House of the Future 2024/2025 Jury panel!

Ahmed Bukhash, Archidentity
Alison Brooks, Alison Brooks Architects
Micael Calatrava, Calatrava Grace and Calatrava International
Sumaya Dabbagh, Dabbagh Architects
Andrew Mason, Calatrava International
Will Plowman, Foster + Partners
Bertrand Schippan, MVRDV
Charles Walker, Zaha Hadid Architects

Ahmed Bukhash is Founder of Archidentity, a Dubai-based design firm with a process based on fostering a unique and distinctive identity with all its designs by infusing it with regional symbolism.

Alison Brooks is the Principal and Creative Director of Alison Brooks Architects. She is one of the UK’s most highly awarded and internationally acclaimed architects. Raised in Guelph, Ontario, she studied architecture at the University of Waterloo before moving to London in 1989. Since founding her practice in 1996 she has emerged as one of the UK’s most inventive architects, with works ranging from private houses and installations to education and arts buildings, masterplans and landmark towers. Alison Brooks’ unique architectural approach springs from her invested research into specific geographies, climate and cultures of each project, so that her design solutions emerge as both unique and relevant to the constituencies they serve. This is beautifully exemplified by the recently completed Cohen Quadrangle at Exeter College, Oxford. The first Oxford College to be designed by a female architect, this building demonstrates the conceptual rigor, sculptural quality and ingenious detailing that is her practice trademark. Alison Brooks has contributed to architectural education as Design Tutor, Visiting Lecturer and External Examiner for over twenty years. Teaching positions include Diploma Unit Master at the Architectural Association (2008- 2010, 2012-2016), Studio Leader at Harvard Graduate School of Design (2018) and Cornell AAP, Gensler Visiting Critic (2023). Since 2018 Alison has led an annual Master in Collective Housing Design Workshop at ETSAM, Universidad Politécnica of Madrid. In 2014 Alison received the University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering Alumni Achievement Award and in 2016, Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa). Her charitable work includes serving on Open City’s Board of Trustees from 2014-2022. She mentors high-school students from under-represented groups through charities Accelerate and Architecture in Schools. Alison speaks globally at Universities and conferences as a public voice for the profession, advocating the role of women in architecture, the resurgence of building craft and the value of timber as an expressive, low carbon building technology. Alison has been awarded both Woman Architect of the Year and an AJ100 Contribution to the Profession Award. Her work is widely published in professional journals. ‘Ideals then Ideas’, her first practice publication, was published in 2017. She often writes columns pro bono for architectural and artistic publications, recently for the Royal Academy and RIBA. A new practice Monograph, detailing a quarter-century of the firm’s work, will be published by TC Cuadernos in 2024. In 2014 Alison was awarded an Alumni Achievement Award by the University of Waterloo, followed by a 2016 Doctorate of Engineering (Hon Causa).

Micael Calatrava is Executive Chairman of real estate development company Calatrava Grace and Chief Executive Officer of Calatrava International, a multidisciplinary engineering firm based in Dubai. In this capacity, he oversees and is responsible for some of the world’s leading infrastructure and construction projects with combined estimated values over $5 billion. As of 2017 the company had ~100 employees under contract. Prior to joining Calatrava MidEast, Calatrava worked at Tortus Capital in New York, a multi-strategy hedge fund focused on value investing. Calatrava identified opportunities across the capital structure and covered equities, capital arbitrage, and special situations. He performed extensive sovereign and Government Sponsored Enterprise credit analysis and managed investment risks regarding capital preservation and hedging strategies. Calatrava also worked in London for a real estate private equity fund where he invested in the German real estate market and managed commercial real estate assets and companies. He is an engineer and a four-time graduate of Columbia University in New York, having earned three degrees in civil engineering and an MBA. Recently Calatrava has returned to Columbia as a guest lecturer in the Business School.

Sumaya Dabbagh is the founder of Dabbagh Architects. She is a Saudi architect educated in the UK with diverse experience in architecture, interior design, and project management spanning over 20 years. Following an education at Bath University under the guidance of the late Peter Smithson and Sir Ted Happold, Dabbagh began her career in London and Paris in the early 90’s. Her return to the Gulf region in 1993 was part of a quest to gain a deeper understanding of her own identity, a unique mix of influences and sensitivity towards both western and middle eastern cultures. In 2002, after completing the award winning Childrens’ City Project while at Schuster Pechtold and Partners, Dabbagh started to carve her own path as an independent architect. Since then she has completed a diverse range of projects which include commercial offices, retail, residential, educational, as well as cultural projects. Through her work in architecture and design in the Gulf region Dabbagh’s quest to bridge the cultural and gender gaps continues. Dabbagh has participated in a number of conferences to share some of her more theoretical ideas regarding architecture. She was an instrumental part of the team who set up the RIBA Gulf chapter in 2009 and is passionate about bringing more awareness to the region on the value of good design. She is currently the elected Chair for the RIBA Gulf Chapter.

Andrew Mason has an international career in construction and real estate spanning over 30 years, specifically with high-value multi-jurisdictional and complex projects across a wide range of sectors and has worked with government, family office, private and public sectors. He was most recently Head of Project Finance for National Projects Office (UAE Government) and currently works as Director of Contracts for Calatrava International, based in Dubai.

Will Plowman is a Partner at Foster + Partners and currently leads the Dubai office of the firm. He earned his degree in architecture from the University of Newcastle and London Metropolitan University, graduating in 2007. Before joining Foster + Partners, he gained valuable site experience working on award-winning residential and educational projects, such as Crouch Hill in London and the UK's first zero-carbon in-use school. Joining Foster + Partners in 2011, Will has worked on several high-profile projects around the world, including the Brooklin Tower in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which showcases sustainable design. As the head of the Dubai office, he has worked closely with the operator and client team for the design and delivery of LANA by Dorchester Collection, a luxury hotel and branded residences development that features seven stunning gardens. Will has been instrumental in the success of this project. With a passion for design and a commitment to excellence, Will has lived and worked in various countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Australia, and the UK, gaining invaluable international experience that has enriched his work. His dedication to his craft and extensive experience in the field have made him a valuable asset to the architectural community.

Bertrand Schippan is a Partner at MVRDV in Rotterdam, Netherlands. His career developed at several international offices including FGP Atelier, Ateliers Jean Nouvel, and West 8 prior to joining MVRDV in 2006. This diverse range of experience in different settings, and his equally international educational background, which includes Ecole Nationale Supérieur d’Architecture in Lille, the Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura of Coruna, and the Technische Universiteit of Eindhoven, has molded a versatile approach to the design task. At MVRDV, Schippan has played an integral role in projects of various scales – from single buildings to masterplans – by continually testing and challenging existing theories and methodologies to refine his own professional practice, and inspiring others under his leadership. Among many MVRDV projects, Schippan’s decisive contribution to the Project of Grand Paris (2008) is clear evidence of this. Having strategically supported MVRDV’s endeavours in France, he has been fundamental to the establishment of the office’s Paris headquarters, and has overseen projects such as La Part Dieu in Lyon (2021), Gaité Montparnasse in Paris (2022), and several residential buildings in Bordeaux. Since 2024, Schippan is also responsible for MVRDV's projects in the Middle East. Outside of practice, Schippan is active in academia, guiding graduate students in architecture and urban planning.

Charles Walker is Director at London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, which he joined in 2007. Previously Charles worked at Ove Arup + Partners where co-founded, in 2000 with Cecil Balmond the Advanced Geometry Unit, and prior to that he was a director at Atelier One Ltd.. Charles is active in architectural education and has been Head of Program in Architecture at the Royal College of Art from 2011-14 and was Visiting Professor in Emerging Technologies at TU Munich in 2010. He taught at the AA School of architecture between 2009 and 2003.