Manuela Gatto is a Director at Zaha Hadid Architects. She oversees award-winning architecture, managing design, technical teams, and project delivery. Fluent in five languages, she helps lead one of the studio’s primary clusters. Gatto graduated with honors in architecture from the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia (IUAV) in 1998 and earned her Master of Architecture with distinction in 2002 from the Architectural Association’s Design Research Laboratory in London. Co-author of Negotiate My Boundary! - Mass Customization and Responsive Environments, Gatto explores architecture’s response to evolving social and cultural dynamics. She has taught at IUAV and the Architectural Association and lectured globally, including at the University of Hong Kong, La Sapienza in Rome, and Technion in Haifa. Her notable projects include the Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion, Zorrozaurre Masterplan in Bilbao, Sky SOHO in Shanghai, and BMW Central Building in Leipzig. She co-directed the Sberbank Technopark in Moscow and led designs for Leeza SOHO in Beijing, featuring the world’s tallest atrium, and the Danjiang Bridge in Taipei, set to be the world’s longest asymmetric cable-stayed bridge. Currently, Gatto directs projects such as the Dnipro Metro stations in Ukraine, the Mercury Hotel and Residential Towers in Malta, and several major developments in China. As a senior masterplan specialist, she also leads large-scale urban regeneration initiatives, applying her versatile expertise to diverse architectural scales and typologies.

Melodie Leung is a Director at Zaha Hadid Architects. Her experience is focused on projects with a community centred and experiential design approach, effective place making and collaborative solutions from concept through to completion. Leung completed her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002 and her Masters of Architecture at the Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation and Planning at Columbia University, New York. She has been involved in teaching design studios at the Architectural Association, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Columbia University and Pratt University in New York. Leung has led the design and delivery on projects ranging in scale from the urban realm, architecture, interiors, product designs, exhibitions, research and creative direction in the performing arts. Her project portfolio includes the interior design concepts for Guangzhou Infinitus Plaza, 'The Henderson' in Hong Kong and 'The Magazine' at the Serpentine North Gallery, as well as the 'Walkable London' proposal for pedestrianized boulevards across the city, alongside significant monographic exhibitions on ZHA's works at the Guggenheim, NYC, and MAM Shanghai, and notable products within the Zaha Hadid Design Collection. Her latest completed project as Project Director is 'The Kensington', a first-ever sculptural billboard situated within the Royal Borough of Kensington, Chelsea which enhances the public realm.

Amanda Levete is a Stirling Prize winner and the founder of the architectural practice AL_A. Recently completed projects include two buildings for Wadham College at the University of Oxford, a center for the cancer care charity Maggie’s in Southampton, the Victoria & Albert Museum Exhibition Road Quarter in London (the V&A’s largest building project in over 100 years), and MAAT, the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology in Lisbon, commissioned by EDP, one of the world’s foremost energy companies. Ongoing commissions include the renovation and expansion of Paisley Museum in Scotland, the reimagining of the D’Ieteren Headquarters in Brussels, a prototype fusion plant for the clean energy firm General Fusion at Culham, and the Belgrade Philharmonic Concert Hall in Serbia, which represents the largest cultural investment in the region to date. Levete trained at the Architectural Association and worked for Richard Rogers before joining Future Systems as a partner in 1989, where she completed groundbreaking buildings including the Media Centre at Lord’s Cricket Ground and Selfridges department store in Birmingham. In 2017, Levete was recognized in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List and awarded a CBE for services to architecture. In 2018, she received the Jane Drew Prize, and in 2019, she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. She was also recently made a Royal Academician. Levete is a trustee of the V&A, a regular radio and TV broadcaster, and writes for several publications. She lectures around the world and is an internationally recognized cultural commentator.

Jürgen Mayer H. is the founding partner of J.MAYER.H und Partner. After studying architecture at the University of Stuttgart, The Cooper Union New York and Princeton University, he founded his Berlin office in 1996. J.MAYER.H und Partner is a renowned architectural practice working at the interface of architecture, communication design and new technologies. In cooperative teams, multidisci-plinary spatial research on the relationship between body, nature and technology is developed and reali- zed, from installations to urban planning designs and competitions. J.MAYER.H has realised a wide range of different projects worldwide. Recent notable projects include the parking garage in Miami Design-District, the FOM university building in Dusseldorf, Germany, a court building in Hasselt, Belgium and various public and infrastructural buildings in Georgia, such as the airport in Mestia and the border crossing in Sarpi. The most prominent project is the internationally renowned Metropol Parasol, the re- design of the Plaza de la Encarnacion in Seville, Spain with its expansive sculptural wooden construction.

Michael Meredith is Associate Dean and Professor at Princeton University. Along with his partner, Hilary Sample, Michael Meredith is a principal of MOS, an internationally recognized architecture practice based in New York. His writing has appeared in Artforum, LOG, Perspecta, Praxis, Domus, and Harvard Design Magazine. Meredith previously taught at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, the University of Michigan, where he was awarded the Muschenheim Fellowship, and the University of Toronto.

Will Plowman is a Partner at Foster + Partners and currently leads the Dubai office of the firm. He earned his degree in architecture from the University of Newcastle and London Metropolitan University, graduating in 2007. Before joining Foster + Partners, he gained valuable site experience working on award-winning residential and educational projects, such as Crouch Hill in London and the UK's first zero-carbon in-use school. Joining Foster + Partners in 2011, Will has worked on several high-profile projects around the world, including the Brooklin Tower in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which showcases sustainable design. As the head of the Dubai office, he has worked closely with the operator and client team for the design and delivery of LANA by Dorchester Collection, a luxury hotel and branded residences development that features seven stunning gardens. Will has been instrumental in the success of this project. With a passion for design and a commitment to excellence, Will has lived and worked in various countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Australia, and the UK, gaining invaluable international experience that has enriched his work. His dedication to his craft and extensive experience in the field have made him a valuable asset to the architectural community.

Carlo Ratti is Director of the research initiative MIT Senseable City Lab, which works with industry partners, metropolitan governments, individual citizens and disadvantaged communities to develop and deploy tools to learn about cities. He also runs CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati - an international design and innovation office based in Turin, Italy, with branches in New York City and London.