Keynote speakers
Professor Jutta Treviranus, Founder of the IDRC, OCADU Toronto, Canada
Jutta Treviranus is the Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) and professor in the faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto (http://idrc.ocadu.ca). Jutta established the IDRC in 1993 as the nexus of a growing global community that proactively works to ensure that our digitally transformed and globally connected society, including the built environment, is designed inclusively. Dr. Treviranus also founded an innovative graduate program in inclusive design at OCAD University. Jutta is credited with developing an inclusive design methodology that has been adopted by large enterprise companies such as Microsoft, as well as public sector organizations internationally. In 2022 Jutta was recognized for her work in AI by Women in AI with the AI for Good – DEI AI Leader of the Year award.
Architect Morten Rask Gregersen, Founding partner, NORD architects Copenhagen, Denmark
Morten Rask Gregersen has designed and innovated health care buildings since NORD Architects were started 20 years ago. Through extensive user-involvement and thorough analysis he has developed a large base of knowledge of how design and architecture can improve the experiences and health of an ageing population.
His most well-known work includes The Centre for Cancer and Health, which was a groundbreaking health care project in Denmark – and Scandinavia. Since then, Morten Rask Gregersen has been the lead designer and responsible partner for France’s first dementia village ‘Village Landais Alzheimer’, and most recently Willow Valley – a memory care home in the US, that includes ‘dementia-friendly’ housing as well as preventive measures such as memory-training facilities. NORD Architects have also just finished Furuset Hageby – a dementia village Oslo, Norway.
Morten holds a Diploma from the Architectural Association in London, and from the Aarhus School of Architecture, and has been teaching at The Royal Academy in Copenhagen and TU Wien amongst others. Through NORD Architects he continues to integrate the newest research in current projects, develop tools for working with healthcare architecture and create new solutions to benefit and support changing demographics.
Professor Jenni Reuter, Aalto University, Finland
Jenni Reuter is Associate Professor in Architectural Principles and Theory at Aalto University. The core in her teaching is space making for a sustainable future. She is investigating the changing role and possibilities of the architect, new pedagogical models and the interplay between architecture and other disciplines of art.
She also works as a practising architect, both in her own office and together with architects Saija Hollmén and Helena Sandman. The group started their collaboration in 1995 with the Women’s Centre project in Rufisque, Senegal. At the moment they are designing dormitories for girls in the Iringa region in Southern Tanzania. In 2007 they founded Ukumbi NGO, the mission of which is to offer architectural services to underprivileged communities in need. The works by Jenni Reuter (as well as Hollmén Reuter Sandman Architects) have been honoured exhibited widely, including several times at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
At ARCH24 Professor Reuter is pleased to host and facilitate the Global Roundtable.
Global Roundtable
Tarna Klitzner, Founder TKLA, UCT Cape Town, South Africa
Tarna Klitzner earned her degree in Architecture from UCT Cape Town in 1985, followed by a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991. Founding TKLA in 1995, she now lectures at UCT’s Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Planning Department. TKLA’s work includes public and private projects, aiming to provide environments that foster positive community engagement and human interaction within urban and natural landscapes. Emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and proactive design, TKLA has garnered several ILASA awards and recognition in competitions like the Commonwealth War Graves Memorial 2022, the Rosa Barba competition, and the Barcelona Landscape Architecture Biennial 2023.
Humphrey Kalanje, Aalto University, Finland
Humphrey Kalanje is a Tanzanian architect who worked for over 30 years for the Ministry of Works in Tanzania. He has studied in Tanzania, India, Norway, Sweden, and Finland and is now working on his doctoral thesis at Aalto University in Finland. He has also taught and lectured at Aalto University. He is interested in how architecture and urban planning can help make our cities more inclusive and just. He is a board member of the Suomi Tansania Seura and Lyra Finland.
Kristjana Adalgeirsdóttir, Aalto University, Finland
Kristjana Adalgeirsdóttir is an architect, shelter delegate, and a doctoral researcher at Aalto University. Her research focus is on humanitarian construction, sustainable project management in emergencies, and socio-cultural sensitivity in responses and recovery. She is an experienced and certified project manager, a member of the ShelterBox Emergency Response team, and a Red Cross international delegate, with mission experience from, among others, housing responses in Ukraine, climate-related disasters in the Philippines and Kenya, and a durable returnee program in Iraq. Kristjana has been mentoring multidisciplinary SGT (Sustainable Global Technology) student teams in PBL (Problem-Based Learning) projects since 2016, including in refugee camps in Brazil in partnership with UNHCR. She is a founding member of the NGO ARCHXUS, which focuses on sustainable humanitarian housing responses.
New (to) Research
Designed for individuals with minimal to no research experience and lacking formal research education, the ‘New to Research’ workshop is crafted to inspire you to become a researcher and empower you to contribute to the field. Throughout the workshop, we will provide valuable tips, tricks, and insights pertinent to early-stage research careers. The session comprehensively covers the entire research process, from project initiation to publication or other forms of research dissemination. Specific topics include considerations for writing abstracts, structuring papers, and building scientific arguments. To enrich the learning experience, two early-career researchers will share their perspectives, and we will offer additional resources to help foster a supportive research community.
Iris Beuls, Hasselt University, Belgium
Iris Beuls, an architect and PhD researcher at the Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Hasselt University, Belgium, specializes in interdisciplinary research at the intersection of architecture and palliative care. Her focus lies on “Designing human-centered palliative environments,” examining the relationship between spatial aspects, atmospheres, and the experiences of individuals who inhabit, visit, or work within them. Moreover, she endeavors to bridge the research-practice gap in this field through the development of empathic design tools.
Elke Miedema, Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Elke Miedema, PhD, is a researcher and lecturer at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, focusing on the design of the built environment for health, care, and cure. She leads the Health Promoting Built Environment task force, informing healthcare managers and promoting the integration of the built environment in organizational transformations. As a co-founder of HealthScapes, she works to bridge knowledge gaps in health and care building design in the Netherlands through knowledge-sharing and networking events for experts and the public.
Emma Komi, Aalto University, Finland
Emma Komi received her BSc and MSc degrees in architecture from Aalto University in 2020 and 2022, respectively. In her master’s thesis, she presented architectural solutions for preventing bird extinction. The master’s thesis gathered notable attention and won several awards. Currently, she’s working as an architect at WSP, applying her knowledge about animal-friendly design in her everyday life. Her interests are focused on broadening the scope of design to consider all living things.