Keynote Events

Organised human life in urban contexts is facing innumerable challenges: climate change and the consequent extreme weather events, the transition towards a non-fuel based mobility, migration from rural areas and other countries, the need to deal with an architectural heritage that is as valuable as ecologically difficult to tackle, the sustainability and reusability of the new built environment. These are some of the most pressing contemporary urban issues, how are architects and urban planners responding to these challenges? What new perspectives are non-Western cultures and traditions bringing to the table that might shape the urban habitat in unexpected ways? Is the countryside stealing the protagonism out of cities? We are talking to the key international game-changers that are re-shaping the way we understand architecture and urbanism.

Speakers

CHRISTOS PASSAS, ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS Christos joined Zaha Hadid Architects as a Senior Designer in February 1998 and has
been a key member in the development of the overall artistic evolution of the Studio, its business development, the office culture and leader of a wide range of build and unbuilt projects and competitions within the practice.

Christos taught Parametric Design and Urbanism at the Architectural Association with Patrik Schumacher in London between 2007 and 2010, working on the exploration of digital and parametric techniques for the formation of large urban settlements.

Through his engagement with ZHA, Christos has developed a series of visionary projects with an innovative outlook aiming to bridge the gap between Ecology and Technology, formulating a research agenda for the habitat of the future in the years to come. This ongoing effort and developed knowledge in issues of global concern, resulting in a deep understanding of the area and an enhanced and intensively productive dialectic collaboration, always looking to achieve the high targets set by a culture of excellence and innovation.

MARÍA HURTADO DE MENDOZA is an associate professor of architecture at new jersey institute of technology. prior to njit, she taught at madrid school of architecture etsam (her alma mater) for 15 years, and at cornell university from 2011 to 2013.

she is author of a recent book published by actar publishers titled “clinical, an architecture of variation with repetition”, a clinical study of a trilogy of health-care centers built by entresitio in madrid, spain. professor hurtado de mendoza was awarded the spanish academy rome prize for architecture in 1996.

estudio__entresitio is a madrid-ny based practice that is invested in the material actualization of the architectural concept. The practice has extensive building experience with an emphasis on public work that utilizes novel solutions for what is functional and necessary without sacrificing creativity or exploration. A large number of international awards and recognitions for projects, and especially for built work, speak to the attention that entresitio’s work gives to spatial thinking and tectonics.

estudio__entresitio has enjoyed much attention. in 2007, architectural record selected the firm as design vanguard, helping their work to be published and seen in many countries. their built work has received more than 50 awards and honorable mentions and their projects have placed in more than 20 competitions. the firm participated in the 10th, 11th and 13th (2016) beau spanish biennial of architecture and urbanism, the 7th biau iberoamerican biennial of architecture and urbanism, the 7th, 10th and 15th (2016) venice biennale, and received the archdaily “building of the year 2012” in the health care category, for this clinics trilogy in madrid and “premio coam 2014”, acsa design faculty award, the boston society of architects bsa housing design award 2014 and the 2014 “wan house of the year” award for the #house#1.130. they are winners of the 1st prize (together with pacheco arquitectura) in the international competition for the museum of memory about to be built in bogotá, colombia. entresitio is currently working in the new infraestructures for club de mar-mallorca and finishing a single family house built in wood.

What are the challenges of the food industry in the near and distant future? How are professionals of cuisine innovating their work processes in light of a more sustainable perspective? How are they investigating new materials with less impact on the world’s economic and ecological balance? How ready are we to challenge our culinary – therefore cultural – habits in light of the critical decisions humanity is called to take? How is cuisine understood today in a post-pandemic more-socially-aware world? We’ll use design research to eviscerate these and more topics related to the key area of food transformation and sustainability together with Michelin-starred chefs who dedicated their lives to researching and innovating in the culinary arts.

Speakers

ANDONI ADURIZ Since 1998, Andoni Luis Aduriz has been at the forefront of Mugaritz, a creative project that allows the freedom to create without ties. A creative ecosystem that gathers eternally curious minds that, from gastronomy, reflect and create together with scientists, artists, philosophers and nutritionists.

His talks at Harvard and MIT, his articles in the Spanish national newspaper El País, his role in the Board of Trustees of the Basque Culinary Center Foundation and his books are tools for disseminating the knowledge acquired by Mugaritz on creativity in organisations, healthcare, multi-sensory perception or on the food of the future.

Throughout his career was awarded the National Gastronomy Award, the St. Pellegrino Chef’s Choice Award, the Eckart Witzigmann Award and the Healthy Gastronomy Award by the Royal Academy of Gastronomy. In 2021, he has been appointed Ambassador of Japanese Cuisine, a title granted by the Japanese Government to those who spread its culinary culture.

SONJA STUMMERER and MARTIN HABLESREITER studied both architecture in Vienna, London, and Barcelona. After graduation they worked in Tokyo, before founding the transdisciplinary studio honey & bunny in Vienna. Their work is based on social and ecological sustainability. Honey & bunny consider themselves as inbetweeners. They do publications, installations, exhibitions, performances and design.

They directed the movie “food design”, curated the exhibitions “food design” at the MuseumsQuartier Wien, “food design humanity” at Lodz/ PL, and participated as designers and eat art artists in numerous international solo and group exhibitions, among others in London, Zürich, Vienna, Salzburg, Milano, Amsterdam, Gwangju, Hanover. They have performed about sustainability in Milano, London, Paris Salzburg and others.

In 2009 they published the book “food design XL” (Springer Vienna/NY) and in 2013 “eat design” (Metro Verlag Vienna). Stummerer and Hablesreiter have given many international talks, were visiting professors in Bucharest (RO), Istanbul (TR), and Chennai (IN), and currently teach at the New Design University St. Pölten and the University of Salzburg.

Moderator

SILVANA JURI

The threats the entire living ecosystem is facing are, according to many prominent scientists, the biggest that humanity ever faced. The challenges to life on the planet are enormous, and we are left with little time to act. Is there still room for humanity to interact with an endangered ecosystem? Can anthropic action be funnelled to explore new, more sustainable materials that work together – and not against – the natural ecosystem? How will humanity face a world in which our action will – necessarily – be reduced in favour of other species and beings? Are we ready for the post-human era? Design research will try to explore these urgent topics engaging in conversation with scientists and artists for the Ecosystem keynote. Is it already the moment to erase completely any borders and live in a universe where human and non-human, artificial and natural are seamlessly interwoven?

Speakers

MOON RIBAS is a Catalan cyborg artist best known for developing the Seismic Sense, an online seismic sensor that allows her to perceive earthquakes taking place anywhere on the planet through vibrations in real-time. In order to share her experience, she then translates her seismic sense on stage. Ribas transposes the earthquakes into either sound, in her piece Seismic Percussion; or dance, in Waiting For Earthquakes. In these performances the Earth is the composer and the choreographer; and Ribas, the interpreter. Moon is also the co-founder of the Cyborg Foundation, an international organization that aims to help people become cyborgs, defend cyborg rights and promote cyborgism as an artistic and social movement.

SAMANTHA G.R JENKINS, (MSc Engineering (Sustainable Biotechnology) Aalborg University CPH, BSc (Hons.) Biochemistry, Maastricht University) and has an impressive portfolio of work around sustainable materials and biochemical engineering. Her international education took her from Canada, to The Netherlands, Australia, and Denmark, and shaped her global perspective on biotechnology and sustainability. Her academic career focused on molecular engineering of microorganisms for the enhanced degradation of synthetic polymers and she has published articles and a book chapter on the subject.

Her current position as Lead Biotechnological Engineer at BIOHM, a multi-award-winning R&D led, biomanufacturing company, was a step into industry and into the active application of sustainability science in the real world; a topic she is passionate about alongside her academic pursuits. She is an ardent researcher in the blooming field of mycology and aims to use biotechnology, biomimetics and biochemistry to build a more sustainable future. Her current research projects focus on myco-remediation, myco-engineering, the philosophy of biomimicry, and science communications.

Moderator

ELISA GIACCARDI