Re:Form - New Life for Old Spaces Jury Panel!

Jiafeng Li, Allied Works
Paul Monaghan, AHMM
Julien de Smedt, JDS Architects
Anne Cecilie Haug, Snøhetta
Tom Schroeder, Patkau Architects
Haggai Dror, AggEquo

Jiafeng Li graduated from Columbia University and the China Academy of Art. She currently works at Allied Works with her practice spanning the US, Denmark, Germany, and China. She has also worked for renowned firms including Arata Isozaki & Associates and Dorte Mandrup. Jiafeng believes architecture should engage in a meaningful dialogue with its environment, reactivating spaces and making them irreplaceable. Her design philosophy revolves around creating architecture that invites discovery, fosters connection, and evokes wonder. She strives to craft spaces that resonate deeply with their context and purpose, reflecting a commitment to beauty, sustainability, and cultural sensitivity. Her work has received international recognition, including First Prize in the 2016 International VELUX Award, finalist in the 2024 KAIRA LOORO Competition, and Honorable Mention in the 2024 Architecture MasterPrize. Widely published by Columbia University, AD Magazine, and other prominent media.

Paul Monaghan is Director at AHMM in London. His projects at all scales have been recognised as exemplars of outstanding design, collaborative creativity, applied technology, research and sustainability, such as North London Hospice and Kentish Town Health Centre. His current and recent key projects include the redevelopment of Television Centre in west London; New Scotland Yard for the Metropolitan Police; and Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre. Paul led AHMM’s work on the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Burntwood School in south London, as well as two other Stirling-shortlisted buildings. In addition to his project work, Paul is an active speaker, teacher and juror. He is a visiting professor at the Bartlett and Sheffield schools of architecture; he has also been Vice Chair of the CABE Schools Design Review Panel and is on the CABE National Design Review Panel. He has been chair of the Young Architect of the Year awards, chaired the RIBA awards panel until 2010, and was a judge for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2016. Paul recently received an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Sheffield, and has been appointed the Liverpool City Region Design Champion.

Julien De Smedt is the founder and director of JDS Architects based in Copenhagen and Brussels. An architect and designer whose work  is internationally spread, Julien’s commitment to the exploration of  new architectural models and programs has helped re-energize the  contemporary architecture discussion. Seminal projects include the VM Housing Complex, the Mountain  Dwellings, Lille’s Maison Stéphane Hessel, the Iceberg, Kalvebod Waves  and the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Born in Brussels to French art enthusiast Jacques Léobold and Belgian  artist Claude De Smedt, Julien attended schools in Brussels, Paris, and  Los Angeles before receiving his diploma from the Bartlett School of  Architecture in London. Prior to founding JDS Architects, Julien worked with Rem Koolhaas in  Rotterdam, and co-founded the architecture firm PLOT with Bjarke Ingels  in Copenhagen. In 2013 he co-founded with William Ravn the agenda driven design label Makers With Agendas, addressing matters of society to  create meaningful products. Julien has been a guest lecturer in numerous venues worldwide and  a visiting professor at Copenhagen’s Art Academy, Rice University in Houston, Texas, the University of Kentucky, MIT in Cambridge, USA, and  at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. His work is published  and exhibited internationally. He published the monograph PIXL to XL and released 2 influential books:  Agenda, Can We Sustain our Ability to Crisis? and Built Unbuilt. Among other awards and recognition, Julien received the Henning  Larsen Prize in 2003 and the Eckersberg medal in 2005, the Maaskant  Award in 2009 and the Prix Dejean in 2014 from the French Academy of Architecture. In 2004 the Stavanger Concert Hall received the Golden Lion as the  World’s Best Concert Hall at the Venice Biennale, the Maritime youth  House won the AR+D award in London and was nominated for the Mies  van der Rohe award. The Mountain received the World Architecture  Festival Award and MIPIM Award in 2009, while the Iceberg received the latter in 2013 along with the Architizer A+ Award and the Best Building Award in 2015 from Archdaily. More recently Maison Stéphane Hessel was among  the best Hotels at the 2016 MIPIM Awards and the Hangzhou Gateway  was a 2017 Architizer A+ finalist. In 2019 The Holmenkollen Ski Jump  received the Houen Foundation Award, Norway’s most important award for architecture.

Anne Cecilie Haug is the director of staffing, senior architect, and member of the research and innovation team at the Oslo office of Snøhetta. Her completed projects with Snøhetta include the Fuglemyrhytta and Tungestølen wooden cabin projects, as well as several hospitality projects with small units and micro-homes.

Tom Schroeder is a senior architect with Patkau Architects and a guest critic / adjunct faculty at the University of British Columbia.  Tom has led teams of architects on a broad range of projects including some of the most distinguished and innovative academic, cultural, civic and residential projects in Canada.

Haggai Dror is a seasoned leader with over 15 years of international experience in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) space. As the founder of AggEquo, a private equity firm based in Pittsburgh, Haggai focuses on acquiring and growing design, engineering, and architecture firms. He has led transformational projects across North America in infrastructure, transportation, real estate, and renewable energy. Haggai’s operational expertise and passion for innovative, sustainable design make him a valuable contributor to the competition jury.