Fran Silvestre - Rethinking Architecture

Fran Silvestre is a Doctor of Architecture who graduated with honors from the UPV and earned a Magna Cum Laude doctorate in design. He also holds a degree in urban planning from TU/e in the Netherlands. Currently, he is a professor at UPV and the European University, where he also leads the MArch Postgraduate School in Architecture and Design. He previously served as vice-director of the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Valencia and held the Victor L. Regnier Chair at KSU in the United States. Early in his career, he trained with the Portuguese Pritzker Prize winner Álvaro Siza.Founded in 2005, Fran Silvestre Arquitectos is based in Valencia in the former workshop of sculptor Andreu Alfaro. The multidisciplinary studio of more than 50 professionals works on residential, cultural, corporate, and public projects worldwide.Throughout his career, Silvestre has received numerous international honors, including the Red Dot Design Award, German Design Award (2016, 2020, 2021, 2024), IF Design Award, NYCxDESIGN Award, the XIII Spanish Architecture Biennial Design Prize, and the International Federation of Architects and Designers Gold Medal in Architecture.He has lectured at institutions including KSU, AIA New York, and Virginia Tech, exhibited at Museu Serralves and MoMA, and his work has been widely published by Architectural Record, Phaidon, Taschen, Thames & Hudson, and Rizzoli.The studio's projects span Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, and the Middle East, with notable works including the Cliff House (Spain), Balint House (Spain), House in Hollywood Hills (USA), Zibo Master Plan (China), Boutique Hotel (Croatia), and Eolic Tower (Spain). Influenced by Álvaro Siza and Andreu Alfaro, the studio's architecture is recognized for its precision, purity, and ability to elevate everyday life through light, proportion, and simplicity.

Hamid Hassanzadeh is a distinguished architect, entrepreneur, researcher, and speaker. Having earned his degree in architectural engineering in 2012, Hamid has since contributed to various architectural projects across multiple regions around the globe. In early 2016, he founded the ParametricArchitecture platform, initially launching on Instagram. Today, ParametricArchitecture, often abbreviated as PA, stands as a globally renowned hub for parametric, computational design, and AI lovers, boasting over 20 million monthly interactions on the internet. Hamid endeavors to demystify the intricacies of the parametric, computational, and AI realms through compelling articles, interviews, workshops, podcasts, and conferences disseminated across various digital platforms. Furthermore, he’s the visionary behind PAACADEMY, an educational entity under the aegis of PA, dedicated to propagating the concepts of computational architecture and design. The PAACADEMY, as an educational platform, educates and engages with its audience, introducing them to advanced techniques and algorithms employed by architects, designers, and coders alike. He highlights exemplary projects executed using state-of-the-art design software, ensuring that his audience not only witnesses but also comprehends the depth and philosophy of these avant-garde design practices. Moreover, as the esteemed host of the 'PA Talks' interview series, he engages in enriching conversations with architects, orchestrates numerous workshops, conferences, and events, and has had the privilege of interviewing myriad globally acclaimed architects, delving into their methodologies and foresighted visions for the architectural landscape.