Moderator

prof. WASSIM NAGHI | Chairman and Professor of architecture Lebanese University, Lebanon

MVRDV Advanced Architecture Roundtable

09.35 - 11.05

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

Title: " From Research to Impact"

Main Idea: How research and development are translated into real-world implementation. Tracing the journey from MVRDV’s early explorations of density, such as WoZoCo, to the Valley project in Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, Sanne will illustrate how in-house tools and technologies accelerate processes and rationalise designs. She will elaborate on MVRDV’s custom software, SolarScape and RoofScape, and how they contribute to achieving the Paris Agreement targets. By highlighting the role of innovation in climate-responsive architecture and the importance of transformations, Sanne will demonstrate why research-driven solutions are essential for the future of sustainable design.

Bio: 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.

Round Table Facilitator: ANDREEA ROBU-MOVILA, PhD. Architect, Scientific Researcher "Ion Mincu" University of Architecture and Urban Planning

BENOY Advanced Architecture Roundtable

11.45 - 13.15

Speaker: AMI NIGAM | Head of Technology BENOY, UK

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

Bio: 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. 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

Bio: 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.

MAD ARCHITECTS Advanced Architecture Roundtable

13.40 - 15.10

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

Title: "Innovative MAD Design Process"

Main Idea: This round table explores how AI aids concept generation, parametric design refines solutions, and innovative materials transform facades. Gain insights into blending technology, creativity, and sustainability to craft cutting-edge architectural solutions tailored to modern challenges.

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

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.

Bio: He holds degrees in structural engineering and architecture from the Politecnico di Bari (Italy) and specialized in digital fabrication at ETH Zurich. 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.

HEATHERWICK Advanced Architecture Roundtable

15.25 - 16.55

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

Title: "Beyond Geometry – Emergent Technologies at Heatherwick Studio"

Main Idea: Pablo will go through Heatherwick Studio’s explorations on technology and their application on Projects. He will cover research on AI, Immersive Media and Computational Design from a human standpoint.

Bio: 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 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

Bio: 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.