SPEAKERS
Arif Hasan
Arif Hasan is a Pakistani architect and planner, activist, teacher, social researcher and writer. He studied architecture at the Oxford Polytechnic, worked in Europe in architect’s offices,
and on his return to Karachi in 1968, established an independent practice which slowly evolved into dealing with national and international urban planning and development issues. He has taught at Pakistani and European universities and lectured widely both in the North and the South. The Orangi Pilot project is an example of social change with community through design that has been replicated world wide.
He has served in many organisation as consultant, or in advisor capacity both nationally and internationally and has been actively involved with the academia and students. He is a critical voice from Pakistan that raises awareness on issues related to the built environment, gentrification, heritage, and the social divide and writes profusely for Dawn and other dailies. He is rightfully called the master pulse of Karachi who understands this megacity like no other.
Arif Hasan received the following awards: Life Time Achievement Award of the Institute of Architects Pakistan (2003); Hilal-e-Imtiaz for Public Service of the Government of Pakistan (2001); Prince Claus Award for contribution to architecture and development (2000); International Year for the Shelterless Memorial Prize of the Japan Housing Association (1990); Best Building Award of the Karachi Development Authority (1983); World Habitat Award of the British Housing Foundation was conferred on the Orangi Pilot Project-Research & Training Institute (2000)
He is also the recipient of Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan Memorial Award of the Council of Social Sciences Pakistan, on the best book on social sciences in the area of Rural / Urban development, 2010
And very recently in the last cycle bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award of ADA (Architecture Design Art), 2022-23
Dr. Fiona Gray
is an Australian architect and Living Future Accredited (LFA) practitioner. She is the founding Director of ‘Bioliving by Design;,
Kamil Khan Mumtaz
is a distinguished figure in the realm of architecture, renowned for his profound contributions and exceptional achievements that have significantly impacted Pakistan's architectural landscape.
With a keen emphasis on academic excellence, Kamil
spearheaded the re-establishment of the 5-year architecture course at the National College of
Arts, Lahore, where he served as a revered Professor and Head of the Department.
His expertise extends beyond academia, as he led a team of consultants in crafting the Lahore
Urban Development & Traffic Study, a seminal project that outlined a comprehensive planning
framework for Lahore’s metropolitan area, including the revitalization of the historic Walled
City.
As an esteemed author, Kamil has penned authoritative works such as “Architecture in
Pakistan” and “Modernity and Tradition”, while also contributing chapters and articles to
esteemed publications, notably in Chris Moffat’s book “The Time of Building – Kamil Khan
Mumtaz and Architecture in Pakistan”.
Kamil’s influence reaches the highest echelons of architectural governance, having served as a
distinguished member of the Steering Committee of the prestigious Agha Khan Award for
Architecture. A visionary leader, Kamil founded the Anjuman-i-Mimaran, pioneering research,
documentation, and advocacy for Pakistan’s architectural heritage. He was also instrumental in
the establishment of the Lahore Conservation Society, showcasing his unwavering commitment
to heritage preservation.
Recognized nationally and internationally, Kamil has served as a Visiting Critic at esteemed
institutions like the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard and MIT. His
illustrious career has been adorned with accolades, including the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 1993, in
recognition of his outstanding contributions to architecture.
Kamil Khan Mumtaz’s unparalleled dedication and visionary leadership continue to inspire
architects and enthusiasts alike, leaving an indelible mark on the architectural fabric of
Pakistan. In 2019, his lifetime of exemplary service to the architectural profession was honored
with the prestigious Sirara-e-Imtiaz award by the Government of Pakistan.
Maria Aslam
is a distinguished figure known for her multifaceted expertise as a prolific writer, architectural historian, and environmental activist.
With a passion for interior design, architecture,
heritage, and urban revitalization, she is the visionary founder and Editor-in-Chief of ADA Magazine,
a pioneering publication from Pakistan. Maria’s ground breaking leadership has led to the
establishment of the ADA Awards, marking her as the first female entrepreneur in Pakistan to
embark on such a venture, thereby reshaping the discourse on Architecture, Design, and Art in the
region.
Beyond her editorial endeavors, Maria Aslam assumes the role of Founder and Principal Architect at
ArchWorks, a dynamic creative and research practice based in Karachi. At ArchWorks, she
navigates the intricate intersections of architecture, urbanism, landscape, interiors, and cultural
geographies. Through her versatile portfolio, Maria actively engages in diverse projects spanning
architecture, interiors, environmental geographies, community settlements, and curatorial ventures,
including exhibitions, seminars, installations, and speculative projects.
A staunch advocate for sustainable design, Maria co-founded and currently serves as President of
the Sustainable Design Council (SDC) in Pakistan. In this capacity, she champions environmentally
conscious practices and endeavors to address pressing issues related to the planet’s health within
the design industry. Maria advocates for environmentally sustainable built environments and strives
for equitable spaces. Maria Aslam’s leadership extends her involvement in professional
organizations, where she has held notable positions such as Chairperson of the Karachi Chapter of
the Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP) and Chairperson of the Pakistan Institute of Interior
Designers (PIID).
As an accomplished author, Maria penned ‘Interiors of Pakistan Volume I’ in 2016, and continues to
contribute with her second book in print. Armed with a Bachelor of Architecture from the Indus Valley
School of Art and Architecture and a master’s in architecture from McGill University, she lectures
widely and advises the graduating students of various academia.
Rashid Rana
Widely considered to be one of the leading artists of his generation in South Asia today, Rashid Rana emerged as the maker of an entirely new kind of art from Pakistan,
at the start of this
century. Notable for his ideas, imagery, and pictorial strategies, Rashid Rana has exhibited at
galleries and museums globally. His works are in various public and private collections including
the British Museum, London, Metropolitan Museum, New York, Fukuoka Museum of Art, Japan
and Saatchi Collection, London. He is the recipient of Game Changer Asia Art Award, and
International Artist of the Year by SAVAC Canada in 2003. His work has been shown at venues
such as Singapore Art Museum, Singapore; Hong Kong Art Center, Hong Kong; Cornerhouse,
Manchester, UK; Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland; Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK;
Saatchi Gallery, London, UK; Lower Belvedere, Vienna, Austria; the Asia Society, New York, USA;
Kemper Art Museum, St Louis, USA; National Fine Arts Museum, Taichung, Taiwan; House of
World Cultures, Berlin, Germany; Institute of the Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia; Gallery of
Modern Art, Australia; Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, UK; Asia House, London, UK; Royal
Academy, London, UK; 5th Asia Pacific Triennale, Queensland Gallery of Art, Australia; 3rd
Fukuoka Triennale, Fukuoka Museum of Art, Japa; Venice Biennale 2015, Venice, Italy; 1st
Singapore Biennale, Singapore; 1st Kiev International Biennale: ARSENALE, Kiev, Ukraine.
Primarily known for his art practice, Rashid Rana occupies multiple simultaneous profiles. He
mediates between being an artist, curator, educator and visionary with a common thread of an
unfixed and non-prescriptive view of geography and identity. It is this openness to diverse
expressions of ideas that has led to his recent engagement with the project: “Eart”. He is a
founding faculty member and currently the Dean of the Mariam Dawood School of Visual Arts
and Design at BNU, Lahore.
Yahya Jan
For Yahya, design is a creative process that challenges us to combine our understanding of Life, of science, and art and where these aspects overlap,
Yahya believes First Principle thinking can
reveal solutions that stretch our understanding of reality. Based in Dubai, Yahya is President &
Design Director at NORR. With 36 years of global experience, Yahya leads NORR’s design efforts
in the Middle East and Asia.
Yahya undertook his undergraduate and graduate studies at Princeton University. A licensed
architect in New York, Yahya worked for 8 years in the US before moving to Dubai in 1996.
Since then, Yahya has played a pivotal design role at NORR, bringing to life visionary projects
throughout the region.
Yahya advocates integrated design as a means to transform our built environment. He sees
design as a patient search – in equal parts of analytical and intuitive cognition. Central to his
design philosophy is a multi-disciplinary approach that includes owners, architects, engineers,
and others, working collaboratively to unlock hidden potential. Today, Yahya leads a highly
motivated team of designers and doers which comprises of a diverse, multicultural gathering of
incredibly creative women and men, in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Manila, dedicated to excellence.
Yahya’s built work includes signature office, residential, hotel towers, retail malls, and multi-use
developments. A winner of numerous international awards, Yahya’s design and research is
featured at conferences and in leading publications worldwide.
Faraz-Maqsood
Faraz Maqsood Hamidi is an adman by day and a poet by night. He is a multi-hyphenate creative force in Pakistan’s branding and advertising industry,
and the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The D’Hamidi Partnership, a 30-year-old, award-winning ideas firm that grows brands, businesses and the bottom line.
Through the power of proprietary strategic and consultancy tools, with offices in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Dubai, he has created culturally significant and on-trend advertising, branding, and identity design for national, regional and international players that compel them to reach their potential. This includes the recently concluded and highly anticipated campaign for “Brand Pakistan” — an exclusively commissioned image and destination branding project for the Government of Pakistan. And the launch of PureHealth, the largest integrated healthcare vertical in the UAE. Moreover, as a partner to Worldwide Partners Inc. (WPI), the world’s largest network of independent agencies, Faraz has ensured global resonance for his brand of creativity.
Faraz is on the board of various educational and trade institutions, and long-standing columnist for Pakistan’s leading trade magazine, Aurora, with Above-the-Line, the world’s longest running column on advertising by a single author. He is the author of two collections of poems (Diva & SKiN) alongside a repertoire of internationally published verses.
His creative pursuits have led him as far afield as enrolling at TASIS (The American School in Switzerland), the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the Royal Academy of Music, American University of Paris/Sorbonne for comparative literature, before majoring in mass communication and advertising from Boston University with a concentration in creative writing under the mentorship of Nobel Prize winner, Derek Walcott.
Seif El Rashidi
is an architectural historian with 20 years of expertise working on heritage preservation and managing projects related to promoting public engagement with heritage and culture.
Seif was formerly the Project Manager of Layers of London (2016-2020), Project Manager at the Guildhall Library (2016-2018); Magna Carta Programme Manager for Salisbury Cathedral (2014-2016); the coordinator of Durham’s UNESCO World Heritage Site (2008-2014); a team member of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture’s Darb Al-Ahmar Revitalisation Project in Cairo (1997-2008) and at Ahmad Hamid Architects (1995-1997). Seif has been a technical reviewer for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s heritage projects since 2013 and was on the World Monuments Fund Project Selection Committee for 2019. He is an advisory member of the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund. Since 2018, he has developed a dynamic cultural heritage programme in London in partnership with Asia House, Leighton House, The Arab British Centre, London Craft Week, among others.
He studied City Design and Social Science at the London School of Economics (Msc), History of Art and Architecture (MA) and Economics (BA) at the American University in Cairo.
He is the co-author (with Sam Bowker) of The Tentmakers of Cairo: Egypt’s Medieval and Modern Applique Craft (AUC Press, 2018).
Sergii Rodionov
is a creative director and designer with a background in editorial design, tech, urbanism, contemporary art and culture from Mariupol.
Sergii Rodionov is a Ukrainian creative director, initiator of public projects and designer with a background in editorial design, tech, urbanism, contemporary art and culture. He works in the fields of media, urban planning, modern technologies, and culture. Rodionov is a co-founder of Good News, a NYC & Amsterdam-based design bureau, and Mriia, an initiative for a better future for Ukraine.
Born in Mariupol he has been working worldwide for more than 15 years. In 2016, he initiated and curated a branding strategy for the city of Mariupol, and at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he presented a visual manifesto dedicated to the reconstruction of the city, followed by ‘Re: Mariupol’ project – a comprehensive vision for the future of the city.
Since the end of 2021, Sergii has been living and working in Amsterdam, where his mother also relocated after the occupation of Mariupol. The dramatic stories of his family and the people of Mariupol became one of the main drivers for the ‘Re: Mariupol’ project.