PETER BEŇUŠKA (SK)
is an architect and urban planner, he was the chief architect of the European Commission in Brussels. He also worked in Algeria, where he designed and implemented residential zones. He is a co-author of the zoning plan for the capital Algiers. He was the chief architect of Bratislava and vice-president of the Slovak Chamber of Architects. He is an authorized architect of SKA, and with a colleague he founded the studio Beňuška Topinka architects. He is a member of the Brussels Regional Development Commission. He has been an honorary member of the Manifest 2020 since March 2021.
DAVID JUÁREZ LATIMER-KNOWLES (ESP)
David Juárez Latimer-Knowles, architect and founding member of Straddle3. Since the late 1990s, he has developed citizen participation projects on the recovery of the industrial and cultural fabric; collaborative interventions in the public space and projects and research in the field of sustainable housing. He has lectured courses and workshops in centres and universities in Europe and America. He has promoted and co-designed different open-source digital tools for projects related to participatory urbanism, as well as participating in several specialised publications on these areas. He is a founding member of the networks Arquitecturas Colectivas and CitizensLab and a co-promoter of ATRI methodology.
MARKUS ZILKER (AT)
is founder and partner at einszueins architektur. He completed his studies in architecture at the TU Wien and the ETSA Seville. 2006-2015 he taught design for prospective builders at Nimmerrichter courses and took the builder examination in 2009 and the civil engineering examination in 2016. In addition to 12 years of experience in the planning and execution of residential construction projects of various scales, he has advanced training in the field of mediation and community building. Markus Zilker is a founding member of both the „Initiative für gemeinschaftliches Bauen und Wohnen“ and the „Wohnprojekt Wien“ co-housing project, which was awarded the Staatspreis für Architektur und Nachhaltigkeit in 2014, amongst others. Markus Zilker also has many years of experience in dealing with small and large group processes, from process design and communication to the moderation of workshops and working groups. As an expert on the subject of „Baugruppen“ (co-housing) and participation in planning, he can demonstrate national and international lectures at symposia, workshops and conferences. Photo: He Shao Hui
ALEXANDRA GEORGESCU AND TOMÁŠ KOZELSKÝ, KOGAA (CZ)
At KOGAA we create substance for the built environment, committing to projects with a positive impact on users, communities, and the local context. Through our projects, we tackle the issue of inactive structures and their adaptation into substitute functions. Our Distillery, KUMST, and DADA Distrikt projects are representative examples of how vacant properties can become vibrant locations, playing an active role in the urban and economic transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and life of the city.
KOGAA is Design Vanguard winner 2021, and in 2020 the studio was selected by Dezeen Awards among the top twenty architecture practices. In 2019 the founding partners lectured at RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects on the topic of alternative approach to development. The same year the studio won the main prize for workspace design at the BIG SEE awards for their Distillery project, and in 2018 they were chosen as the top ten emerging architecture studios by Archipreneur magazine’.
ŠTĚPÁN VALOUCH (CZ)
Architect, graduate of FA ČVUT 2004 in the studio of Alena Šrámková and co-founder of the architectural studio OV-Architekti. In 2012-2013 he was the head of the ZAN studio at FA ČVUT and since 2020 he has been the head of the Valouch – Stibral studio. He regularly sits as a judge in Czech and international architectural competitions.
After studying at the faculty, worked in the studio dum architekti and DNA architects , and in 2007, together with Jiří Opočenský, they founded their own studio. The first major project was the reconstruction of the Federal House in Slavonice (nomination for the Mies van der Rohe award). This realization was soon followed by further successes in both invited and architectural competitions, and gradually the scope of the studio began to expand to the public sphere. For the reconstruction and completion of the headquarters for Lasvit, the studio won the Czech Architecture Prize 2020, the Grand Prix of Architects 2020 in the category of reconstruction and will also mature as Construction of the Year 2020. One of the last completed projects is the sports hall in Kolín, high-speed railway Prague Nehvizdy and the new Elementary School Chýně – Hostivice.
ANDREA AMBROVIČOVÁ MIKOLAJOVÁ (SK)
She graduated from the Faculty of Architecture STU in Bratislava, with a year at the School of Architecture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and Architekturfakultät TU Wien. After several years in the Viennese studios, they founded the ARCHITECTS mikulaj & mikulajova studio together with her brother Juraj Mikulaj. In addition to a high degree of creativity, it is equally important for them to take into account the psychological-social, environmental and technical aspects of architecture in the design process. Each proposal is a challenge to improve the living environment and create a space with a unique atmosphere.
MARTIN SKOČEK (SK)
Martin Skoček is the youngest of the generation of Skoček architects. During his studies and after graduating from FA STU, he worked in the studio of Iľja Skoček. In 2014, he founded his own studio. It focuses mainly on smaller scales of residential projects and interiors. He is also the architect of the Grape Festival, where he seeks the optimal measure between the magnificence and sustainability of ephemeral installations. He is a multiple winner of the Cezaar Award, has received several nominations for the Arch Award, Cezaar Award, Jurkovič Award and Mies van der Rohe Award.
CATHERINE CENTLIVRE (FR)
Catherine Centlivre studied Geography before graduate in a specialized Urban Planning degree at Sciences-Po. She develops her career in public development societies, like Paris & Métropole Aménagement. These experiences made her acquire the operational skills in main urban projects. Over 10 years she was involved in the eco-district Clichy-Batignolles’s team and was overseeing the urban, environmental, and architectural design of the west sector project.
JAKOB DUNKL (AT)
Jakob Dunkl is a founder and owner of querkraft architects. Together with Peter Sapp and Gerd Erhartt, there was a search for unconventional solutions in 1998. Poetic pragmatism is the concept that the Vienna architectural studio strikes at its best. In addition to various qualifications and speaking functions in the architectural area, Jakob Dunkl has shared various prices and awards with its partners, as well as state prices or the price of the city of Vienna for architecture. The 45-strong team works in areas such as residential, cultural and educational, office and industrial buildings.
CARMEN HOTTINGER (AT)
Carmen Hottinger studied the architecture at FH Biberach with and in Zurich, Switzerland. Since 2004, she is the part of the team of querkraft architects in Vienna. She has been working on various projects, recently on the IKEA at the Westbahnhof, Vienna.
FILIP GULAN (SK)
A graduate of the Department of Spatial Planning at STU. During his studies, he completed study stays in Sweden and Slovenia. He is currently working as a project manager on the latest Corwin project in Bratislava, Guthaus.
SAMUEL CSÁDER (SK)
A graduate of the Spatial Planning Department at STU, during his studies he completed an exchange stay in England and an internship in India and Copenhagen, Denmark. He is currently working in a project team in Corwin to complete one of the greenest buildings not only in Slovakia.
BORIS MELUŠ (SK)
Co-founder of the Cvernovka Foundation, originally a designer dedicated to book and exhibition design and sustainable architecture in the oximoron studio. Today also the “cultural developer” and the main development coordinator of Nova Cvernovka. He studied in Prague, The Hague and Bratislava. He lived in Mexico and Norway.