Trend forum on architecture

Moderated by Martin Valentine, PLDA

Lighting design and architecture – two associated professional fields in a changing world! We are currently seeing dramatic changes in architectural design. The demand for environment friendly building technology and a protective, responsible approach towards our natural resources have become a driving force in architecture: form follows energy efficient strategies.

This year, the organisers of PLDC are introducing a Trend Forum in the Professional Practice track as a new element in the PLDC programme. The idea behind this Forum is inspired by the tendencies we are witnessing in architecture as a response to the need and request for sustainable design and as evidence of energy efficiency awareness. The debate will also involve the role of the lighting designer in the developing world of architecture. The panel will comprise renowned young architects from different countries, whose works demonstrate future trends and expectations in architectural design.

Room: Zumtobel / Thorn
Date: Friday, 21. October, 2011
Time: 16.45 – 18.30

Moderator: Martin Valentine, PLDA/UAE

Martin Valentine is Lighting Expert to the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City and has worked in the field of specialist lighting design for over 25 years. A Masters graduate from the Bartlett School of Architecture, his experience encompasses a multitude of sectors from government buildings through to national museums and environments as uniquely diverse as Antarctica and the Middle East. Past large-scale projects include BBC Broadcasting House, the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, St. Pancras Chambers and relighting the facades of the Natural History Museum. One unique project he undertook is Halley VI: British Antarctic Survey’s new permanent ice-shelf station. In Abu Dhabi his work includes revising all current lighting specifications and briefs and establishing new lighting design standards and best practice. Leading the implementation of an Emirate-wide Sustainable Lighting Strategy, cross-working with other government bodies and stakeholders and overseeing the lighting design of the municipalities’ mega-projects such as Sheikh Zayed Bridge, The Grand Mosque and Al Salam Street.

Architects:

Dr. Alexander Rieck

Alexander Rieck is a scientist at the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft in Munich and a Partner and Director of the international architects’ firm LAVA.
 He studied Architecture in Stuttgart (Germany) and Phoenix (Arizona). Since 1998 he has been working in interdisciplinary teams on the development of future scenarios addressing the work environment of the future, the hotel of the future and construction of the future.
 Since 2009 he has been responsible for coordinating international and strategically related multidisciplinary projects within the Corporate Projects Department of the Fraunhofer Institute in Munich.
In 2010 Alexander completed his doctoral thesis at the University of Stuttgart. In 2007, parallel to his academic career, Alexander founded LAVA, Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, based in Stuttgart, Sydney and Abu Dhabi together with Tobias Wallisser and Chris Bosse.

Philippe Rahm/F

Philippe Rahm was born and studied in Switzerland. The office agenda of Philippe Rahm Architects in Paris and Lausanne focuses on meteorological architecture: architectural spaces made of light and climate. Exhibitions showing how climate change has driven to radically rethink architecture have led Philippe Rahm being describers as one of the “20 essential young architects” worldwide.  He was a resident at the Villa Medici in Rome (2000) and in 2002 was chosen to represent Switzerland at the 8th Architecture Biennale in Venice. He has taught and lectured widely and key universities in Europe and North America and is currently guest professor at the School of Architecture of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts of Copenhagen.

Juli Capella Samper/E

Juli Capella graduated as an architect from the ETSAB (Barcelona Higher School of Architecture) in 1991. He has worked in design and architecture in the fields of creative graphic design, industrial design, interior design, architecture and town planning, as well as on the theoretical aspects of all these disciplines.
In 1997 he founded Capella Arquitectura & Design, where he has worked since. Juli has written numerous articles for a number of Spanish and international publications as well as various books. He has lectured and taken part in debates and round tables on design and architectural issues and has taught at numerous schools around the world. Together with Quim Larrea he received an Honorary Mention at the National Design Awards in 2000.

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