Mujassam Watan Urban Sculpture Challenge Jury Panel!

Dr. Sumayah Al-Solaiman, Ministry of Culture, Saudi Arabia
Andrew Whalley, Grimshaw
Eli Synnevåg, Snøhetta
Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Hajri, Municipality of the Eastern Region Saudi Arabia
Al Motasem Attiyah, Clear Co Holding
Dr. Ahmad AlSaifi, Ajdan Real Estate Development Company
Ahmed Elgamal, Bjarke Ingels Group - BIG
HH Princess Tarfa Fahad Alsaud, Diriyah Development Gate Authority
Jemma Chidiac, Jemma Chidiac Architects

Dr. Sumayah Al-Solaiman is the CEO of the Architecture and Design Commission at the Ministry of Culture, Saudi Arabia. Prior to this role, she served as the Dean of the College of Design at Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University and was a member of the Municipal Council of the Dammam Metropolitan Area from 2016 to 2020. In 2018, she co-curated the Saudi National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. She was also an Ibn Khaldun Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT from November 2013 to January 2015. Recently, she published a book of articles in Arabic titled ‘Ala Khad Al-Kawn. Dr. Al-Solaiman holds a Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom and a Master’s in Architecture from King Faisal University. Additionally, she has earned executive certificates in management, leadership, strategy, and innovation from MIT. She has represented Saudi Arabia on official platforms and presented her research at international conferences. Furthermore, she was the editor-in-chief of Forum: International Journal of Postgraduate Studies in Architecture, Planning, and Landscape. 

Andrew Whalley, Chairman at Grimshaw, has played a pivotal role at the practice since its inception, spearheading transformative projects across diverse sectors, including education, performing arts, culture, sports, infrastructure, transportation, workplace design, and industrial design. Andrew has consistently been dedicated to education and academia throughout his career. In the UK, he taught at the Royal College of Art Industrial Design Department, led a unit at the Architectural Association, and lectured at University College London. Most recently, he concluded his tenure as an Adjunct Professor at Milan’s POLIMI. His contributions include numerous academic publications on topics such as specialist structures, sustainability, smart cities, and urban design. Andrew also advises the UN-affiliated Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization. In 2011, Andrew was appointed Deputy Chairman of Grimshaw, ascending to Chairman in 2019, succeeding Sir Nicholas Grimshaw. As Chairman, Andrew oversees the practice’s core design ethos, brand identity, and global relationships. Andrew is a registered architect in the UK and USA. He has received several prestigious honours, including an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater, the Glasgow School of Art. Andrew received an OBE in Queen Elizabeth’s New Year Honours List, 2022, recognising Andrew’s services to architecture and environmental sustainability.

Eli Synnevåg is a Senior Architect and Director for Acquisition at Snøhetta. Eli started in Snøhetta in 2000, working as Senior Architect and Project manager on a wide range of national and international projects, like KMD Academy of Fine Art Bergen and King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra) KSA. Since 2016 she has been in a leading role in Snøhetta with team management, research, and development. From 2019 as Director of Acquisition and Team lead, with responsibility for Snøhetta project portfolio in the Middle East and Africa. In addition to her architectural practice, she has been teaching and invited critics at AHO, NTNU, and ETSAV, giving lectures internationally about Snøhetta's work and philosophy, and being a jury member for architectural design competitions. Snøhetta is an integrated architecture, landscape, interior, product design and graphic design firm based in Oslo, New York, Innsbruck, Paris, Adelaide, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and San Francisco. Since 1989, Snøhetta has established itself as a world-famous practice of urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product and brand design.

Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Hajri is the General Manager of Designs and Studies at the Eastern Province Municipality in Saudi Arabia. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning Engineering from Dammam University, graduating in 2015–2016. He joined the Eastern Province Municipality on January 1, 2016, as part of the Project Management Office under the Agency of Construction and Projects, later becoming the department head. In 2022, he was appointed General Director of Studies and Designs under the Agency of Construction and Projects, overseeing urban planning and development projects in the Eastern Province.

Al Motasem Attiyah is an architect and urban designer. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Clear Co Holding, which encompasses Clear Architecture, Clear Spectra Events, and Clear Urbanism. He leads the company’s strategic expansion across architecture, urban design, and Urban development, focusing on innovation, investment, cultural impacts. Attiyah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and a Master’s degree in Urban Design from King Saud University, where he developed a methodology for deriving architectural identity from the land’s inherent characteristics. His approach provides a framework for establishing visual reference guides that reinforce regional identities within the built environment. With expertise spanning design, urban development, and cultural identity, his work integrates architectural practice with a broader vision for shaping cities and communities in alignment with Saudi Arabia’s evolving urban landscape.

Dr. Ahmad AlSaifi is an architect with over twenty years of distinguished experience in architecture and urban development. He currently holds the position of Design Director at Ajdan Real Estate Development Company, in addition to being a founding partner of AAD Studio—a boutique firm specializing in architecture and interior design in Saudi Arabia. Dr.Al Safi holds a PhD in Integration of parametric modeling in architectural and design processes.

Ahmed Elgamal is a London, UK based ARB registered Architect at Bjarke Ingels Group - BIG. His experience is focused on high profile commercial buildings and luxury developments. He previously worked for Make Architects and has been part of the design and delivery teams of notable projects in the UK , Europe and the Middle East, including the Eden Project, showcasing sustainabledesign. Ahmed is an alumnus of the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London UCL, and was born in Alexandria, Egypt.

HH Princess Tarfa Fahad Alsaud is the Director of Cultural Heritage Curation at the Diriyah Development Gate Authority, overseeing site interpretation for historic Diriyah and the Wadi Hanifah landscape. Her work focuses on intangible heritage and visitor experience, implementing a narrative-driven vision. In addition to her role, Tarfa is also a visual artist and has provided cultural and creative consulting services to various organizations. She previously held the position of curator at the Misk Art Institute during its establishment in 2018. Herbackground in Visual Arts and Art Therapy, combined with her own artistic practice, shapes her multidisciplinary approach to the cultural landscape and her support for creative communities. Her work is driven by a commitment to innovative approaches, fostering human connection, and exploring cultural identity.

Jemma Chidiac is a practicing architect and researcher based in Beirut and the UK. In 2016, Jemma Chidiac established her studio, Jemma Chidiac Architects, leading small-scale residential, large-scale commercial, landscape and interior design projects. Her studio is a design platform that fosters a collaborative environment of intellectual discourse. Jemma Chidiac Architects' latest unbuilt and built projects have been recognized across various online platforms. One of the studio’s latest projects was “The Memory of Khobar,” the urban sculpture challenge of 2024. Jemma joined Lebanese American University, Lebanon, in 2017 as a faculty member to teach architecture and interior architecture studios. Her research interests include representation and design through the power of analysis and doubt, the impact of construction on urban and social sustainability, and the fusion of theory, context and design within architecture, planning and landscape.