Kinderspace

Emily Abruzzo is a licensed, LEED-accredited architect and partner at Abruzzo Bodziak Architects (ABA), a New York and Connecticut-based office  that works across residential, civic, cultural, and commercial architecture as a single body of work. Current and recent projects include a New York Public Library branch, a Community Justice Center in Connecticut, a culinary and event planning team’s headquarters, several urban townhouses, and restoration of two buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ABA has received numerous recognitions including the Architectural League Prize, AIA New Practices New York, Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard, Curbed’s Groundbreakers Award, and several AIA Design Awards. Various projects by ABA have been nominated for project of the year by Interior Design Magazine, Architect’s Newspaper, and ArchDaily. ABA was named one of “the world’s best practices” by Wallpaper magazine, and has been included in Architect’s Newspaper’s “AN 50” and “Twenty to Watch” lists. A proponent of civic engagement and the importance of public space, the office is included in the New York City Department of Design and Construction’s Design Excellence Program and is a Design Advocates contributing firm. It's projects have been featured in diverse international publications and have been exhibited widely. In addition to her work at ABA, Emily is a Senior Critic at the Yale School of Architecture where she has taught materials research and led a series of design courses that explore how architects can serve local communities and expand an understanding of civic space. She is a founding editor and publisher of 306090 Books, a MacDowell Fellow, and has served as a member of several committees at AIA New York, where she was a 2020 Public Director.

Aybars Aşçı is an architect, author, and educator with over 25 years of international experience, and a strong commitment to research-driven design. He is the founder and president of Efficiency Lab for Architecture, a New York-based practice focused on the design of innovative learning environments, ranging from large-scale campus masterplans to playful spatial interventions. His work spans North America, South America, the Middle East, and Asia, and is rooted in a deep interest in the social and emotional dimensions of space. Aşçı is the author of Designing for Empathy: The Architecture of Connections in Learning Environments, published in 2024, which explores the role of architecture in fostering human connection and engagement. As an educator, he has taught design studios and seminars at institutions including the City College of New York, Cornell University, Pratt Institute, and Northeastern University. He also holds a U.S. patent for a high-performance enclosure system (Patent #9003727). Aşçı earned his Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University.

Eleni Kalapoda is a New York–based architect-engineer, urban designer (AIA Assoc., LEED Green Assoc., ENVSP), founder of the Embedded Climates Design Group, working at the intersection of architecture, AI, and data-driven design. She has served as an Autodesk Advisory Council expert (AUAC 2025–2027), a design jury member for the EUROPE40UNDER40 Architecture Awards (2025), anotHERVIEWture Award (2026), and as a sustainability SME for the USGBC LEED v5 Technical Advisory Group(2023-2025). Eleni also contributes as a reviewer, mentor, and topic coordinator for international conferences and journals (Frontiers) at the crossroads of architecture, machine learning, and graph-based AI, including NeurIPS 2025, CoRL 2025, IEEE VIS 2025, ICAM 2025, and CUPUM 2025. She has collaborated with global practices, including Foster + Partners, Kengo Kuma, Renzo Piano, and Bernard Tschumi, contributing to civic landmarks, cultural institutions, aviation hubs, stadiums, and resilient master plans.

Kevin Lim is founding principal of Studio SKLIM, an award-winning multidisciplinary practice based in Singapore, where he works at the intersection of architecture, material research, and sustainable innovation. His career spans London, Singapore, and Beijing, including experience with OMA, and his work extends into speaking and teaching roles with institutions such as the Indian Institute of Architects, Korea University, Tarumanagara University, and the National University of Singapore, as well as appearances at events like the original Pecha Kucha in Tokyo. His research—supported by DesignSingapore and Hyundai Motor Group’s ZER01NE platform—explores the integration of natural materials, traditional craft techniques, and contemporary technologies to shape new approaches to sustainable design. He is the author of the studio’s monograph Studio SKLIM: Evolving Techne (Images Publishing) and currently leads a design studio at the National University of Singapore. Lim holds an AA Diploma from the Architectural Association in London, a Bachelor of Architecture from NUS, and is accredited with the India Green Building Council (IGBC).

Matthias Roller, born in Stuttgart in 1966, is a cofounder and partner at Dannien Roller Architekten + Partner based in Tübingen, Germany. He began his academic journey in 1986 at the Free University of Berlin, studying art history and theater studies, followed by architecture at the Technical University of Berlin until 1994. Matthias honed his expertise in the field by working as a tutor at the Chair of Building Construction and Design and later engaging in various roles in architectural offices in Berlin and Stuttgart. From 1999 to 2003, he was a partner at Dannien Roller Architekten in Berlin and later took on project management roles in Stuttgart and Tübingen. Matthias also contributed to the arts as the curator and chairman of "shedhalle e.V.," a forum for contemporary arts in Tübingen from 2007 to 2013. His notable involvement in local civic projects includes his role in the municipal project group for Cityscape statutes in Tübingen during 2021-22. In 2022, Matthias was appointed to the Association of German Architects (BDA) in Baden Württemberg, highlighting his significant contributions to architecture and community engagement.

Gabriel Verd Gallego is a Spanish architect based in Seville and founder of Gabriel Verd Arquitectos. Since 2015, his studio has maintained a strategic alliance with BURÓ4, combining expertise in architecture, urbanism, and sustainability across public, residential, cultural, educational, and research projects. His work is recognized for its strong bioclimatic approach, emphasizing climate-responsive design, constructive intelligence, material economy, and the everyday experience of users rather than technology-driven sustainability. Verd’s educational projects have received international recognition, including the award-winning Early Childhood Pavilion at La Barrosa Public School, honored at the S.ARCH Awards in Venice and BUILD SCHOOL in Moscow. His work has received numerous distinctions, including awards from The Chicago Athenaeum, the TECU Architecture Award, the Fassa Bortolo International Sustainable Architecture Award, and multiple prizes from the Architects’ Association of Seville. Alongside practice, he has maintained an active academic and cultural role through teaching, lectures, and juries across Europe, Africa, Australia, and Latin America, contributing to broader discussions on sustainable architecture and contemporary learning environments.

Mona Vijaykumar is an architect, urban designer, and data strategist whose work bridges climate resilience, spatial storytelling, and systems thinking. Based in Boston, she is an Associate Urban Designer at Perkins&Will, where she leads master planning projects for cities, campuses, and public spaces across the U.S., India, and the Middle East. Her recent work includes the Makkah Regional Master Plan in Saudi Arabia, the University of Kansas Master Plan—recognized with the 2024 SCUP Excellence in Planning Honor Award—and the Delaware State University Master Plan, which earned a BSLA Regional Merit Award. Vijaykumar holds a Master of Science in Architecture and Urbanism from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where her research on climate adaptation and Indigenous knowledge systems was selected for the MIT Climate Grand Challenge and presented at the 2022 Design Research Society Conference in Bilbao. She co-authored the Deep Listening Framework through MIT’s Civic Design Initiative and has been featured in MIT News, Maptionnaire, and Kansas Alumni Magazine. She is also the co-founder of Grain Box and Project Chaaya, ventures addressing post-harvest storage and mobile shelter, which have been recognized by MIT DesignX, Harvard i-lab, and the MIT IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge. Her design work has received multiple awards, including the Co(Vai) Urban Design Competition, the National Thesis Award, and the JK AYA Award from the Council of Architecture in India. Through a global practice grounded in innovation and equity, she continues to advocate for design that is emotionally resonant, ecologically responsive, and socially just.

Edward Weysen graduated as an engineer architect (UG) in 2003 and obtained a master’s degree in renewable energy technologies in Switzerland (ETH Zurich) in 2004. After his studies, he started his career at the renowned architectural firm OMA in Rotterdam (Rem Koolhaas), where he worked for 3 years, the last year as project manager. In that capacity, he led projects such as the master plan for Ghent Oude Dokken, an urban development in Almere and a housing complex for Stadionplein in Amsterdam. In 2008, he founded the architectural firm WEYSEN & DE BAERE architects together with Lore De Baere. With the arrival of Thomas Dierickx as a partner in 2018, WEYSEN & DE BAERE architects became WE-S architects. WE-S architects is an architectural practice that designs built and unbuilt space from a down to earth approach, looking for interfaces between buildings and surroundings, between architecture and landscape. The practice established a solid reputation among private and public clients. It has been published both nationally and internationally and has been nominated for the Belgian Architecture Award, the Bauhaus Award as well as the Holcim Award. It won several public competitions, including the central workspaces for the municipalities of both Machelen and Zemst, the new kindergarten for the municipality of Aartselaar and Lichtaart, a primary school in Gentbrugge, a football facility for the municipalities of both Kaprijke and Beveren, the public library of the municipality of Halle as well as a youth center for the municipality of Sint-Lievens-Houtem.