The Architect’s Stair / Edition #1 Jury Panel!

Clément Blanchet, [cba]
Sam Brown, O’DonnellBrown 
Didier Fiúza Faustino, Bureau des Mésarchitectures
Jun Igarashi, Jun Igarashi Architects
Lydia Kallipoliti, ANAcycle thinktank.
Lera Samovich, Fala Atelier
Silvana Ordinas, Peter Pichler
Danielle Reimers, SAOTA

 
After a decade collaborating with Rem Koolhaas where he was associate and then director of OMA France; Clément Blanchet established his studio [cba] in 2014 in Paris. The practice is structured as a laboratory and is engaged in architecture, urban planning, and research, dealing with cultural, residential, and infrastructural projects and aiming to redefine urban landscapes with a visionary approach. With a strong global presence, [cba] continues to push the boundaries of the built environment, creating spaces that merge ingenuity, sustainability, and technical precision. Blanchet’s philosophy is rooted in continuous exploration, challenging conventional norms to craft unique, impactful projects. His designs reflect a deep understanding of contemporary challenges, embracing intricacy and innovation and acting as a testament to architecture’s evolving role in shaping the cities of today.

Sam Brown is co-founder of Glasgow-based O’DonnellBrown. ODB is a growing studio with a strong social conscience and a mission to bring about positive change. Sam oversees projects of various scales throughout the UK, including large-scale housing, commercial refurbishment and extension, master planning and education schemes. He also manages all areas of the practice. Prior to founding the studio, he was architecture team leader at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for seven years. There he was responsible for all projects, involving coordination, design management, client liaison, dispute resolution and consultant appointments, as well as project liaison, cost management and contract administration. During his time at Tower Hamlets, he also fulfilled the role of Client Design Advisor, attending regular project meetings to comment on design, check drawings and technical details, advise on any direct design queries and how best to resolve obstacles. Sam is also actively involved in architectural education, having filled the roles of Associate Lecturer, Study Support Tutor and Professional Practice Examiner at Central Saint Martins in London, and more recently as Studio Design Tutor at the University of Strathclyde. He currently teaches at Glasgow School of Art as a Studio Design Tutor. Sam has lectured around the UK at various education institutions, conferences and events and is also a judge for the Glasgow Institute of Architects’ annual design awards.

Didier Fiúza Faustino is a conceptual artist and architect. He graduated at the Paris-Villemin School of Architecture in 1995 and started his own practice, Didier Faustino at the crossroads of art and architecture. Operating with Bureau des Mésarchitectures in Paris and Lisbon, Faustino’s artistic work takes the shape of installations, sculptures, films, and editorial projects, always to transcend borders of society, design, art, and architecture by exploring the relationship between body and space. Faustino was awarded the Dejean Prize, Silver Medal of the French Academy of Architecture, in 2010, the Pierre Cardin Prize (Architecture) of the Academy of Fine Arts/Institut de France in 2018, and he is one of the 2022 laureates of the French Design 100. He is Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Jun Igarashi is an architect whose work questions the universal value of architecture by embracing the climatic conditions, scenery, and environment of Hokkaido. His projects through Jun Igarashi Architects seek the "state" of the "original place of human beings," reflecting on the beginnings of architecture beyond singular infrastructures. Through careful observation and understanding of Hokkaido’s environment, he creates rich, unique spaces that have gained attention both in Japan and internationally. In 2005, he became the first Japanese architect to receive the Grand Prix at the BARBARA CAPPOCHIN Biennale International Architecture Exhibition in Italy and has since delivered numerous lectures abroad. His publications include JUN IGARASHI / THE CONSTRUCTION OF A STATE (TOTO Publishing) and JUN IGARASHI / THE INDICATIONS OF A STATE (Shokusha), with a major solo exhibition, THE CONSTRUCTION OF A STATE, held at TOTO GALLERY・MA. His major awards include the 19th Yoshioka Award, the 21st JIA New Face Award, the 2018 Architectural Institute of Japan Award for Education, among many others.

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.

Lera Samovich is an architect at Fala Atelier in Porto, Portugal. She studied architecture at Moscow Institute of Architecture and Moscow Architecture School. Previously she collaborated professionally with Bureau Alexander Brodsky, Asse Architects.

Silvana Ordinas is Founder and Partner of Peter Pichler Architecture, based in Milan, Italy, a studio that has completed projects such as the Future Space Pavilion for the 2018 Salone del mobile in Milan. Silvana was born in Mallorca, Spain. She holds an Executive Master degree in Marketing and Sales from SDA BOCCONI School of Management in Milan and ESADE Business School in Barcelona. She studied Tourism at the Universitat de les Illes Balears.

Danielle Reimers, Principal at SAOTA, designs, develops and coordinates a diverse range of international projects. Her responsive, collaborative design approach to exploring unique solutions has been instrumental in SAOTA winning several design competitions. Danielle has a strong interest in vernacular design and passive sustainable architectural practices and has regularly served as an external examiner for the Honours Architectural program at the University of Bloemfontein. She has recently completed her MBA at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town, specializing in Leadership with a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Before joining SAOTA in 2013, Danielle gained wide-ranging experience in institutional and urban design projects under the internationally acclaimed architectural practice Renzo Piano Building Workshop. She worked on the extension to the Kimbell Art Museum in Dallas, Fort Worth, the extension to the Harvard Art Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Masterplan for Area EX-Falck, a 45-hectare zone north of Milan, Italy. Danielle completed her Bachelor of Architecture degree at the University of Cape Town in 2008 with distinction. Her architectural dissertation, exploring urbanity in the post-apartheid suburban township, was published in 10+ years 100+Projects – Architecture in a Democratic South Africa (Cape Town: Bell-Roberts, 2017).