architect, Lacaton & Vassal Architectes

Paris, France

Sustainability = Live better. Architecture must give better conditions for contemporary life – more individual space and more density, economy for more generosity.

Anne Lacaton was born in 1955 in Saint Pardoux la Rivière, France. She has a degree in town planning and is part of the Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, founded in 1987 with Jean Philippe Vassal. The practice has gained numerous awards and international recognition. One of their most emblematic and famous buildings is the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

> www.lacatonvassal.com

architect

Bucharest, Rumania

Small ideas for a big city

Constantin Goagea is an architect, director/editor of the Arhitectura magazine, has a vested interest in how contemporary cities shape themselves and how architectural and urban planning processes take this into account. Constantin has been a key member of the team behind the Romanian pavilion at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture.

architect, du-Besset Lyon Architectes Urbanistes

Paris, France

Sustainability: a conceptual change, a new economy. What makes a city sustainable? What makes architecture sustainable?

Dominique Lyon was born in 1955 in Paris, France. Along with his partner he founded DU BESSET-LYON architecture studio in 1988. The scope of their work is various and wide: public amenities, industrial sites, offices, housing (one of their recent projects is Three Houses Sozopol – planned for completion in 2008). Dominique Lyon has written five books and his work has been featured in numerous international magazines.

> www.dubesset-lyon.com

architect, Frédéric Borel Architecte

Paris, France

Complexity, Depth ... in Architecture

Frederic Borel was born in Roanne (France), in 1959, and opened his own agency in Paris in 1984. Since then he concentrated his abilities into the development of new community oriented places and centers of attraction around which social life will burst. His buildings are either rapturous and fragmented, or unitary monoliths within the urban environment, but always forming a luxuriant city dedicated to walking and wandering with pleasure.

> www.fredericborel.fr

Nieto Sobejano Architects

Madrid, Spain

Urban aphorisms

Fuensanta Nieto and Enrique Sobejano are partners at the office Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos S.L.), while teaching in two of Europe’s best universities (Universidad Europea de Madrid and Universität der Künste of Berlin). Between1986 and 1991 they were editors of ARQUITECTURA - a Spanish architectural journal published by the Architectural Association of Madrid. Their work has been featured in various local and international magazines and books, and has been exhibited among others at the prestigious Biennale di Venezia (2000, 20002, 2006)

> www.nietosobejano.com

architect, I/O architects

Sofia, Bulgaria

I/O architects in the wonderland of Bulgarian architectural practice

I/O architects started in 2004 as a long-distance collaboration between Sofia and Tokyo when Viara Jeliazkova and Georgi Katov developed their first projects. Their work manifests an ambition to combine local experience with external perspective. The design process is marked by sensitivity to the specific context of local landscape, city and society. Formal expression is adequately controlled avoiding the risks of transition aesthetics.

> www.ioarchitects.com

architect

Belgrade, Serbia

Learning Western Balkan

Ivan Kucina is architect MSci, assistant professor, practicing architect and outdoor artist, one of the initiator for much of the current research and workshops on informal urban processes in the Western Balkan and uncontrolled processes within the Belgrade city structure. Belgrade born (1961), since 1997 he works full time at the Faculty of Architecture University of Belgrade. Member of Council of Belgrade Association of Architects, Council of October Art Salon, Stealth Group and School of Missing Studies.

city planner

Paris, France

Capitals at the moment of their popularity: reflections on Sofia and Paris

Jean Baptiste VAQUIN was born in Annecy, France, in 1948. He is a PhD in Political economics and has a diploma on econometric studies. His career is a story of 30 years of true commitment to Paris. He worked for the Mayor, for the Louvres Museum, spent much energy to help such big project as Paris Rive Gauche comes from the ground. From 2000 to 2008, he was the head of Apur, the city planning agency of Paris where he supervised numerous important studies in the fields of architecture, sociology and transportation.

Gensler

London, UK

Skopie Street – Create and Maintain a Destination

Ma Ry Kim-Johnson is a Design Director for Architecture in the leading international firm Gensler. She qualified at the Architectural Association in London and the University of Southern California. Currently based in the London office of Gensler, she has led design projects in the Middle East, London, Russia, Bulgaria and the United States. Several of these projects have introduced new building types to emerging cities and regions. All of her work centers on the idea of place making in the belief that design must support the larger goals of urbanism, cultural resonance, human scale and essential economic viability. Ma Ry Kim-Johnson is a member of the RIBA.

Thomas Lindblom is an аrchitect at the London office of the leading international firm Gensler. He received his Master’s Degree from the University of Utah in the United States and completed undergraduate work in the history of science and technology at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. His design approach focuses on the search for appropriate solutions driven by the client’s goals and maximizing site potential for the long-term future. His extensive portfolio includes projects in the United States, France, United Kingdom, Russia and Bulgaria.

> www.gensler.com

architects, feld72

Vienna, Austria

Urbanism - for sale

Anne Catherine Fleith and Mario Paintner are part of the collective laboratory for architecture feld72. Since its inauguration in 2002, it has been engaged in research and finding new strategies for cliché-dominated or underestimated urban conditions. They have attracted attention with their exhibitions and actions in public space. According to their installations, public space is a social form of expression and interaction.

> www.feld72.at

Chief Architect of Sofia

Sofia, Bulgaria

The challenges that Sofia faces as a regional centre of Southeast Europe

Architect Peter Dikov has a diploma from the Higher Institute for Architecture and Building, Sofia (1978). Currently he is the Chief Architect of the capital Sofia. He is an active member of the Bulgarian Architects’ Association. He has an extensive knowledge and experience in the public sector, state administration, programs for modernization and town-planning issues. He has worked on different international projects as well, which include the plans for urban development in Angola, Libya, Syria and Vietnam. Architect Dikov takes part in different international conferences and seminars part of UN, also in various regional conferences as a moderator and a participant.

architect, +architecture

Sofia, Bulgaria

Emerging versus sustainable architecture

Peter Torniov was born in 1970 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He got his Master degree and architecture diploma from Vienna University of Technology (1999). He was a freelancer in several architecture offices in Vienna, which led him to his collaboration with Coop Himmelblau (between 1999 and 2000). Peter Torniov was assistant professor for five years at the Vienna University of Technology, in 2003 founded +architecture ltd in Sofia and in 2005 a branch in Bucharest, Romania along with his partner Stefan Petkov. Peter Torniov is a member of the Austrian Chamber of Architects (2006).

> www.plus-architecture.net

architect, аEDES studio

Sofia, Bulgaria

Story and human scale in architecture

Plamen Bratkov has a master’s degree (1998) from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, Sofia, Bulgaria. While still in university he received the award for best project in Public Buildings Department, 1996 and the award from IAA for graduation project. Along with Rossitza Bratkova they set up аEDES studio in 2003 as an outlet for their creative ideas and concepts. The studio’s portfolio stretches to include works in the fields of architectural design, interior design, graphic, identity, and media design. Their projects are among the most memorable and unique buildings from the contemporary Bulgarian urban face.

> aedesstudio.com

investor and project developer, responsible for the Bulgarian and Ukrainian market, S+B Gruppe

Vienna, Austria

Transition of urban landscape is the developers’ paradise

Roland Krebs is a Master of Science in Urban Planning (Vienna University of Technology) and Master of Business Administration (Universidad de Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina). Krebs works as a Real Estate Developer at Vienna based Raiffeisen Property Management since 2003 and is focusing on the office segment in CEE countries. Furthermore, he is an expert in Project Appraisal.

> www.sb-plan-bau.at

architect, Rudy Ricciotti Architecte

Bandol, France

Contextual Architecture

Rudy Ricciotti was born in 1952 in Algiers. He studied in Marseilles (degree in architecture) and Geneva (engineering degree) before opening his own architectural office in Bandol in 1980. His early works are characterized by a radical, carefree approach, displaying a variety of forms and full of energy. Since the beginning of 1990s, Ricciotti has been influenced by the Arte Povera and his buildings have become more austere and functional, making use of minimalist and "low-tech" solutions. With the opening of the concert hall in Potsdam, and the construction of a footbridge in Seoul ("Footbridge of Peace", 2002), Ricciotti received international recognition. He won the National Grand Prize in Architecture in 2006. He is also bestowed with one of the most prestigious and worthy titles - Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur and Officier des Arts et des Lettres.

> www.rudyricciotti.com

architect-city planner, Tania Concko architects-urbanists

Amsterdam, Holland

The urban conversion of the social, cultural and economic profile of locations targets - a series of fundamental objectives

Tania Concko was born in Paris, grew up in Pointe-Noire and now lives in Amsterdam. Having graduated as a qualified architect and as Urban Planner in France, she opens an architecture and urban design office in Amsterdam in 1997, based on her personal experience through international competitions and urban planning research. All of her projects, urban and architectural are focused on the complex problematics associated with the redevelopment of European cities. Her approach is based on critical understanding of urban reality: "the nature of the cities", their evolution over time, their connection within architecture, art and landscape...architecture as a tool for urban strategy. With this approach she builds the Zaanwerf Projects, 3.5 ha water-front development in the Netherlands, which received 5 international awards.

> www.taniaconcko.com

TU GRAZ
Graz Austria

An established expert in the preservation and adaptation of historic centers into contemporary urban environment. He was born in Sofia (1950), he studied architecture in Aachen and Sofia, to become Secretary of the Union of Architects in Bulgaria (1986-1990). Currently he is a Professor in Urbanism at the University of Technology Graz (since 1992) and lectures at the Universities in Ljubljana, Sofia, Zagreb, Budapest, Aberdeen, Hannover, Cracow, Sarajevo , Member of the Expert Commission for the Protection of the Historic Centre of Graz , Member of the Jury for the Europa Nostra / European Union Award for Cultural Heritage , Member of the International Forum of Historic Cities Graz.

> www.stdb.tugraz.at

Amsterdam, Netherlands

A Dutch architecture critic, writer and exhibition maker. Hans Ibelings is a publisher of A10 - a bimonthly magazine for new European architecture based in Amsterdam, Holland.

> www.a10.eu

Sofia, Bulgaria

Vice Chairman of Sofia Council and member of the Management board of Societe Generale Expressbank, member of Sofia Architecture and Urban planning commission and Working group on Master plan of Sofia. He has experience in the development, building and management of real estate. He is deputy Governor of Bulgarian National Bank and runs the Currency board between 1997 and 2003. Hi is economist (London School of Economics) and engineer (Technical University of Sofia).

> www.martinzaimov.com