The Forum at Downtown Design hosts compelling live interviews, presentations and discussions between leading regional and international architects, interior and product designers on each day of the fair. The programme is developed in close consultation with the A&ID community, with 2021’s topics ranging from changing industry dynamics, behaviours and opportunities to how architecture and design can truly embody authenticity and place, and from implementing sustainability in the real world with real clients to the future development of Middle Eastern cities.
The Talks
In conversation with: Micael Calatrava, CEO, Calatrava International LLC
Speaker(s): Micael Calatrava (CEO, Calatrava International LLC)
This talk is moderated by Talib Choudhry, Editor-In-Chief, Architectural Digest Middle East
8TH NOVEMBER - 17:00-18:00 (By invitation only)
In conversation with: Sebastian Herkner, Founder, Studio Sebastian Herkner
Speaker(s): Sebastian Herkner (Founder, Studio Sebastian Herkner)
This talk is moderated by Pratyush Sarup, Content Director, Architectural Digest Middle East
9TH NOVEMBER - 13:00-14:00 (By invitation only)
Architecture and design that embody authenticity and place
Speaker(s): Jonathan Ashmore (Founder and Principal Architect, ANARCHITECT), Neydine Bak (Co-Founder, Verhaal), Robert Shakespeare (Group Design Director, Cracknell)
9TH NOVEMBER 14:00-15:00
Breathing fresh life into the Middle Eastern contemporary product design scene
Speaker(s): Gregory Gatserelia (Owner, Gatserelia Design), Rasheed Kamel (Owner, Le LAB)
9TH NOVEMBER - 15:00-16:00
Le French Art de Vivre: The next 50 years
Speaker(s): Adrien Gardere (Designer, Museographer, Founder and CEO, Studio Gardère), Jean-Paul Bath (CEO, Le French Design), Julia Capp (Managing Director, RDAI)
This talk is moderated by Cyril Zammit, Design Advisor and Consultant, Cyril Zammit Design Consultancy
9TH NOVEMBER - 16:00-17:00
Design by soundbites: The impacts and opportunities of working remotely in a collaborative field
Speaker(s): Phillippe Fouché (Director, SAOTA)
9TH NOVEMBER - 17:00-18:00
Making an entrance: An interactive walkthrough of this dramatic installation with its creators
Speaker(s): Giorgio Palermo (Founder, NIU Studio), Elena Gregorutti (Partner, NIU Studio), Carlotta de Bevilacqua (President and CEO, Artemide), Lorenzo Lotesto (Managing Director, Fantini Mosaici)
9TH NOVEMBER 18:30-19:15
Balancing sustainability with luxury: Do we need to take a radically different approach?
Speaker(s): Andy Shaw (Managing Partner, AMA and Chair, RIBA Gulf Chapter), Nour Toubia Daou (Senior Interior Designer, Gensler), Waleed Hashem (Director – PMO, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority), Michiel Raaphorst (Architect, Director, and Co-Founder, V8 Architects)
10TH NOVEMBER - 14:00-14:45
International market and aesthetic trends in high-end hospitality and residential design
Speaker(s): Jane O'Neill (Editor of CID Magazine), Lee Nellis (Managing Partner, XBD Collective), Christian Merieau (Founding Partner, MMAC Design Associates)
10TH NOVEMBER - 14:45-15:30
Contemporary product design and the art of effective collaboration with manufacturers
Speaker(s): Pallavi Dean (Founder and Creative Director, Roar), Rock Galpin (Founder and Design Director, Rock Galpin Studio), Sebastian Herkner (Founder, Studio Sebastian Herkner)
This talk is moderated by Esra Lemmens, Founder & Director, The Esra Lemmens Agency
10TH NOVEMBER - 15:30-16:15
Sustainable Environments
Moderated by Panna Munyal, Lifestyle Editor, The National
Speaker(s): Juan Roldán (Associate Professor, College of Architecture, Art and Design, American University of Sharjah), Marisa Santamaría (Founder, Global Innovation Trends Unit & Professor, IE University), Xavi Calvo (CEO, World Design Capital Valencia 2022)
10TH NOVEMBER-16:15-17:00
The future of homes: How user needs, experiences, technology and design are transforming residential architecture and interiors
Speaker(s): Laura Bielecki (Group Design Director, Ellington), Rayana Hossain (Founder and MD, ISHO), Rob McIntosh (Founder, McIntosh)
This talk is moderated by Pratyush Sarup, Content Director, Architectural Digest Middle East.
10TH NOVEMBER - 17:00-18:00
Placemaking and the future of urban development in the Middle East
Speaker(s): Caroline Bos, (Co-Founder and Principal Urban Planner, UNStudio) Duncan Denley (Founder and MD, desert INK), George Arvanitis, Director of Masterplanning and Urbanism, RMJM)
11TH NOVEMBER- 14:00-15:00
In conversation with: Isabel Pintado, SVP Design and Innovation, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Speaker(s): Isabel Pintado, SVP Design and Innovation, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
This talk is moderated by Esra Lemmens, Founder and Director, The Esra Lemmens Agency
11TH NOVEMBER - 15:00-16:00PM
Flexible design and architecture: Creating fluid, responsive environments and temporary experiences
Speaker(s): Alessandro Ayanian (Creative and Managing Director, neoalpha global), Donna Tzelepis (Founder and Creative Director, Studio Feel), Kristina Zanic (Owner, Kristina Zanic Design Consultants), Tim Etherington (Co-Founder, ema)
11 NOVEMBER - 16:00-17:00
Back to Nature? UAE Material Innovation
Speaker(s): Lisa Ball-Lechgar (Deputy Director, Tashkeel), Nuhayr Zein (Architect & Researcher), Lina Ghalib (Product Designer)
12TH NOVEMBER - 12:30-13:15
Working as a Furniture Designer with Manufacturer Brands: A Case Study
Speaker(s): Rock Galpin, (Founder and Design Director, Rock Galpin Studio)
12TH NOVEMBER - 13:15-14:00
Embedding Wellness in Our Homes
Speaker(s): David Schill (Director, Aritco), Lina Benaissa (Senior Designer, Light Space Design), Isabel Pintado (SVP Design & Innovation, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts)
This talk is moderated by Pratush Sarup (Content Director, Architectural Digest Middle East)
12TH NOVEMBER - 14:00-15:00