Biographies

Beste Özcan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council of Italy (ISTC-CNR), operates at the intersection of design, technology, wearable computing, and science. Her pioneering work centres on interactive smart devices, focusing on innovative applications for social good. As the visionary behind the concept and brand of "Transitional Wearable Companions (TWCs)," she developed the award-winning prototype +me (PlusMe), a groundbreaking wearable social companion designed specifically for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Additionally, she introduced the IM-TWIN system, an advanced AI-driven therapeutic platform tailored for smart therapy in children with ASD.

Her academic journey is marked by a PhD in Design and Innovation from the Vanvitelli University in Naples. During this time, she enriched her research through international experiences as a visiting scholar at the University of Malaga and the University of Lisbon. Following her doctorate, she extended her collaborations with the University of Ramon Llull La Salle in Barcelona and the University of Rome, Sapienza. Beste’s research passions span social robotics, social-emotional interaction, and wearable computing, with a keen interest in leveraging human-machine hybridity for social innovation.Her artistic endeavours include crafting experimental interactive devices and creating intricate 1/100-scale sci-fi dioramas confronting pressing global issues. Her work has been showcased at prestigious venues, including the Venice Architecture Biennale and the "Borders Art Fair" in 2021.

She was recognised by Robohub in 2022 as one of the most successful women in robotics. Beyond her research and artistic projects, Beste is dedicated to education, organising international workshops and lectures to empower young minds and university students. She imparts knowledge in social robot design, human-centred design, interaction design, and more. She is also the author of the insightful book “H+ Design: Time, Space, Human, Machine” which further establishes her as an innovative researcher in the field.

Valerio Sperati got a Master Degree in experimental psychology, at University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 2006. Since 2007, he works as a researcher at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council of Italy, ISTC-CNR. He was involved in several, European-funded research projects, which concerned various research topics, such as: robotics, artificial vision, development of tangible, interactive tools. Since 2018, he is focused on the development of smart, interactive toys, to support the development of social skills in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Workshop: #1 GOOSEBUMPS X: transforming human eXperiences to inspire a sense of awe

​

Xenia is an architecture collective centered on the concept of hospitality and the inclusion of the foreign in the broadest sense. Together, they explore the community- building potential of architecture, focusing primarily on public space projects. They have worked on a series of architectural and landscape competitions in Switzerland and conducted various workshops at international architecture schools.

Romain Iff is an architect from La Chaux-de-Fonds and ETH Zurich graduate (2022). He has worked with Ciguë in Paris and Jan Kinsbergen in Zurich. His work spans scales from exhibitions to family homes and large-scale projects like the Campus Santé in Lausanne. In 2022, he co-founded Xenia and recently led the "Sample Architecture" workshop at Paris-Est Winter School.

Michel Kessler is an architect based in Zurich and the founder of michel.kessler+associates. His practice spans a diverse range of international projects, engaging with infrastructure, geopolitics, artificial intelligence, and innovative materials. In 2024, he received the Foundation Award for Innovation in architecture and was selected for the EU Horizon project INCA. His work has been exhibited at venues such as the Biennale di Venezia and Sonic Matter.

Pierre Musy, an architect and videographer, graduated from ETH Zurich in 2022. He has contributed to projects at Baukunst and BUREAU, co-curated the art gallery BELLA, and co-founded Xenia in 2022. His work explores narratives in everyday life and has been showcased at events like the Lugano
Territorial Biennial 2022.

Workshop: #2 Expanded Architecture

Xander Wilhelm (born 1990, Germany) is a trained geographer, architect, and designer working in Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium. In 2022, he joined the architecture practice AgwA in Brussels, having previously lived and worked in Zurich and Stuttgart. After graduating from the Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources in Freiburg, he studied Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Stuttgart and the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. Besides his engagement with several offices, mainly working on conversion and reuse projects, he initiated proposals and continuously collaborates with others. Furthermore, he participated in guest critiques, lecture series, and student supervision (ADBK Munich, University & ABK Stuttgart). In 2023, he contributed to the Albanian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale and was part of the Fake/Authentic Gallery in Milan with a set of lamps made from leftover materials.

Celeste Tellarini (born 1994, Italy) is an architect and photographer based in Brussels. She studied scenography in Milano and holds a master degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Politecnico di Milano. From 2019 to 2024 Celeste was part of Dogma (Brussels) where she has been in charge of territorial scale to exhibition design projects, always with a focus on research and theory. In 2021 she entrablished a multitude: an open multidisciplinary practice. In 2024 she joined the office XDGA in Brussels. Her work as photographer has been published in magazines in Switzerland (Skin on Skin, 2023) and exhibited in Brussels (New Ways of Living, 2024). Since 2022 Celeste is also collaborating with universities in Belgium, Italy and Australia for workshops, juries and lectures. Her interest lies on a non-conforming perception of the realm, far from labels, binary oppositions and strict definitions.

Workshop: #3 Pasta Salad

Büşra Köroglu completed her bachelor's and master's degree in architecture at the Vienna University of Technology. Her diploma thesis dealt with the revitalization of a shipyard in Istanbul on the GoldenHorn (2017). During and after her studies she worked in different architectural offices: TabanliogluArchitects (Istanbul), PLOV, AWG, Roger Baumeister Architekten (Vienna). Since 2020 she has been working as a research assistant at Institute Raum und Gestalt of TU Graz. Currently she isworking on her PhD, focusing on the advertisements for building materials published in thearchitectural magazine Arkitekt in Turkey.

Lina Stefanova (Kostoff) completed her bachelor's degree at the Toronto Metropolitan University in Interior Design and her master's degree in Architecture at the University of Toronto, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design. Her diploma thesis (2021) researched 100+ Japanese houses designed and built between 1961 and 1992. From this she devised a unique methodology of designing single family homes through a series of rules and strategic steps that resulted in 3 houses - but could be continued to design 100 houses. During her studies she worked as a student teaching assistant at Toronto Metropolitan University and University of Toronto in both bachelors and masters courses. After graduating she worked for the Office of Metropolitan Architecture (Rotterdam) and later as a teaching assistant at Institute Raum und Gestalt of TU Graz. Currently, she is working independently on various projects in Austria, focusing on interior and exterior spaces as well as small scale urban interventions.

Workshop: #4 Carnival

Franziska Käuferle (*1986) is an architect from Berlin. After studying architecture at the TU Munich, Artesis Antwerp and the TU Berlin, she worked for Bruno Fioretti Marquez in Berlin. In 2021 she founded her own office and is a founding member of the Gruppe030. She develops architectural ceramics and has a focus on materiality in her practice. She also works and teaches in an academic context at various universities including TU Dresden, TU Graz, University of Stuttgart and Bauhaus University Weimar.

Sergey Kolesov (*1986) is an architect from Berlin. After studying architecture at the UdK Berlin, TU Dresden and UPC Barcelona, he worked for various offices such as Bruno Fioretti Marquez and Roger Boltshauser in Berlin and Zurich. He was also teaching at Löser Lott Studio at TU Dresden and is a founding member of the architecture office Gruppe030. The wide experience gained in the field of architecture competitions brings his focus on developing design concepts.

Workshop: #5 Old Masters and New Friends

Filipa Alves is a Portuguese biophysicist and designer with interdisciplinary training and experience. She holds a degree in Biology, a PhD in Physics and a Master’s in Product and Space Design. Her research focuses on the key mechanisms underlying the generation of forms and patterns in natural and artificial systems, and on the promotion of scientific and technological literacy. Using an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, Filipa combines computational modeling, image analysis and processing, visual arts, and product and space design, with the aim of translating and applying tools and knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. She currently coordinates the Bio-Inspired Design Lab at UNIDCOM/ IADE in Lisbon, where she works on nature-inspired algorithms for generative design, on natural pigments in graphic design and visual arts, and on design approaches to improve scientific literacy.

Workshop: #6 Through the looking glass: a dive into the microcosmos

Wendy Wuyts works as the Chief Research Officer in a Norwegian startup, applying futuring and prototyping techniques to reintegrate waste wood into construction. Born in Antwerp, Wendy Wuyts completed a BSc in Geography at KU Leuven before earning a PhD in Environmental Science from Nagoya University, Japan. She has authored eco-fiction stories in English and a Dutch book supported by Circular Flanders. She collaborates with European architects and engineers on timber-based research and innovation projects, such as RAW, with institutions like ITKE&ICD Stuttgart and the Royal Danish Academy. She is a certified forest therapy guide with experience in Japan and Belgium, and a rich experience in leading transdisciplinary workshops.

Esther Vandamme researches contemporary timber architecture and circularity in Europe. As a PhD candidate at the University of Antwerp, her research focusses on bio-based architecture, timber engineering and adaptability. She’s an engineer-architect with several years of experience in practice in Belgium, Japan and The Netherlands. Esther holds a master from the UGhent and a from The Berlage and TU Delft and taught Spatial Design at the University of the Arts Utrecht. Under the name studio roro, Esther designs and realizes bio-based architecture projects.

Workshop: #7 Raw Material Vision: sensory journey with hemp, reclaimed timber and biopolymers into 2050

Juliana Berglund-Brown is a PhD researcher in architecture at the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology (MIT). Her work focuses on the reuse of structural steel components. Currently, Juliana is a visiting researcher at ETH Zürich.

Robbe Pacquée is a PhD researcher at the University of Antwerp, focusing on the adaptive reuse of existing building structures. Robbe was a visiting researcher at MIT and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
Besides a shared passion for architecture and research related to reuse, Juliana and Robbe share a deep interest 20th century modern art. Inspiration for this workshop includes the works of Donald Judd, John Chamberlain, Richard Serra, and Cornelia Parker.

​Workshop: #8 Re-use as Ready-made
​

Roland Fuhrmann is a visual artist and researcher, based in Berlin. He studied Fine Arts at Burg Giebichenstein Art School in Halle and at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Since 2018 he holds a PhD in architecture from the Technical University in Dresden for which he received the Kurt Beyer Award. His multidisciplinary artwork includes installation, kinetic sculpture, video and photography, exposed in many international exhibitions and museums. He has realised over 25 permanent public art works after winning competitions: in universities, public buildings and spaces in Germany and abroad. He has held lectures and workshops at the University of Antwerp, EPFL Lausanne, Muthesius Art School in Kiel, Burg Giebichenstein Art School in Halle, BTU Cottbus, TU Dresden and at the 5ICCH in Chicago. Most recently, he has exposed Palombières in France and Berlin, showing his research on atypical tree houses built by pigeon hunters in the south of France.

Phoebe Blackburn founded Phenomenal Words in 2014, dedicated to communications, in particular around circularity and sustainability. Prior to this, she worked for the French Embassy in London, where she was Deputy cultural attaché, followed by eight years at an energy group in London and Paris working on corporate responsibility and communications. An active member of Paris-based thought leader network Circulab from 2015-2022, her activity today includes workshops and talks explaining the circular economy model to transform organisations, support a regenerative economy and cut waste. Past clients include Berlin's first 'circular' fish and vegetable farm, WWF, Vileda, Impact Hub and TU Berlin. Recent talks and workshops with a circularity perspective have been on Ecofeminism; Cities and Social Harmony; Additive Manufacturing. Phoebe has long been intrigued by the whimsicality of dustbins from a culture and design perspective: her photo project Les Plu'Belles, dustbins from around the world, was shown in Paris and Berlin.

Workshop:  #9 Hats Ahead: Let's create a wearable vision of the future!

Susana Piquer is Head of Design at Colapso Studio.  With professional training in Technical Architecture, Susana holds a Master on Interior Design and a Master on Art Direction that developed her intuitive sense for design and aesthetics and allow the studio to bridge rich narratives with functionality and spatial awareness. She co-founded Fos Collective in 2013. After collaborating with various artists and creative agencies, she established Colapso Studio in 2015, a design practice specializing in both permanent and ephemeral spaces, as well as objects. Susana regularly contributes to the academic discourse as lecturer for academic institutions in Barcelona and abroad. Currently teaching at Istituto Europeo di Design and LCI Barcelona.

Since graduating as an architect from the University of Buenos Aires, Giovanni Giampetruzzi has developed a solid foundation in design and spatial planning, which she has complemented with studies in various artistic disciplines such as theater, dance, and yoga. This journey has allowed her to acquire a holistic perspective that integrates creativity, aesthetics, and functionality. Currently, as a cultural project coordinator for the Barcelona City Council, at FAD (fostering arts & design) and other institutions, Giovanna is dedicated to managing artistic initiatives and museum design. In this context, she has been able to appreciate the importance of knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration to enrich projects and generate a positive impact on society.

Workshop: #10 Dreamscapes Unleashed: Crafting Your Ideal Utopia

Maxime Szyf (°1964) has been a designer from his early childhood.. With over 35 years experience, designing for companies, organisations and entrepreneurs in very diverse fields, he combines insight with innovation, to achieve beautiful solutions with successful ROI (return-on-innovation). He worked
as an in-house designer for Samsonite Europe and Verhaert Design&Development, founded MAXIMALdesign and was a creative partner at Yellow Window. Maxime’s passion still lies in the translation of strategy into shape, and creating value, as a design guide to entrepreneurs!

Workshop: #11 GOODBYE WITH A SMILE

Susanne Pietsch is an architect and interiors architect based in Rotterdam. She is interested in architecture as an expression of collective action and material culture, particularly the aspect of craftsmanship and actual physical participation in the creative process. Her projects operate at the intersection of design, research and the production of architectural projects, interiors, exhibitions, furniture and objects. Susanne is co-author of the publications Walls that Teach – On the Architecture of Youth Centres (Jap Sam, 2014) and The New Craft School (Jap Sam, 2018). She teaches at the Architecture Faculty of TU Delft in the Group of Interiors Buildings Cities, where she supervises students in all MSc courses and coordinates parts of the program. Her teaching emphasizes sensitivity to context, an approach to design through narrative, and the value of collaboration.

Workshop: #12 What we don’t see

Annelies Vaneycken is a designer, educator, and researcher whose work delves into how public narratives and interventions can empower marginalized communities through participatory and ethnographic approaches. Since 2020, she has been teaching at the MFA Design programs at HDK-Valand Academy of Art and Design, University of Gothenburg. Prior to that, she taught at LUCA School of Arts, Brussels (1999– 2014). From 2014 to 2017, Vaneycken was a Research Fellow in the EU Marie Curie project TRADERS, which aimed to advance training for art and design researchers in public space participation. She co-founded Trans-ID, Studio for Visual Communication Design in 1999 and worked there until 2014. Vaneycken earned her MFA in Graphic Design from LUCA School of Arts Brussels in 1998, an MFA in Design from the Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam in 2001, and a Ph.D. in Design from HDK-Valand Academy of Art and Design, University of Gothenburg in 2020.

Workshop: #13 Whimsical Worlds: Crafting Joyful Futures Through Visionary Design

Ji Zhang and Wenjun Deng are Chinese architects based in Brussels, with a foundational background in landscape architecture.

From the beginning of our collaboration, we have drawn inspiration from the similarities across various design disciplines. Our experiences living in diverse societies allow us to approach issues in the built environment from multiple perspectives. It leads us to a strong interest in how things are formed under various forces in our world. In both our practice and research, we focus on responding to these forces in a relaxed and lighthearted manner. For us, teaching is not only a means of sharing knowledge but also a way to explore how different ideas can blend and mediate with one another.

Workshop: #14 Tolerant tolerance

Neha Panchal practices in Mumbai and has been teaching at the Rachana Sansad’s Academy of Architecture, Mumbai since 2012, currently as an Associate Professor, where she coordinates the undergraduate foundation program and the Research Cell. She is interested in conducting research projects and studios that are critically informed by anthropology, sociology and the eco-systems of the city. Neha is currently researching on ageing in the urban built environments, alternative historical narratives, cultures of play in Mumbai while developing tactical urban inserts in collaboration with the MCGM.

Archita Bandyopadhyay is an architect with a Master’s in History, Theory, and Criticism from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. She has been a faculty member at R.V College of Architecture teaching design subjects with a focus on culture and the built-environment. She also cofounded a trans-disciplinary design practice named Studio Liminal Play, in Bangalore, India. Archita is interested in conversing and collaborating with individuals and practices that challenge conventional notions of architecture and seek to expand its horizons.

Workshop: #15 Whimkits of Amusement

​