Underbridge #2

Luciana de la Garza Arregui was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. The daughter of an Argentine mother and a Mexican father, her upbringing was shaped by deeply rooted bicultural origins. Following her arrival in Mexico in 1992, she was educated at Colegio Madrid, a prestigious institution founded by exiles. In 2006, she began her professional studies at the Faculty of Architecture of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Subsequently, in 2009, she relocated to Argentina to continue her education at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). In 2010, Luciana de la Garza and Paul Curuchet—architect and founding partner of Grupo Eco—founded Estudio Atemporal, marking the beginning of a distinguished collaborative trajectory in the architectural field. Over the years, Estudio Atemporal has significantly diversified its practice, successfully developing more than 120 projects across a wide range of typologies. With a consolidated national presence, the firm operates throughout Mexico and has expanded its business model into construction and real estate development. This evolution has enabled the integration of these various specialties into a single vertical enterprise: Arquitectura Atemporal, a partnership shared by both directors. The rigor and quality of the firm's work have positioned it as a benchmark within the sector, earning numerous awards and industry recognitions, as well as prominent features in leading architectural publications and media outlets.

Maya Bird-Murphy is a Chicago-based architectural designer, educator, and cultural producer. At the age of 25, while working full-time and completing her Master of Architecture, Bird-Murphy launched Mobile Makers, an award-winning nonprofit that makes design education accessible through workshops, community engagement, public installations, and pop-ups hosted out of a retrofitted mail truck. Her practice centers on expanding access to design education, empowering people to see themselves as agents of change in the spaces they inhabit, and advocating for positive change in the built environment. Her work challenges the gatekeeping that often defines the profession and has welcomed thousands of children to engage in architectural discourse. Bird-Murphy was named a 2025 Lori Healey Rising Leader Awardee, 2024 United States Artists Fellow, 2023 Harvard Wheelwright Prize Finalist, 2022 winner of the Hublot Pierre Keller Award, and was selected by Theaster Gates and Prada as an Experimental Design Lab Awardee. She believes architecture should be a tool for liberation, not exclusion.

Đoàn Thanh Hà graduated from Hanoi Architectural University, Vietnam, in 2002. He set up and has been operating H&P Architects since 2009. The studio’s works focus on poor and disadvantaged communities in Vietnam, designing structures built from natural, traditional and recycled materials. These ‘essential spaces’ are intertwined with ecological systems to form nature-like environments that can adapt to changing conditions. His projects have received international recognition and have won numerous awards including the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2026, UIA Vassilis Sgoutas Prize 2023, Turgut Cansever International Award 2020, Barbara Cappochin Architecture Prize 2019, ARCASIA Awards for Architecture Gold Medal (2019, 2016, 2015).

Jenchieh Hung is an internationally renowned architect, educator, and founder of the Thai firm Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee / HAS design and research. He is internationally recognized for his innovative architectural approach, critical design thinking, and significant contributions to contemporary architecture and education. His work explores the relationship between nature, materiality, urban culture, and contemporary living, establishing his practice as one of the leading voices in contemporary Asian architecture. His international influence has been recognized through his appointment as a juror for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) – RIBA International Awards: Asia Pacific Awards, becoming the first architect from Thailand to serve in this prestigious role. He was also appointed as a guest editor of the Journal of the Architects Regional Council Asia (ARCASIA Journal), contributing critical perspectives on the emergence of contemporary Thai architecture on the global stage. In academia, Jenchieh Hung has been appointed as a distinguished professor, visiting professor, adjunct/visiting professor, and adjunct professor at Tongji University, Chulalongkorn University, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, and the World University of Design. His internationally recognized projects include the Museum of Modern Aluminum Thailand, Simple Art Museum, High Line Bangkok, Aluminum Grotto and Public Ground, The Glade Bookstore, Forest Villa, and Casa de Zanotta.

Rajeev Kathpalia is an architect, educator, and urban thinker based in Ahmedabad, India, and Managing Partner of Vāstu Shilpā Sangath, the practice founded by Pritzker Laureate Balkrishna Doshi in 1955. Over more than three decades, his work has focused on environmentally responsible and socially inclusive architecture, spanning urban planning, institutional campuses, cultural projects, and educational environments. Kathpalia is widely recognized for his integrated approach to sustainability, combining architecture, landscape, ecology, infrastructure, and community into cohesive spatial systems. Several of his campus projects have been cited in India’s National Education Policy as exemplary educational environments. His work includes the acclaimed Smritivan Earthquake Memorial and Museum in Bhuj, recognized internationally for its integration of landscape, memory, and resilience. Alongside practice, he has maintained a significant academic role through teaching and mentorship at institutions including CEPT University, SPA Delhi, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, and Anant National University. His work has received numerous honors, including the Prime Minister’s Award for Innovative Urban Design and the Award for Distinction in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.

Kulthida Songkittipakdee is a distinguished architect and educator celebrated for her innovative design approach, which integrates cultural memory with contemporary architectural practice. She was the first Asian architect selected by the Renzo Piano Foundation to collaborate at the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in Paris. In 2024, she was appointed chairman of The Association of Siamese Architects (ASA) – ASA Architect Expo, where she curated Thailand’s premier international architecture exhibition at the IMPACT Arena Exhibition and Convention Center. In 2025, she was invited to serve as a juror for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) – RIBA International Awards: Asia Pacific Awards, and she currently serves as vice president of The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage, Thailand. She co-established the Bangkok-based firm Jenchieh Hung + Kulthida Songkittipakdee / HAS design and research with Professor Jenchieh Hung, an architectural studio acclaimed for its vernacular, sustainable, and evolutionary design philosophy, and recognized for its experimental exploration of nature, materiality, culture, and urban living. Alongside her professional practice, Professor Kulthida Songkittipakdee is deeply committed to architectural education and academic exchange, she has been appointed as a lifetime honorary professor and currently serves as a visiting professor at Tongji University and Chulalongkorn University.

Zehua Zhang is an architect and Associate Principal at KPF in New York, bringing seven years of international experience across architecture, urban design, and adaptive reuse. A licensed architect in New York State and a LEED Accredited Professional, he is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received the Master of Science in Design: Advanced Architectural Design Prize for Design Excellence. His work spans large-scale buildings, historic preservation, interior renewal, and mixed-use developments, with contributions to projects such as the transformation of the historic Jinan Brewery in China, the revitalization of Mantua’s city center in Italy, master plans for Changi Airport’s new district in Singapore, Dubai Creek waterfront in the UAE, and Marina Island in Jeddah. At KPF, he has also worked on major architectural commissions including Project Blue in Hong Kong, the HKUST Guangzhou campus, and a residential development in Miami. Zehua’s design work has been recognized internationally with distinctions from the IADA International Architecture & Design Awards, MUSE Design Awards, eVolo Skyscraper Competition, CTBUH Tall Building Design Competition, and the UIA. He brings to the jury a commitment to contextual thinking, cross-cultural design intelligence, and the belief that competition platforms can foster a new generation of socially responsive and critically engaged designers.