Paola Cattarin is a Director at Zaha Hadid Architects, having joined the practice in 1999. With experience spanning urban development, infrastructure, architecture, and interiors, she has led major international projects including the Salerno Maritime Terminal and the Napoli-Afragola High Speed Train Station in Italy. Her portfolio ranges from large-scale masterplans in China to luxury retail and hospitality interiors across Europe and Asia. Educated in Barcelona and Rome, Paola also lectures widely on architecture and urban design. Her work bridges design excellence and project leadership, shaping complex civic and commercial environments across diverse global contexts.

Philip F. Yuan is a tenured professor and Dean of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) at Tongji University. He is the founding principal of Archi-Union and Fab-Union. He has been honored with the Ministry of Education’s Chang Jiang Chair Professorship and the Shanghai Eastern Talent Program’s Leading Talent award. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of *Architectural Intelligence*, is an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (Hon. FAIA), and a council member of the UIA-PPC. He has been a visiting professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and RMIT University, and has served as Thomas Jefferson Chair Professor at University of Virginia. His research primarily focuses on performance-based tectonics in architecture and robotic fabrication, and he has translated many of his research theories into architectural practice. He is Chair Professor of Architectural Intelligent Design and Fabrication. He has received numerous provincial and ministerial-level science and technology progress awards, including the Auguste Perret Award from the International Union of Architects—the first Chinese recipient—as well as the ACADIA Academic Innovation Award from the ACADIA, the AIA Honor Award for Architecture, and the Special Award for “Sustainable Development” from the Asian Architectural Association. He has also received the IAA Award, the Dezeen Award, and The PLAN Award multiple times. As an educator, he won the 2024 National Teaching Innovation Competition for University Teachers (National Second Prize, Shanghai Special Prize).

Alex is a producer, leader, and strategist with over 15 years' experience delivering large-scale, multi-disciplinary art, immersive experiences and socially engaged theatre. She has collaborated with pioneering studios and artists including Marshmallow Laser Feast, Assemble, Jon Hopkins, Punchdrunk, and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Specialising in project architecture, partnership development, and innovation at the intersection of art, technology and audiences, Alex has built a reputation for guiding ambitious projects from concept to execution. Her work also spans strategic projects, including business and communications strategy. She has presented at leading forums including the Venice Film Festival and BAFTA, sharing insights on creative production and the future of immersive storytelling. Alex is passionate about supporting the creative industries as a Trustee for charities and mentoring young producers.

Professor Rafiq Azam, a globally renowned architect, was born in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1963.With over three decades of experience, he has honed his distinctive green architecture style, blending tradition, nature, and mysticism in his designs. Inspired by Bengali philosophers and mystics like Lalon and Tagore, Azam's work emphasizes the interplay of light, shadow, water, and air. In 1995, he founded ""SHATOTTO architecture for green living"" after graduating from BUET. His interdisciplinary background, including watercolor painting, world literature, eastern music, architectural photography, shaped his lateral thinking. He is also a dedicated educator and a recipient of various accolades, including the Urban Land Institute Award Winner 2025, CAA (Commonwealth Association of Architects) Robert Mathew Lifetime Achievement Award 2022, Winners of Eurasian Award 2020, LEAF (Leading European Architects Forum) Awards, ARCASIA Gold Medal, Jawaharlal Nehru memorial gold medal and the UIA & UN-HABITAT Awards 2022. His influence extends internationally, with interviews and articles published in prestigious publications, including Guardian, TIME Magazine, New York Times. Toronto Star, CASA Vogue, Harper Magazine etc. Additionally, he serves as a visiting professor at BRAC University and North South University in Bangladesh. Through the Rafiq Azam Travel Bursary scholarship program, he actively supports and mentors both national and international students, fostering the next generation of architects.

Jason Low is the co-founder of Virtualtech Frontier, a Malaysia-based studio building tools and platforms for the emerging metaverse. With a background in marketing and digital content, he transitioned into immersive technology during the pandemic, working with global brands such as Microsoft, Intel, and Nestlé. He leads the development of Mitoworld, one of the region’s early platforms aimed at simplifying metaverse creation. Jason is also the author of Metaverse: Now & Future and host of the “Go Meta with Jason Low” podcast, where he explores how virtual worlds, culture, and technology are reshaping how people create, connect, and experience digital spaces.

Colin Chee is the founder of Never Too Small, a globally recognised platform dedicated to compact living and thoughtful, small-footprint design. Through carefully crafted video storytelling, he and his team have enabled architects and designers worldwide to showcase their work to a broad public audience. The channel, featured by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times Magazine, has grown from a niche interest into a community of over two million subscribers. Colin’s work explores new ways of living with less space and waste, while advocating for more sustainable, accessible, and progressive urban futures through design, media, and public engagement.

Ash Raja and Jonathan Dexter are the duo behind Small Towns Malaysia, a social media platform documenting the charm, culture, and everyday life of Malaysia’s overlooked small towns. Starting from a three-month stay in a quiet village during the pandemic, they’ve since visited over 130 towns, blending cinematic visuals with authentic storytelling to reveal these communities’ richness. Their short videos—shared widely on TikTok and Instagram—highlight landscapes, local traditions, and human connections, inspiring audiences to see Malaysia beyond cities and rediscover the beauty of slower, communal living. Their work champions cultural pride, grassroots tourism, and community voices online.

Otto Ng is co-founder of Hong Kong–based LAAB Architects, where he brings together architecture, technology, and social thinking to shape the next generation of spatial design. Educated at MIT and with experience across leading firms in the US, UK, and Italy, he also served as Assistant Professor at HKU, teaching design computation. Under his leadership, LAAB operates as a multidisciplinary platform spanning architecture, interiors, installations, furniture, and branding. The studio is recognised for its experimental yet pragmatic approach, creating context-driven spaces that connect people with nature, community, and culture, and was named “Design Studio of the Year” by the INDE Awards.

Martin Jochman is a British architect and founder of JADE+QA, with an international practice based in Dubai. His experience spans a wide range of project types, from housing, healthcare, and mixed-use developments to hospitality, themed leisure architecture, and large-scale urban and masterplanning projects. Working across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Jochman is closely involved from concept through construction. His work is guided by a philosophy of “sensitive design,” emphasising contextual awareness and design responsibility. Alongside practice, he lectures internationally and has received multiple awards through global and national competitions.

Lyndon Neri is co-founder of Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, an interdisciplinary practice based in Shanghai that is internationally recognised for its research-driven and culturally grounded approach to architecture. His work consistently engages context, history, and overlapping design disciplines to question how architecture operates within a global worldview. Beyond practice, Neri is deeply committed to architectural education, having taught at institutions including Princeton, Harvard GSD, Yale, and UC Berkeley. He is also Founding Partner of Design Republic, a design platform incorporating retail, furniture, and cultural exhibitions, and education. He positioning architecture as an active agent in shaping contemporary and future culture.

Lim Koon Park is the founder and Principal Architect of Park + Associates. Since 1999, he has pushed the boundaries of traditional design to focus on the human element of architecture. His work emphasizes the "lived experience," moving past functional requirements to create quality spaces that resonate with users on a personal level. Park + Associates is known for its intense yet thoughtful studio culture, producing architecture that is deeply personal, contextually responsive, and carefully developed through close relationships with clients, builders, and place.

IDIN Architects initially conceived of its office as a reflection of its core beliefs – the symbiotic relationship of man, building, and environment. The building accommodates a pleasurable working space for the architects while nurturing a better quality of life by creating the natural surroundings around the working area. The idea turns out into integration the greenery of the site with the nearby existing trees. The increased green space in midtown also becomes the shelters for birds and squirrels. The key idea unfolds from creating a creative working place with high privacy and then develops towards an idea about the invisible presence of the building in an urban context.

Jeonghoon Lee is a Seoul-based architect and founder of JOHO Architecture, blending humanities and craft with contemporary design. Educated in Korea and France, he worked with Zaha Hadid and Shigeru Ban before establishing his firm in 2009. Lee’s award-winning work reinterprets context and materiality, earning international recognition including the Design Vanguard designation for emerging architects. His thoughtful architecture bridges tradition and innovation, creating spaces that resonate with both place and experience.

Andy Rahman is co-founder of andyrahman architect, a Surabaya-based practice established in 2006 together with Abdi Manaf. Both are graduates of ITS Surabaya, sharing a vision for progressive yet contextual architecture rooted in local conditions. The studio is known for its innovative, fresh design approach that combines craftsmanship, sustainability, and the creative use of local, recycled, and affordable materials. With more than 300 built works across Indonesia—ranging from houses and schools to public and religious buildings—the practice has received international recognition through ArchDaily, Architizer, WAF, and major exhibitions. Andyrahman architect believes architecture should be accessible, socially impactful, and reflective of its time and place.