nestling between reality and fiction. The work has been published and exhibited extensively in over 100 countries.

Berk Asal (1983 Izmir, Turkey) is a spatial designer and builder based in Berlin with a degree in industrial design from The University of the Arts, Philadelphia. He has been working as an exhibition designer and prop maker since 2010. Strengths in production management, material selection with awareness in carbon footprint reduction, prototyping and design engineering. He is a founding member of the architecture collective ON/OFF (2012), where he focuses on experimental urbanism, temporary architecture and community workshops.

Architect and architectural photographer
Founder of César Béjar Studio
Guadalajara, México

César Béjar is an architect graduated from the University of Guadalajara in 2015 and with studies at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Is founder of César Béjar Studio, where he focuses on the design and development of architectural projects alongside with architectural photography. His multidisciplinary work is recognized worldwide by architects, photographers and designers. The aesthetic of his photography and his work as an architect is the result of this dual practice that nurture reciprocally.

His photographic documentation includes architectural projects in Mexico, the United States and some European countries with important architects. His photography is a compilation of the best architecture in Mexico and have been published in printed and digital magazines around the world such as Conde Nast Traveler, Casa Bella, The Architectural Review, A.MAG, TC Cuadernos and in The New York Times. As an archit
ect and photographer, he has imparted conferences and workshops throughout Mexico and has exhibited his work as a photographer in galleries in Guadalajara, Cancun and Chicago. He currently develops architectural projects in the Mexican Pacific, Los Cabos, Riviera Maya and Guadalajara, among others. His architecture is an expression of the contemporary Mexico strongly rooted in Mexican tradition and its vernacular link with the trade.

Danilo Petta is an international award-winning Italian Watches and Luxury Industrial Designer at MASK Architects in Italy. He studied Architecture at Polytechnic of Milan and Interior Design at Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Milan. He began his multidisciplinary career in the design center of “Bvlgari” in Rome as a “Watches Designer.” He led the design of “Serpenti Tubogas” with other many successful timepieces for the brand. In November 2010, he joined the brand “OMEGA”, and his new challenge was the development of the new collection of “DeVille” as Senior Product Manager. He has been awarded “ Europe 40 Under 40 ®” as one of the most innovative and contemporary emerging talents as a Watch and Luxury designer worldwide by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum. Between 2015-2018, he designed many different Luxury goods like the “Astronomia Sky,” “Astronomia Solar,” and “Astronomia Table-Clock” for Jacob & Co. “Astronomia Sky” was awarded in 2019 with the MUSE Award in the Fashion Design Category. In 2021 Danilo Petta was nominated by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic, one of the 100 Design Ambassadors representing Italian Creativity in the World.

David Telerman is born in Belgium in 1990. He studied History of Art at the Paris-Sorbonne University (B.A. 2011) and Architecture at the Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris (M.S. 2017).
His studio Atelier David Telerman is working on various scales with a constant set of preoccupations with geometry, volume, light and the strong belief that each project should express and reveal the inherent truth of the place it occupies.
This approach materialized with the McNeal 020 project completed in 2020 in Southern Arizona, near the border of Mexico. The architecture refers to the vastness of the American desert, its position and geometry revealing specific characteristics of the surrounding landscape. He founded with Shaoshu Zhang in 2021 their new Paris-based practice Objects of Intention.

DONG Dan-Shen
Born in Shanghai, China in 1963
Currently living and working in Hangzhou, China

In 1986, Dong Danshen graduated from the Department of Civil Engineering of Zhejiang University, majoring architecture with bachelor degree. Now, he is the Chairman and Chief Principal Architect of the Architectural Design and Research Institute of Zhejiang University. He’s always focused on architectural creation and research, and has been founded the “Balanced Architecture” theoretical framework. The theory derives from the idea of “Knowing and doing” of traditional Chinese philosophy to guide specific architectural creation and practices. The cores of it are composed of “Unity of sensibility and rationality”, “Unity of technology and art” and “Unity of appearance and quality”, which aim to create the balanced architecture via architectural balance. His works have been published in various international media. In 2018, his works were invited to attend the “Art of Europe” International of Architecture. And he is invited to participate in the Venice Architecture Biennale 2020 in China. Moreover, he published two monographs, Towards Balance and Knowledge and Practice in the Construction of University Campuses.

Dr Ferdinand Oswald is the course co-ordinator of two Design Technology courses at the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Auckland. He holds a master degree in Architecture and a PhD in Architecture Engineering Science. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, he studied architecture at Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura in Granada (Spain), Agency of Urban Planning in Bern (Switzerland) and graduated at Technical University Dresden (Germany).

In 2007 he realized the first German apartment block in “Passive House Standard” as project head architect with Stefan Forster Architects in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). He taught at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences “construction and design”. Since 2008 he has been working at the Institute of Architecture Technology, IAT, Graz University of Technology in teaching and research positions. Here he became the leader of the research laboratory section IAT-LAB. His research and teaching has a specific focus on sustainable and energy efficient façade and building technologies. He won several research prices like the “European Recycling Award 2015”, “Innovation price Architecture and Building” at BAU Munich and granted several European patents.

His doctoral thesis “Reduce A/C – Reducing the utilisation of air conditioning in high-rise buildings in subtropical and tropical climate regions” was supervised by Prof. Roger Riewe (Graz, Austria) and Prof. Werner Sobek (Stuttgart, Germany). He is editor of several books and his research work has been published in several international magazines, journals and books. He organized several international conferences and symposiums: “Sustainable Smart Cities” 2011, “High Density & Living Comfort – Requirements of Dense Housing Areas – China Austria 2013 “. He is member of the CTBUH (Council for Tall Building and Urban Habitat) and Asia-Pacific Network for Housing Research (APNHR). He has organized numerous exhibitions, has taken part in scientific review panels and has been jury member of several commissions and appeal committees. He was Visiting Professor 2017 at Qingdao Technological University, Department of Architecture, Qingdao, China and 2018 Visiting Professor at German University of Cairo, Department of Architecture and Urban Design Program, Cairo, Egypt.

Based in Vancouver, Ema Peter Photography was founded in 2005 to bring Ema’s creative vision to architectural photography. Ema’s training in both the visual arts and photojournalism, with experience at the Magnum Photo Agency in Paris, created the foundations for her approach to lighting and composition.
With over 20+ years of experience and shear determination, she has photographed internationally renowned projects and received countless awards.
Ema deeply believes that a space has life and she makes it her mission to harness that character in every photograph.

EUGENI PONS (Barcelona, 1964)

His interest in photography began at 13, when he purchased his first “serious” camera, a reflex Canon AE-1. From that moment, he focused on experimental, architectural and landscape photography.

Bachelor in Philosophy, he studied at the UAB and, at a time, studied photography at the IEFC in Barcelona.

His professional career started in 1992, when he decided to set up an advertising photography studio along with a fellow student. Towards the year 95 they decide to go their own way, and that’s when he decides to work on his true passion, architectural photography. He took a chance shooting some buildings with no previous commission, and Casa Viva magazine acquired them .. From there, to On Diseño magazine, part of the same editorial group at that time. That introduced him to some of the most outstanding architecture studios in Barcelona and Madrid, and from there to the first synergies and assignments. He has collaborated with some of the sector’s most relevant headers: Arquitectura y Diseño, A +1, Diseño Interior, ON Diseño, AiT, Architectural Review, Interni, Abitare, Wallpaper, Domus etc. are some of them.

– Five LUX Architectural Photography Awards winner.

– Monographic exhibition in Greek, Autumn 2004.

– Collaborating in many photography exhibitions (“Barcelona-Madrid” in the COAC, Venice Biennial, RCR Monographics …).

– Pre-selected by New York’s MOMA for the photographic background for the exhibition “On Site: New architecture in Spain”, winter of 2006.

– Patron of the Bunka Foundation by RCR Arquitectes since 2013. Participating in the first Workshops of Laboratori LAB-A in La Vila, by RCR Arquitectes.

– Four monographic books: Guggenheim, Modern Interiors, Architect of Photography and The Interior Book.

Francesca Perani, architect, designer, activist, is interested in disrupting the norm through the creation of playful experiential spaces combining material and visual experimentation.

Trained in Italy, Belgium, Australia, United Kingdom, she is driven by the power of shared creativity as an effective instrument to bring about change.

Since 2008 she runs FPEnterprise, an award-winning practice based in Bergamo, Italy. Founder of both Cutoutmix, open-source platform of inclusive cutouts for architectural renderings and RebelArchitette non-profit network highlighting the work of female creatives, since 2011 she teaches at IED Istituto Europeo Design in Milan, International Master Design Courses.

Born in Douala, Cameroon, Françoise N’Thépé has been working as an architect for more than twenty years. She graduated from Paris’s Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture in 1999. In 2000 she began a collaboration with the architect Aldric Beckmann, with whom she went on to found Beckmann-N’Thépé Architects. The two worked together until 2017.
In 2018, Françoise N’Thépé decided to set up her own agency, FRANÇOISE N’THÉPÉ ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN.
Strongly aware that architecture draws on every aspect of experience, Françoise N’Thépé is committed to reevaluating what it means to be a female architect with diverse origins. With her well-established professional expertise and many years of experience, having worked on the design and construction of many major projects, Françoise N’Thépé is now keen to turn her skills to international projects.

2018: Profiled in the documentary Woman Architect, by Thierry Mercadal (On Stage production, Paris)
2016: Becomes part of the intangible permanent collection of architecture of the Pompidou Centre (Paris)
2013: Two nominations for the Prix Femmes Architectes, ARVHA (Paris)
2008: Généro-Cité exhibition at the 11th International Architecture Biennale in Venice (Italy)
2001: Winner of the “New Young Architects Portfolios” (NAJA) prize, awarded by the Ministry of Culture (Paris)

Greg Corso is the co-captain of the design and research collaborative SPORTS based in Syracuse, New York. SPORTS is the recipient of numerous awards including a 2017 Arch League Prize from the Architectural League of NY, the 2018 Young Architect Award from The Architect’s Newspaper, and a 2020 EDRA Great Places award. Their work has been exhibited at several academic institutions including Harvard, Yale, Cooper Union, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and UCLA, among others. Greg received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Architecture from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and has worked in art and architecture studios in the United States and Europe including Studio Gang, JDS Architects, and Standard Architecture. Greg has taught architecture and design at Woodbury University, The University of Illinois at Chicago, and is currently an Assistant Professor at Syracuse University School of Architecture.

M.Sc. ITECH (Dist.), B.Sc. (Arch.)
Hans Jakob Wagner
Research Associate
Institute for Computational Design and Construction
2017 – current

Co-founder and partner of Crossboundaries, established in 2005 in Beijing. He
graduated from architecture in China and the United States. After studying
and working in New York for 5 years, he returned to China in 2002 and as of
today has an overall practice experience of about 20 years. Hao Dong is a
chartered member of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects).
Besides his extensive global and local experience on architectural and interior
design, Hao’s interests center around bridging architecture and education by
extending the creative thinking outside the traditional realm of the design
practice. Hao is an active public speaker aiming to open dialogues and sharing
his creative visions with clients, collaborators, and students through design
events, workshops and curation, both within and outside the profession. He is
driven by the goal of finding better and more future oriented solutions as well
as asking better questions that design should be able to respond to

Hayri Atak is an architect, designer and instructor who conducts his works in several different scales such as environment, city, building and industrial design. He graduated from Istanbul Technical University department of Interior Architecture and studied architecture in Auburn University in part of his undergraduate education. He had the opportunity to participate in various workshops at Rural Studio. Afterwards, he completed his master’s degree in Istanbul Technical University “Facade Design and Technology” and then completed his “Hotel Design in Interior Architecture” education at Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA). In addition, he was awarded numerous awards in many competitions he participated in during his student period and professional business life. Hayri Atak who carries out workshops with different concepts in universities also participates in various courses as a guest lecturer and teaches at many different universities such as ITU, IMU, FSMVU. In addition to the aforementioned workshops he takes part as a jury member in many national and international competitions. He adopts concepts such as futurism and informatics in architecture and stands out with his modular and organic formed works in line with these sense of design. He closely follows many topics such as parametric design, prototyping techniques, robotics in architecture and continues on his works with Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio (HAADS).

Designing process as a dialog. Producing an adequate project in dialogue with all affected persons means for us mutual involvement and appreciative communication of the counterpart in all phases of the project. We realize, that communicating the result also contributes a lot to the acceptance and identification of users. Architecture is communication. With clients, which oblige to beauty and appreciation for design, we feel connected. Our mission is fulfilled if the object fits well into the landscape. If interiors spread atmosphere. If users are satisfied. Energy efficiency Building energy efficient and resource efficient buildings is part of our attitude. Our goal is to save more energy than the law requires and to achieve an energy consumption close to the passive house (15 – 35 kWh / m2a). A well-insulated building and the optimization of the building services technology result in a minimal primary energy requirement, which is generated via roof or façade surfaces. This means ecological and economic sustainability, low operating costs and great comfort both in private homes and in major tourism buildings. Accessibility We commit our work also to accessibility in order to enable the participation of all people in public life and the greatest possible self-determination in many situations of life and at any age. Whether in public buildings, nursing homes or in your own home, there are always ways to pave the way to arduous paths and to redesign them right away.

Jaime Andres Marin,
FOUNDING PRINCIPAL
MARIN ARCHITECTURE

Born in Ecuador, Jaime’s diverse portfolio includes high-end residential, commercial, cultural, retail, restaurant and hospitality design, which led him to highly recognized national and international awards.

Jaime is considered one of the best upcoming Architects in Ecuador and has been a member and a jury on very important architecture awards and festivals worldwide.

His work has been published in highly recognized architecture books, magazines and has been the recipient of the Esmeraldas Ornate Prize in 2014, UIDE gold medal for the Quito Biennale 2008, Ecuador Architects in 2015 and 2017 and The Esmeraldas Mayor’s Career Recognition 2018.

He is currently based in Laguna Beach, California, with a satellite office in Cumbaya, Ecuador and planning to expand his work to other locations.

Jakob Gate -Architect MAA
Prior to starting Native Narrative Jakob worked for leading design studios in the U.K. China & Indonesia on projects ranging in scale from masterplanning to furniture.

Design studios Jakob have worked with includes but is not limited to: Heatherwick Studio, Softroom, Foster & Partners.

As a founding partner Jakob is leading architectural design development in collaboration with our key consultants. Read more about Jakob here.

Based out of our office in London, Whitaker Studio designs buildings, master plans and objects that pepper the world and vary in size and use. We are passionate about what we do and love every last second of it. We don’t have a set style, or set way of working, but rather a constantly evolving collection of interests we want to explore. We start every project with no preconception of what it should be other than that it should be the best possible project it can be. That journey always starts by listening to our clients. If we want to create something that is great, really great, we need to understand our clients and see the world from their perspective. Find out what the ‘best possible project’ means to them. Once we understand their motivation, desires and dreams we can pick up a pencil and start to sketch. And if we do our job right, and keep listening, then we can achieve our goal of creating great work.

Whitaker Studio was founded by James Whitaker. James studied architecture at The University of Edinburgh, where he also taught animation and multimedia. He has worked in London and Hong Kong in the studios of Thomas Heatherwick and Ron Arad on a variety of projects, big and small. Whitaker Studio’s most well-known project is probably the Starburst House in Joshua Tree which was the most popular project on Dezeen in 2017. James’s photography work has been exhibited widely and published internationally, from the BBC Culture Show to Architecture New Zealand.

Jan Clostermann is an award-winning architect from Germany and the Founding Director of CLOU. Following his architectural studies at the Technical University of Berlin, Jan received his Diploma in 2001 from the Architectural Association in London.

Before founding CLOU in 2015, Jan collaborated with Alsop Architects in London, Rotterdam, and Singapore, establishing their Beijing offices to design and deliver Raffles City Beijing, and in 2010 co-founding Spark Architects.

Over more than 20 years, he has designed more than 2 million square meters of high-profile mixed-use and retail projects.

A frequent speaker at academic and industry forums, Jan is leading a new generation of creative yet commercially minded architects. He continues to push for architecture that performs better socially, environmentally, and economically.

Jan began his architectural studies at the Technical University in Berlin and in 2001 received his AA Diploma with from the Architectural Association in London.

Before founding CLOU in 2015 Jan collaborated with a Sterling Prize winning practice where he had the opportunity to pursue a broad range of projects from studios in London, Rotterdam, Singapore and Shanghai.

In 2005 following the success of the Clarke Quay and Shanghai Cruise Terminal projects, Jan moved to Beijing to direct the team designing Raffles City Beijing.
Since then he has conceptualized and delivered numerous high profile mixed-use and retail projects.

Jaycee Chui founded MDO in 2014. An ARB qualified Architect and interior designer, Jaycee has over 16 years of experience in London, Hong Kong and China. Her international background fused in Eastern and Western cultures, helps to develop the practice across China. Her approach focuses on the emotional response to space and design and the beauty of everyday spaces.As a female designer, trained in the West and working in Asia,Jaycee represents a new generation of designer; unlimited, energetic, and a role model for the 21st Century designer/businesswoman. In 2018 Jaycee Chui won 40 under 40 for Interior Design. MDO’s projects have won numerous international awards including WIN Awards 2021 and 2020 , DNA Awards, Italy A’Design, Frame Award, IIDA, IDA, LONDON Design Awards,a&d TROPHY AWARDS,Residence Magazine Best 100, Best 100 China.

Multidisciplinary designer, birdwatcher and swimmer.
Creates and develops design inspired by nature, art and architecture. Uses tools and skills from sculpture education background, combines them with a passion for photography, graphic design and video art. She is an author of recognized designs, including the series of hanging bird feeders “Tweet Resto Bar”, inspired by nature and architecture, such as the MOCAK-feeder, inspired by the architecture of Contemporary Art Museum in Krakow.
Runs Uczarczyk. Works and lives in Krakow, Poland.

Jonas Prišmontas (MArch) studied Architecture at the University of East London graduating with a critical thesis about the phenomena of Urban Community Gardens. During his career, Jonas worked various size practices with projects ranging from house extensions to large scale government projects. In 2019 Jonas Prišmontas co-founded architectural practice Boano Prišmontas.
The studio adopts a creative and hands-on approach as a strategic tool to propose design solutions to the contemporary world. Their body of work often deals with self-built pop-up architecture and art installations. Each project draws inspiration from, and combines, various aspects of art, architecture and technology.

Julien De Smedt is the founder and director of JDS Architects based in Brussels, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Shanghai. A designer and architect whose work is internationally spread, Julien’s commitment to the exploration of new architectural models and programs has helped re-energize the contemporary architecture discussion. Seminal projects include the VM Housing Complex, the Mountain Dwellings, Lille’s ABC, the Iceberg, Kalvebod Waves and the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Born in Brussels to French art enthusiast Jacques Léobold and Belgian artist Claude De Smedt, Julien attended schools in Brussels, Paris, and Los Angeles before receiving his diploma from the Bartlett School of Architecture in London.

Marcio Kogan

Marcio is the founding architect of studio mk27. Born in São Paulo and graduated from FAU-Mackenzie in 1976, he is a guest professor at the Politecnico di Milano and Escola da Cidade, and also the author of all the projects of studio mk27. During the first years of his career, Marcio divided his time between cinema and architecture. He is an honorary member of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) and of the council of the Museum Of Art of São Paulo (MASP) and the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology (MUBE).

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 Renata Furlanetto

Architect, graduated from FAU-Mackenzie in 1997 and specialized in “Design in Time” at UPC in Barcelona. Her project “From Local to Global” won the Europandom Award and her House in Araçoiaba project won the Young Architects Award from IAB. At studio mk27 since 2001, she coordinates Architecture Team.

Marco Lavit (b. 1986) studied architecture at Ecole Speciale d’Architecture in Paris and at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He graduated at ESA in 2011 with a dissertation on wineries sustainable design. His sensibility towards design took shape at the studio of the architect and designer Riccardo Blumer. His time at LAN Architecture further strengthened his architectural direction, with a strong focus on design culture and attention for detail.

Lavit founded his architecture and design practice, Atelier LAVIT, in Paris in 2014. Since then, the practice has been active in France and Italy. Atelier LAVIT’s work originates from the dialogue with artisans and their savoir-faire, especially Made in Italy. This approach results in an extemporal production, letting the strength of raw materials speak for the designs themselves.

In architecture, the studio has a preference for the use of wood, often applied to unusual and innovative housing structures all around Europe. In 2017 Atelier LAVIT realized an exclusive tree house, Origin, for the Park of Raray Castle, France, and a series of surprising, floating cabins for Grands Cepages. Hotel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape as well as some privates lodges in the Mediterranean basin. On going projects such as private houses and eco-lodges hotels characterize continuous research on the theme of prefabricated wooden structures and intelligent design.

In 2014 Lavit conceived Venezia, an iron and leather seat which catches the eye for the fluidity and elegance of its line. Venezia was originally designed for the Venice Architecture Biennale, but the work was later exhibited all across Europe: at Great Design Gallery (Paris), at Centre Pompidou (Paris) as part of the retrospective on Le Corbusier by Officine Panerai, at Spazio Rossana Orlandi (Milan) and at Impermanent Collection (Brussels), Collectible design fair (Brussels), Nomad Circle (St. Moritz), Art Basel (Basel), Salone del Mobile (Milan), Maison & Objet (Paris). Today the Venezia lounge chair set, Reconvexo low table, Atem modular sofa, Danseuse floor lamp and Trio wood ceiling lamp are produced exclusively by Nilufar Gallery in Milan.

Lavit’s work has been published and presented internationally allowing him to approach the universe of industrial design collaborating with Jannelli & Volpi (Arké, 2019), Ethimo (Hut, 2020) and Living Divani (Lemni, 2021).

In 2018 Lavit was one of the Rising Talents Award for Maison & Objet Paris and the AD Seven for the Future Award. He exposed Reconvexo low table, designed for Nilufar Gallery, at the exhibition ‘Architect’s Furniture 1960-2020’ at La Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine de Paris in 2019. With the surprising installation ‘Hut’ during Paris Design Week 2019, he started the collaboration with Ethimo and won the Archiproducts Design Awards for the outdoor category in 2020 and the prestigious EDIDA Award in 2021.

Currently teaching architecture at the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture (ESA) in Paris, Lavit focus the work of his studio on small scale architectures and prefab technics and he also acts as a regular guest speaker at conferences related to his field of research.

Sandy Attia earned a Master’s in Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 2000 and founded MoDusArchitects with Matteo Scagnol the same year. Their work has been published widely and among the many awards received for the practice’s work, MoDusArchitects received one of four prizes for the2021 Italian Architect of the Year Award. Sandy Attia’s contribution to the architectural field works between professional and academic pursuits, with a special interest in infrastructural and educational projects. She is currently Visiting Professor at the Milan Polytechnic University and has also been a visiting professor at the Princeton School of Architecture.

Meritxell Inaraja, born February 26, 1968, is a Catalan architect. Born in Vic (Barcelona), Inaraja studied at the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB).
Her style is characterized by compelling exteriors and functional interiors. Inaraja has garnered important commissions for the restoration of historical and industrial complexes and for the design of newly-constructed public facilities and residential buildings.
BIOGRAPHY
Inaraja graduated in Architecture from the Technical School of Architecture of Barcelona, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), in 1994. A year later she earned a postgraduate degree in Museology and Design at UPC.
Inaraja is a disciple of the architect Jordi Garcés. For a long time, she worked on projects with Garcés as well as her own architecture practice, located in Vic’s main square, which she founded in 1995.
Noteworthy restoration projects include: the old coin factory “La Seca” which was transformed into a cultural complex; the walls of Vic; the Besora Castle; the Tossa de Montbuí Tower;
Recently, Inaraja won a competition for the rehabilitation of the Gavà Cooperators Union building, originally designed in 1936 by catalan architects Josep Lluís Sert and Josep Torres Clavé.
Some of her more significant new construction projects are: the Garraf Regional Historical Archive; the Montsià Regional Historical Archive, the Ribera del Ebro Regional Historical Archive, the Palafolls School of Music and Dance.
She’s a member of the Cultural Comission of the Heritage of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

The practice, co-founded in 2018 by French Engineer-Architect Nicolas Sterling and
German Architect Elke Sterling- Presser, is based on 30 years of combined experience,
in the respective fields of Architecture and Structural engineering. We have a high
level expertise in designing landmark architectures and structures worldwide, and we
stand for design excellence. We contributed to a wide range of programs from design
objects and sculptures to multi programmatic theaters and bridges. We are experienced
to deliver in various cultural and geographic situations, and well understand the im pact of challenging project in unexpected context.

She is an International award-winning Turkish Architect and founder,founding partner and principal at MASK Architects in Italy. She graduated from the first place prize of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Cyprus International University in 2014. She has led award-winning international competitions such as the “Oasys+System” artificial breathing modular palm structure system that has been one of ten winners of the “Cool Abu Dhabi Challenge” competition between 1,540 participants. The same project has been awarded A+Architizer 2021 in the USA and Golden Trezzini Awards 2021 in Russia as one of three finalists. Another important project that she led is “Villa G01” new generation Luxury Villa was awarded honorable mention prize by LOOP Design Awards 2021. She led and designed the “Exosteel Mother Nature” modular house project. She and her partner will build the world’s first steel 3D printed structure of modular houses in Orani, the city of Sardinia. The office is the first architecture and design studio in the world to use a steel 3D-printed “exoskeleton” construction system that supports and distributes all the functional elements of the building, using their new solution of construction technique which they called “EXOSTEEL”. She won first prize at World Architecture Community Award 29th circle with the “Kırşehir Automobile & Aeroplane Museum” project. Another project of her “Seoul Photography and Art Museum” was awarded the “one of the best Museum of the Year” in Turkey by the “UNIMUZED 2021” International University Museum Association Platform. The same project has been awarded the 2020 Golden Trezzini Awards for Architecture and Design in the Best Architectural Design for a Museum category In Russia.

Qianyi Lin & Dongzi Yang

Qianyi Lin, co-founder of Various Associates (VA), holds a BA (Hons) degree from University of the Arts London and a master’s degree from Royal College of Art.

Only two years after VA’s establishment, it was the only Asian team awarded as one of the “7 Emerging Design Talents” by Interior Design magazine. In 2020, the team won the Andrew Martin Interior Designer of the Year Award, as the youngest wining team since the launch of the awards program for 25 years. In the same year, Qianyi Lin became an international juror of Frame Awards.

As a representative of China’s emerging design power, Qianyi Lin has been featured by many famous international media platforms, including BBC, Interior Design, Vogue, Wallpaper*,and Domus, etc. VA’s design works have been frequently highlighted on the cover pages of authoritative design magazines worldwide and included in the lists of most popular projects. So far, under Qianyi Lin and Dongzi Yang’s leadership, VA has won dozens of world-class design awards.

Dongzi Yang

Architecture MA, Royal College of Art

RIBA Part 2

BA (Hons), University of the Arts London

Dongzi Yang is the co-founder of Various Associates. He focuses on sustainable design approaches and material research, and endeavours to discover the identities of projects based on essence and functionality.

Rion Philbin is an architect with a long list of solo and collaborative projects. His specialized experience is partitioned between Healthcare Architecture, Interior Design, Product Design and Art Installations. With a 2020s approach, all of his work derives from a passion for analysis and innovation in creating meaningful design packages and built work. Founded by Rion Philbin, No So [No Office Studio] is a team of artists, designers and architects working remotely. No So delivers progressive design solutions to clients who view art, design and built space as assets for increasing their overall quality of life, work and play worth.

Ruben Garcia Rubio, holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Valladolid (Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award); and a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Roma Tre. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at Tulane University (New Orleans, USA) and, previously, has taught in several schools of architecture and international institutions in Europe and the Middle East. Ruben is co-founder of studioVRA (with Sonsoles Vela) and his work has been distinguished with several architectural awards, both design and built, and published in international architectural magazines. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the architectural weblog CajondeArquitecto.com.

Sandy Attia earned a Master’s in Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 2000 and founded MoDusArchitects with Matteo Scagnol the same year. Their work has been published widely and among the many awards received for the practice’s work, MoDusArchitects received one of four prizes for the2021 Italian Architect of the Year Award. Sandy Attia’s contribution to the architectural field works between professional and academic pursuits, with a special interest in infrastructural and educational projects. She is currently Visiting Professor at the Milan Polytechnic University and has also been a visiting professor at the Princeton School of Architecture.

Serhii Makhno is an architect, designer, ceramist, and collector. He is the founder of Makhno Studio, a Kyiv-based studio of Ukrainian contemporary design, architecture, and ceramics. For 19 years Serhii and his team have been creating projects that change the image of Ukrainian design. He is also the founder of the Makhno Product brand that creates designer lighting, furniture, decor, dishes, and art objects. Serhii is a lecturer and speaker at Ukrainian design and art events. Serhii Makhno considers his main goal to rebuild the Ukrainian identity, its cultural code, which was lost as a result of many historical events.

Please, share this links to help Ukraine in this terrible war started by russia:

Donate to Ukrainian defenders. Your donations will go to the most necessary things: food, medicine, clothes for Ukrainian refugees, and for the needs of the Army:

– NBU (National Bank of Ukraine) – https://bank.gov.ua/en/news/all/natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-spetsrahunok-dlya-zboru-koshtiv-na-potrebi-armiyi

– International Charitable Foundation “COME BACK ALIVE” – https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/

Sevak Asatrián, Architect from the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Valencia, has been part of the Fran Silvestre Arquitectos studio since 2015, focusing his practice on the creative department and the architectural visualization department, as well as in the graphic design area, developing various projects such as the House of Silence, the House of the Seven Gardens, the Zumex Group Campus, the Fababu House, the House on the Horizon or the House in Brussels. Some of these projects have been published in international media such as GA Houses, Architectural Record or TC Cuadernos.
Likewise, since the 2015-2016 academic year he has been collaborating with Fran Silvestre as an assistant professor in the Department of Architectural Projects at the ETSA in Valencia. Similarly, he is part of the teaching team of the MArch Valencia master’s and postgraduate programs in the areas of architecture and design.
He has received various awards in national and international architecture and design competitions such as the X Gandía Blasco International Competition (1st Prize), the Young Architects Competition Lighthouse Sea Hotel Competition (2nd Prize), the Young Architects Competition Art Prison Competition (special metnion) or the contest organized by ArkxSite – Site Lake Baths (1st prize), in addition to several mentions and a 3rd Prize in various calls for the annual Catedra Blanca Valencia contest.
Similarly, part of his academic work has been published in the yearbooks of the Department of Architectural Projects of the ETSA of Valencia between 2012 and 2018, as well as on various digital platforms and exhibitions.

I am a photographer with a strong practice focus in Photography of Architecture, currently based in Auckland, New Zealand, with an established international practice throughout Australasia and further afield.
I have both a strong sense of home and a wanderlust which goes right back to when I was born in a sandstorm beside a sleeping camel in 1973. Working in many different settings across cultures around the world has had a great impact on my professional practice, which has been greatly enriched by my experience of each particular context: Shanghai and its people, the fruitful silence of a Japanese bamboo forest, the light in Los Angeles, so different to the harsh, more direct light in New Zealand.
Infact, I love LA light, so diffused, as if a giant soft box had been placed over the sun. On one particular occasion, standing with my camera equipment in a very suburban street in Echo Park I noticed that I had caught the neighbours’ attention. A few came up to ask what I was doing, in a cutely nosey, neighbourly way, all of them appearing to act as a neighbourhood watch of sorts over the house I was photographing and for each other. I felt a great sense of community and a few of them even made it into one of my pictures. I love people in my photos as their appearance adds a sense of scale and a place in time.
I am the author of the award-winning photo-book Rannoch and the All Things Considered series. Photo-books bring together my passion for image, place and language, which started in 2013 with the launch of Portrait of a House, my first self- published photo-book on the Athfield residence in Wellington. Since then, I have started publishing the Ripe Fruit series.
My images feature in many books and collaborations including Long Live the Modern(2009), Group Architects: Towards a New Zealand Architecture (2010), Athfield Architects (2012) and Summer Houses (2011); as well as in numerous national and international magazines such as Elle Decor (Italy, UK, Japan and South Africa), Architectural Digest (Germany), Dwell (USA), Habitus, InDesign (Australia), Architecture NZ, Home New Zealand, Urbis, Interior (NZ).
I lecture in Photography of Architecture at the University of Auckland, where I have also had the pleasure of offering the annual Simon Devitt Prize for Photography since 2008.
Currently I’m represented by PhotoFoyer in Milan, Italy and my work has been exhibited in both group and solo shows.
Once I had a man crush on Nick Cave, and I have a penchant for garden gnomes. Oh, and I prefer my martini shaken, not stirred.
I am available for commissions, collaborations and guest lectures in New Zealand and worldwide.

Sonsoles Vela Navarro, holds a BArch from the University of Valladolid, a Master of Science in Architecture and Sustainable Environment from the University of Extremadura, a Master`s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Kühnel Business School, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Design and Digital Architecture from the San Jorge University. Sonsoles is a practicing architect with almost 20 years of experience working alongside private clients and builders to develop architectural designs on residential, commercial, health care projects. Sonsoles is also a founder-partner of studioVRA and her work has been distinguished with several architectural awards, both design and built, and published in international architectural magazines. Currently, she is also a Lecturer at Tulane University (New Orleans, USA).

Soomeen Hahm is the founder of the SoomeenHahm Design Ltd, a design researcher, educator and architectural designer. Academically she is currently a design faculty and robotic researcher at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Soomeen gained her Bachelor of Architecture degree at the Beijing Tsinghua University and her Master of Architecture degree at the Architectural Association where she studied in the Design Research Lab (DRL). After her graduation, she developed her interests focusing on research in generative and algorithmic design using computer coding, application of multi-agent systems in design, interactive/responsive environments, behavioural patterns of natural systems, as well as robotic fabrication processes and digital modes of production. Her latest research focuses on AR/VR, wearable machines and human computer interaction. She is specialized in coding, digital simulations and 3d modelling in various software platforms. Since her graduation, Soomeen has taught and lectured at numerous institutions in UK and internationally, teaching studios, workshops and short courses focusing on computational design. In addition to this, she is contributing to various online educational platforms and digital toolset libraries. While participating in different academic events, she tries to tackle the issue of computational design paradigm in architecture across multiple scales, through collaboration and exchange of knowledge with other experts from the field. She is experienced in teaching design studios. She used to direct multiple design studios at the AA and the Bartlett. The design studio she directed at the Bartlett – BPro AD – developed series of innovative projects within architectural design discourse focusing on design and construction by augmented humans. She is also an experienced designer worked several years at Zaha Hadid Architects and Zaha Hadid Design where she engaged in designing some of the most iconic buildings and products.

Thomas Corbasson is a French architect based in Paris. After having worked in Seoul for Jean Nouvel, he founded his architecture studio Chartier + Corbasson, designing mainly museums, cultural spaces and music- and theatre venues. Convinced of the importance of preserving local heritage, his studio specialized in the rehabilitation of patrimonial buildings, always seeking for an elegant dialogue between the old and the new. His award winning projects continue to shape the cultural scene all over France. Corbasson is the vice president of the Maison de l’Architecture in Paris, teaches at the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture, has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences and colloquia and organized several architectural interventions at David Lynch’ Silencio Club in Paris. In October 2021, he replaced Ieoh Ming Pei at the Académie d’Architecture de France.

Valerie Schweitzer AIA is principle of the New York-based, multi-award-winning firm, Valerie Schweitzer Architects. Her inventive reinterpretations of American vernacular, and emphasis on carbon-friendly solutions combined with bold and expressive forms has drawn global attention. Her recent Outside-in pavilion in Southampton, New York, was used to launch a new section of the New York Times in 2020. Her firm’s current project, a multi-residential building in West Los Angeles, Hide and Go Seek, is nearing completion and animates the streetscape with pocket gardens inserted into a glass and concrete façade. It signifies a playful ode to the ubiquitous palm tree, helping to animate and sensitize the neighborhood to their environment.

As managing director of Southeast Asia, Angela is responsible for the overall performance and strategic direction of HKS in that region. She has 24 years of healthcare planning experience and participating in the design and planning of over 12 million square feet of healthcare projects worldwide. These LEED and JCI Accredited medical projects have ranged in size from 15,000 to 3.5 million square feet with bed counts from 30 to 1,650 beds. Angela’s projects have been honored with design awards from both the AIA and Modern Healthcare. She has been recognized in publications such as Healthcare Design, Health Facilities Management, Healthcare Design Ideas and Medical Construction and Design.