Jury

James Wright is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and a founding Board Director and current Immediate Past President of the AIA International Region.  He is a past Chair of the AIA International Practice Committee Advisory Group, active with the IPCAG since 2011.  He is currently very involved with the International Union of Architects (UIA); he led the AIA delegation to the 2017 UIA Assembly in Seoul, and currently serves as UIA Professional Practice Commission Co-Director. 

Over his career, Wright has led the design and project management of over US$6 billion of building construction and has conducted innumerable planning and feasibility studies in over 40 countries spanning every continent except Antarctica.  With an unusually broad grasp of architectural practice, every year since 1979 he has been engaged in the marketing, managing, design, and delivery of exemplary architectural design services worldwide. His sensitivity to the local culture and traditions of each project setting is strongly reflected in his program-driven building designs.

He has a fascination for sustainable processes and from practice [NOA] he aims to generate innovative tailor-made urban and architectural solutions.

ACADEMIC PROFILE

He is Adjunct Professor (Int) in Architectural Studio at the FADU, UBA (University of Buenos Aires) where he has been teaching since 1998. He has been a Visiting Professor at the Universities of: Talca [Chile]; Johannesburg [South Africa] and Javeriana of Bogota [Colombia]; and Lecturer at the Tadeo University of Cartagena [Colombia]. He also chaired the 2010 DasBaker Award Jury in South Africa.

In 2018 the University of Buenos Aires distinguishes him with two Academic Merit Mentions

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

In 2007 he founded Najmias Oficina de Arquitectura [NOA], a practice with a fascination for sustainable processes and the generation of innovative solutions from architecture and the impact it has on the daily life of its users. The research-based approach drives spatial innovation in the fields of architecture, interior design and furniture as well as in the landscape, with a strong focus on the integration and impacts of the built on the phisical setting and the environment

He won his first international prize in 2002, the Silver Medal in the International Design Competition Beyond East and West [Korea]. In 2011 he was awarded the International Highly-Commended Americas Property Awards Single Residence.

From NOA, or associated with other offices, he also obtains the following national awards: 1st. and 3rd. Urban Project Award at FADU Biennial [2019]; Distinguished Work BIA-AR [2018]; 1st. Prize National Competition for the Colegiales Railwaystation Masterplan [2017]; 2nd Prize National Competition for City Park National [2017]; 3rd Arq Award [2011] and Bicentennial Award Finalist [2010] among others.

Provide opportunities for architects to be a force for positive change in the world.  

Salma Begum is a Bangladeshi Architect. Having been a distinguished student herself throughout her academic career – from being the recipient of Vice Chancellor’s Gold Medal in Bachelor of Architecture to double masters from BUET, Bangladesh and KU Leuven, Belgium with distinction, she is now engaged in nurturing next generation architects in the Department of Architecture at Ahasanullah University as an Assistant Professor. She is also a practicing architect – involved in various notable projects both domestically and internationally. She frequently contributes in international architectural publications benefiting the community. Outside architecture world, she is an avid traveler and a photographer.

She is interested in designing public spaces and places. Her research interest is to see how the use of space changes its scenerio with time and politics. For a city , landscape plays an important role. Therefore, how urbanism and landscape can integrate togather to contribute a city is another topic of interest of hers. She is currently engazed as an indpendent researcher where the research tries to forsee the future of public green space: Envisioning a sustainable urban landscape as incubator of citizenship, social cohesion and alternative urban economics – the Case of Dhaka.

Sustainable and humanitarian housing for all. 

Visual artist, set designer, architect and photographer of Czech origin, based in Burkina since 2012. With Ladji Kone she co-directs the company Ciel K. Her academic research on aesthetics allows her to explore new materials, methods and media with dancers involved in creation on the stage and in the public space.
Graduated in architecture in Prague, Lyon and Paris. Already during her studies, internships and curiosity led her to discover the design and visual art in Morocco, Ghana and Burkina Faso. In light design she got trained alongside Simon Schroter of Berlin. It was with Italian architects VentiZeroQuattroArk in 2009 that she made her first real experience in conception of space. In 2012, she joined the team of JCA - Jakub Cigler Architekti and since 2013 she has been conducting experimental and pro-bono activities for the benefit of cultural actors in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. The urban design set led her to collaborate on projects in Mauritania and Spain.