Since joining the global, award-winning engineering design firm Eckersley O’Callaghan in 2014, Alessandro has been pivotal in the firm’s growth, helping set up the Milan office which he now leads.

With a strong multidisciplinary background, he has amassed extensive experience in facade engineering with a portfolio of clients and projects across the world. His approach to design is underpinned by a passion for sustainability and attention to technical detail, allowing him to operate successfully across different markets and sectors.

Chartered as an Architect and Engineer in the UK (MCIBSE), he is also member of the Order of Engineers in Italy. Alessandro has published several research papers and presented at international facade and glass conferences. He currently leads the research and development stream for the practice’s Facade Engineering group, promoting a strong focus on innovative construction technologies, circularity and low carbon facade design.

Alexander Riemer, Head of International Product Management for Schüco systems at ALUKÖNIGSTAHL, has been active in the building systems industry for more than three decades. Born in Vienna in 1971, he studied Mechanical Engineering and Welding Technology at TGM Vienna and later completed a General Management MBA at the Technical University of Vienna and Danube University Krems.

He joined ALUKÖNIGSTAHL in 1995 and today leads the international product management for Schüco systems. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic development and coordination of aluminum system solutions across numerous markets in Central and South-Eastern Europe, contributing to the advancement of modern façade, window and door technologies.

Alongside his professional activities, Riemer regularly delivers specialist lectures at universities, professional training programs and international industry events. His expertise focuses on building envelope technologies, energy-efficient façade systems, European certification standards such as EPD and CE, as well as fire safety, automation and sustainable building solutions.

Andi Efthimi is an architect and urban planner with over two decades of experience shaping Albania’s contemporary architectural landscape. As a partner at Atelier 4, one of the country’s leading design studios, he has contributed to major residential, hospitality, administrative, and urban projects that redefine the relationship between context, identity, and contemporary living.

With a background in fine arts, his work is distinguished by a refined sensitivity to proportion, light, and materiality, moving fluidly between the urban scale and the intimate precision of interior space.

Efthimi has collaborated closely with internationally renowned practices, including Coldefy together with Jacopo Foggini on the award-winning Administrative Cluster competition, and Steven Holl Architects on the winning Expo Albania project.

His approach is rooted in cross-cultural dialogue and multidisciplinary collaboration, viewing architecture not only as construction, but as a cultural act capable of bridging memory, landscape, and future transformation.

Angelos Zografos is a Technical Sales Engineer in Elval Colour and holds an MBA and a Diploma in Civil Engineering. He has more than 10 years of experience in civil and structural engineering, participating in the analysis and design of structural systems, facades with etalbond and design of projects worldwide, while he has supported specifiers in the selection and use of aluminium coated products for the building industry for more than 8 years. He is also Secretary in the BOD of ELIPYKA, the Greek Institute for the fire safety of structures and a member of the Society of Façade Engineers (SFE) HUB in Greece.

Beat Huesler is a licensed architect with over 30 years professional experience from firms in New York, and Basel, Switzerland before founding Huesler Architekten in Muttenz, Switzerland in 1996. His collaboration with Chad Oppenheim extends back to their studies at Cornell University in New York and was cemented in 2009 when they jointly established the Swiss office of Oppenheim Architecture.

Huesler heads the European studio, managing a senior architectural team to deliver projects in urban and remote locations around the world. His extensive construction and technical knowledge make the studio highly responsive to the available resources and industry practices in any specific location. An ability to work collaboratively with local architects, builders and craftspeople leads to buildings made for their environments and loved by their communities.

Before studying architecture and design at Cornell University, Huesler completed a four-year technical drawing apprenticeship in Basel. His original focus on detailing embedded a passion for function - from design and planning to materials and construction to sustainability and energy use. His commitment to excellence in design and technical rigor ensures a strong alliance of the pragmatic with the poetic.

Carlo Zaka is Chief Operating Officer at ALCA, a leading façade contractor based in Tirana and active in the Albanian market for over 25 years. He holds degrees from Bocconi and IE University and joined the façade sector after earlier experience in international business and technology environments. This cross-disciplinary background brings a broader strategic and operational perspective to the company’s growth and project delivery.

In recent years, Carlo has contributed to the delivery of several landmark developments in Albania, working alongside leading international architects and consultants. His role focuses on strengthening ALCA’s in-house capabilities, building strategic partnerships, and driving closer integration between design, engineering, and construction teams to ensure efficient, high-quality project execution.

Catherine Huang joined BIG in 2007 and became partner in 2017. She has worked closely with Bjarke Ingels across a wide range of projects and typologies such as the Danish Pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai Expo, an energy efficient skyscraper currently completed in Shenzhen, a low energy masterplan in Toronto, and residential projects such as Dortheavej 2 in Copenhagen and 79 & PARK in Stockholm, that enhance the urban fabric by creating shared social spaces as a byproduct of the design. She was the Design Leader for Hualien Residences, a residential masterplan in Taiwan that seeks to blur the line between natural landscape and the built environment. At the moment Cat is the Partner in Charge for the Suzhou Art Museum in Suzhou, China. Prior to joining BIG, she drew on undergraduate degree in molecular biology during her time at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design to conduct research into new models of sustainability for the urban realm.

As Senior Facade Engineer in our Milan office, Chiara brings a wealth of experience having worked in both the UK and Italy. Her background spans a wide variety of industries, project types and sizes across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia – working from concept through to detail design. Chiara has a keen interest in business development and combines unparalleled technical expertise with a passion for growing strong relationships with clients, developers, architects and contractors.

Chiara is a Chartered member of the Order of Engineers in Italy as well as a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the UK.

Elvi Xhaxho is Technical Director at ALCA, a leading façade contractor based in Tirana and active in the Albanian market for over 25 years. He joined the company in 2019 and has since played a central role in the execution of the company’s most demanding façade projects, leading the day-to-day technical and operational management across design development, production workflows, and on-site installation activities.

He holds advanced degrees in Construction Engineering and Real Estate from the Polytechnic University of Tirana. With a strong hands-on approach, Elvi focuses on ensuring technical accuracy, production efficiency, and seamless site coordination, translating complex façade designs into reliable and buildable solutions.

Enrique leads projects in Spain, Eastern Europe, and increasingly Saudi Arabia. His approach priorities the cultural and environmental dimensions of architecture, seeking place-specific design over generic solutions. Enrique holds a master’s in housing and urbanism from London's Architectural Association and more than seventeen years of experience in major urban and cultural initiatives, such as national museums and city regeneration plans. His international portfolio includes work in the UAE, Nigeria, and beyond.

Architect Marco Casamonti, founding partner of Archea Associati, graduated with honors in 1990 and won the competition for the PhD program at the University of Genoa, completing his doctorate in 1994 with a dissertation on history and design in post-war architectural debate. He began collaborating with leading architects, including Paolo Portoghesi, before co-founding Archea in 1988 with Laura Andreini and Giovanni Polazzi.

Alongside professional practice, he has pursued an extensive academic career. He became associate professor in 1998 and full professor in Architectural and Urban Design in 2001, teaching in Florence, Genoa, and Palermo, and serving as PhD director and board member. He has been visiting professor at several international institutions.

Under his leadership, Archea has grown into an international firm with multiple offices and 200–250 architects, winning numerous competitions worldwide. Casamonti has also directed major architecture magazines, curated exhibitions, and published widely, combining design, research, and critical reflection.

Nikelina Bineri is a façade expert at Arcora, a façade engineering firm based in Paris. She is a graduate architect from the Polytechnic University of Tirana. After eight years of professional experience in architecture, she moved to France and Germany to specialize in Cultural Heritage Renovation. She subsequently collaborated with UNESCO on cultural heritage projects in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Madagascar before transitioning into façade engineering.

Over the past ten years, Nikelina has worked with several façade engineering consultancies, including Bollinger + Grohmann and Builders & Partners, before joining Arcora. In her current role, she collaborates closely with environmental, energy, and structural specialists on façade design projects. She is also involved in construction management and specializes in façade diagnostics, assessing building envelope conditions for energy renovation projects and post-damage evaluations. Additionally, she provides façade expertise in cases involving deficiencies, insurance claims, and technical disputes.

Pat is an Associate working in the Façade Engineering group within Arup. Since qualifying as a Structural Engineer in 1989, Pat has worked in consulting engineering initially as a Structural Engineer and for the last 14 years as a Façade Engineer. He has a B.Sc. in Structural Engineering from College of Technology, Bolton Street, an M.Sc. in Façade Engineering from the University of Bath and is a Chartered Member of Engineers Ireland and The Institution of Structural Engineers.

Pat has worked in a wide variety of construction projects including civil engineering structures, building structures but has in recent years concentrated on Façade consultancy, Façade design and engineering, and Building diagnostics and remediation works.

His notable recent façade projects in Ireland include Dublin Landings and Bonham Quay-(Galway). He also contributed to the Accord surveys of textile factories in Bangladesh, the Point Village District Centre, UCD Sutherland School of Law and Communications Workers Union, Dublin.

I started in 1987 with DuPont have worked for more than 38 years in the industrial markets such as passive components, photopolymer for the printed circuits board market, PET for electrical insulation and packaging, automotive and architectural glass lamination. I covered many positions (sales, marketing, product development, project management). Since 2014 I have been working in Kuraray as Sales and Market Development Manager for the Architecture market. My main responsibilities besides sales is to develop relationships with customers and ADECs by helping them find solution through product awareness.

Silvia Ilardi is a Senior Architect. She joined Arup in 2008 currently being part of the Building Envelope team in Milan office, is also part of the Facade Access & Maintenance UK team and Europe Region point of contact for Facade Access & Maintenance queries and jobs. She has worked on iconic projects of Towers like CityLife, Museums, Airports like Baku, Shopping mall, Luxury shops and Stadiums like Florence and Milan Arena. Currently she is working on a range of projects in Italy, Spain and UK where she uses her experience in both Facades and Access and Maintenance. Her communication and technical skills allow her to develop compelling and accurate design solutions for complex project.

Sofia is a specialist in the design of façades and roofs as well as in the as well as in the analysis of existing façade and cladding pathologies. With eighteen years of work experience, includingsixteen years in the façade industry as a consultant and multidisciplinary project coordinator of multidisciplinary projects, she has extensive experience in both refurbishment and rehabilitation and new build projects where sustainability is at the centre. She has a solid experience in the development of projects from the concept phase, the design process, engineering, tendering, testing, and installation, testing phase, and on-site installation of various high profile envelope projects.

Stavros Gargaretas is an architect and Senior Associate at MVRDV, as well as a researcher at The Why Factory (T?F), a global think tank led by Winy Maas. Since joining MVRDV in 2015, he has been leading projects of various scales in different cultural contexts – from competitions for new philharmonics and high-density housing projects in India, to mixed-use masterplans in Thailand.

More recently his focus has shifted to Albania and the Middle East where he leads MVRDV projects in multiple phases. With the Why Factory, at TU Delft and CTU Prague, Stavros focuses on education and research, analysing and envisioning scenarios for future cities. “MVRDV is continuously researching how we can live together densely, but in a more attractive, collaborative, healthy, green, surprising way. This is what drives me.”