Moderator

HAMID HASSANZADEH | Founder ParametricArchitecture Platform, Turkey

ParametricArchitecture, often abbreviated as PA, stands as a globally renowned hub for parametric, computational design, and AI lovers, boasting over 20 million monthly interactions on the internet. Hamid endeavors to demystify the intricacies of the parametric, computational, and AI realms. Furthermore, he’s the visionary behind PAACADEMY, an educational entity under the aegis of PA, dedicated to propagating the concepts of computational architecture and design.

MVRDV Advanced Architecture Roundtable

09.30 - 11.00

Speaker: SANNE VAN DER BURGH | Associate Director, Head of MVRDV NEXT, The Netherlands

Sanne’s strengths lie in integral project narratives with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With her personal fascination for computational workflows and methodologies, she championed MVRDV NEXT, an in-house R&D group that focuses on the development and implementation of cutting-edge technologies in MVRDV’s projects. The involvement of MVRDV NEXT has made complex projects such as the Floriade plant layout and the façade of Valley possible. Currently, MVRDV NEXT focuses on the development of visionary tools that help cities become more dense, more green, and more resilient. A dedicated advocate for environmental awareness in architecture, urbanism, and our daily lives, Sanne believes in the capacity of design to inspire and have a positive impact on people and their surroundings.

Round Table Facilitator: prof. WASSIM NAGHI | Chairman and Professor of architecture Lebanese University, Lebanon

Wassim Naghi’s influence extends globally through his membership in the UIA-UNESCO Education and International Competitions Commissions. His leadership roles include being the President of the Niemeyer Heritage Foundation in Tripoli, and his past position as the President of Union of Mediterranean Architects UMAR and President of Architects, Order of Engineers and Architects in Tripoli. Wassim Naghi’s expertise was instrumental in securing UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status for the Rashid Karami International Fair.

BENOY Advanced Architecture Roundtable

11.45 - 13.15

Title: "Scaling Design Technology in the age of SAAS"

Speaker: AMI NIGAM | Head of Technology BENOY, UK

Ami Nigam is a Design Technology Strategist currently leading as the Head of Technology at Benoy. With an extensive career that spans various roles and countries, Ami has honed a deep expertise in optimising processes through designing workflows and implementing systems. His areas of specialisation includeBIM, Sustainability, Computational Design, and #Technical Delivery. Before his current role at Benoy, Ami enriched his skills at UNStudio and served as a Lead Mentor in BIM & Computational Design with Novatr (previously Oneistox). Ami’s journey began in Beijing, where his initial forays into 3D printing across various domains sparked his profound interest in technology. Furthering his education at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Barcelona, he immersed himself in computational design and advanced fabrication technologies.

Round Table Facilitator: ARMOR GUTIERREZ RIVAS | Senior Lecturer University of East London, UK

Since 2017, he has run the design studio Unit 8 at MArch, Master in Architecture at the University of East London. Armor's students have engaged with a number of community-led organisations and assisted them with implementing sustainable solutions to their design schemes, including innovative solutions for floating communities in the Royal Docks in collaboration with Babylon Blue, or pioneering material prototypes using byproducts from sugar cane in collaboration with Tate & Lyle. The unit students have been shortlisted in several occasion for prestigious RIBA awards.

HEATHERWICK Advanced Architecture Roundtable

14.00 - 15.30

Speaker: PABLO ZAMORANO MOSNAIM | Head of Computational Design Heatherwick, UK

As Head of Geometry and Computational Design at the studio, Pablo leads a team of designers and specialists that work across all studio projects providing expertise and guidance on new technologies and techniques, simulation and the execution of challenging geometries as well as developing digital tools and products. He was key on the development and fabrication coordination for all complex geometry related areas on the project most notably on the Upper Level for the Coal Drops Yard, a new retail quarter and public space in King’s Cross, London. He is also a tutor at the Architectural Association where he runs a seminar focused on design to fabrication workflows and innovation.

Round Table Facilitator: prof. ANGELO MAGGI | Associate professor and Rector’s Advisor for International Relations Universitá Iuav di Venezia, Italy

His research and teaching, both in Italy and elsewhere, examines the study of architectural photography, its origins, evolution, and its role equally as an analytical tool for architectural historians and as a documentation of world heritage. He has curated many exhibitions and published widely. His recent substantial volume G.E.Kidder Smith Builds. The Travel of Architectural Photography (ORO Editions, Novato California, 2022) is an award-winning book.

MAD ARCHITECTS Advanced Architecture Roundtable

16.00 - 17.30

Speaker: ANDREA D'ANTRASSI | Associate Partner MAD Architects, China

Title: "3D-printed mansonry"

Main Idea: The lecture will demonstrate how the combination of historical unreinforced masonry structural principles and 3D concrete printing can significantly enhance circularity. Additionally, they serve as an excellent example of a prefabrication system that can be precisely assembled on-site. The primary focus is on the positive outcomes resulting from the synergy between masonry principles and 3D printing—specifically in terms of circularity—and the innovation introduced by a fully integrated computational design pipeline.

Round Table Facilitator: Dr. ALESSANDRO DELL'ENDICE | Senior Researcher at the Block Research Group (BRG), ETH Zurich, Switzerland

He holds degrees in structural engineering and architecture from the Politecnico di Bari (Italy) and specialized in digital fabrication at ETH Zurich, where he earned his PhD in 2022. Dr. Dell'Endice joined the BRG in 2016, and his research focuses on the structural assessment and design of unreinforced masonry structures using the Discrete Element Modelling method. During his PhD, he served as a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley. From 2021 to 2023, he contributed as a structural designer to the construction of the Striatus Bridge in Venice, Italy, and the Phoenix Bridge in Lyon, France.