Re:Form - New Life for Old Spaces

Joan Cortés is an architect and partner at Nook Architects, where he contributes to a practice dedicated to designing sustainable, adaptable spaces that evolve with their users. He graduated from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in 2009 and further developed his international perspective through professional and academic experiences in Sweden and Switzerland, including participation in the Pole Europe 2K’6 Landscape and Urbanity program at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. Joan has also completed a specialization in financial management for architectural firms and holds a postgraduate degree in Public Administration for technicians and architects. Throughout his career he has collaborated with firms such as BOMA (structural consultants), Mora-Sanvisens Arquitectes, and EC Compta Arquitectes, building a comprehensive understanding of the architectural process, urbanism, and design strategy.

Miguel Crespo Picot is an architect and co-founder of Zooco Estudio. He studied architecture at ETSAM, with scholarships from Fundación Botín and Politecnico di Milano. Founded in 2008, Zooco Estudio operates from Madrid and Santander, working across architecture and interior design. The studio is known for a concept-driven approach applied consistently across scales, from interior interventions to large buildings, emphasizing clarity, material precision, and timeless spatial qualities. Its work balances contemporary techniques with traditional processes, creating neutral, enduring environments. Zooco’s projects have been widely published and internationally recognized, receiving awards including Design Vanguard 2019, NAN Construction Awards 2019 and 2020, Frame Awards 2020, European 40 Under 40 2020, and Dezeen Awards 2022. The studio was also named among the 100 most creative Spanish professionals by Forbes.

Rubén Férez Berenguer is an architect and partner at Nook Architects, a Barcelona-based practice focused on creating spaces shaped by context, people, and everyday life. He graduated from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in 2010 and expanded his academic experience in Rome, where he deepened his knowledge of architectural history as well as restoration and rehabilitation techniques. Prior to co-founding Nook Architects, Rubén collaborated with practices including GVR Arquitectes and EC Compta Arquitectes, gaining experience in architectural and urban design as well as public building competitions and large-scale planning projects. His work reflects a careful balance between conceptual clarity and practical execution, with a strong interest in projects that connect contemporary design with existing environments and heritage.

Lydia Kallipoliti is an architect, engineer, scholar and an Assistant Professor at the Cooper Union in New York. She is the author of The Architecture of Closed Worlds (2018), the editor of EcoRedux; Design Remedies for an Ailing Planet (AD 2011) and the Head Curator of the upcoming Tallinn Architecture Biennale. She holds a SMArchS from MIT and a PhD from Princeton University. Kallipoliti has previously taught at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Syracuse University and Columbia University. She is the principal of ANAcycle thinktank.

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.

Naomi Ng is a partner and founder of Increments Studio, an award-winning, Melbourne-Based architecture studio dedicated to designing spaces that are thoughtful, bespoke, and quietly powerful. The studio focuses on creating places that support presence, reflection, and a deeper connection between people and their environments. A graduate of Yale University and the University of Melbourne, Naomi leads a practice that deeply integrates research and academia; Increments Studio has taught design studios across multiple institutions, including Yale University, the University of Melbourne, and RMIT. The studio has won Dezeen Awards 2025 for best design project of the year and best installation of the year, and has been featured on Archdaily, Dezeen, Domus Magazine, Room Diseno, and other websites or major publications.

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.

Era Savvides is founder and Partner of the London-based  architecture and research practice Urban Radicals, an award-winning London-based practice working across cultural and civic projects. Era has experience working on complex retrofit and public realm schemes. Her research explores material-based and regenerative approaches to building, developed through community-based and collaborative projects. Parallel to practice, she has lectured and taught across the UK and Europe, and currently teaches studios at the postgraduate Architecture programme at Central Saint Martins.

Ming Thompson is a critic at the Yale School of Architecture and co-founder of Atelier Cho Thompson, a New Haven- and San Francisco-based architecture practice. Ming was a recipient of the AIA Young Architect Award in 2020, and her firm has been honored with the IIDA Foundation Visionary Award and the Architect Newspaper Young Architects Award. ACT’s work has been featured in Metropolis, Architect, Dezeen, and at the Venice Architecture Biennale.