Virginia Lung

Co-founder of One Plus Partnership

Hongkong

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Virginia Lung is co-founder of One Plus Partnership. After she was graduated from University of Oregon with a bachelor’s in interior architecture, she has been dedicated herself into interior design industry. One Plus is a Hong Kong-based interior design firm established in 2004. They designed a variety of commercial venues including cinemas, retail stores, clubhouses and sales offices. One Plus’s projects are theme drive, which means the designers will search for a theme matches the project and trying to involve related elements into every detail. Over the past 19 years, One Plus has been awarded more than 800 international awards globally. Virginia has been the judge in various international competitions including German Design Award, INSIDE Festival of Interiors (UK), NeoCon (US), K-Design Award (South Korea) and D&AD (UK).

Wei Wu

Executive Partner at gmp

Shanghai

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After completing his studies in Chongqing, China, Wu Wei worked as an architect in Lanzhou and Shanghai from 1992 to 1994. In 1995 he started further architectural studies at ETH Zurich, where he finished with a Master’s Degree in Architecture (Diplom) in 2000 under Prof. Mario Campi. After working for the Zurich practice Skyline Architecture, Wu joined gmp · Architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners in 2001, where he initially started as Head Representative of the offices in Beijing and Shanghai. In 2004 he became an Associate Partner, in 2009 Partner for China, in 2019 Partner and Executive Partner in 2021.

May-Britt Frank-Grosse

Editor-in-chief, baunetz interior|design

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May-Britt Frank-Grosse studied architecture in Cottbus and Suttgart and has been working as an architecture and design journalist since 2006. In 2014, she completed a certificate programme in Sustainability and Communication at Leuphana University Lüneburg. She has been editor-in-chief of the online magazine baunetz interior|design since 2019 and a member of the advisory board of Berlin International University of Applied Sciences since 2021. Her work focuses on the holistic communication of topics relating to (interior) architecture and sustainable building.

Carsten Schmidt

Associate Partner, Topotek 1

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Carsten Schmidt completed his Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Chinese Studies, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Communication at the University of Tübingen in 2015. Shortly thereafter, he graduated from Cornell University with a Master of Landscape Architecture and a Master of City and Regional Planning. After collaborating with Cornell University on an initiative for climate-adaptive design to support local communities along the Hudson River, he joined Topotek 1. There, he quickly progressed from landscape architect to senior architect and became a project manager. Today, he is responsible for a range of local and international projects, spanning from feasibility studies to large-scale urban developments. Carsten has been a partner at Topotek 1 since 2021 and oversees projects in the MENA region.

Daniel Blum

Associate Partner at IttenBrechbühl

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Daniel Blum is an architect, professor, and Associate Partner at IttenBrechbühl Basel. He is also a co-founder of the Design Hub IB Atelier and initiated the UTOPIA student competition series. He completed his architecture studies at TU Darmstadt and ETH Zurich, where he was taught by Peter Märkli and Josep Lluis Mateo, earning his diploma from Mateo in 2006. Since 2014, Daniel Blum has been involved in architectural education, regularly giving lectures and participating as a member of architectural juries. His projects are exhibited both in Switzerland and internationally, including at the Architecture Biennales in Venice in 2021 and 2023. Before joining IttenBrechbühl in 2017, he worked at renowned architecture firms such as David Chipperfield Architects in London and Diener & Diener Architekten in Basel. In 2017, Daniel Blum joined IttenBrechbühl and was appointed Associate Partner in 2022. Since 2023, he has held a professorship in architecture and building construction at the Münster School of Architecture MSA. Additionally, he is a member of the board of trustees of the Swiss Architecture Museum S AM. His extensive experience and involvement in various aspects of architecture make him a significant figure in the field.

Karim El-Ishmawi

Managing Director & Co-Founder, Kinzo Architekten

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Karim El-Ishmawi is an architect and co-founder of Kinzo, an international architecture and interior design firm specializing in interior design, existing building construction, and placemaking. It was founded in 2005 by Karim El-Ishmawi, Martin Jacobs, and Chris Middleton. The multidisciplinary teams in Berlin and Munich guide projects from consultation and analysis to strategy, conception, planning, and implementation. He has worked on projects for clients such as adidas, Nike, SoundCloud, and Zalando. He studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and at the Technical University of Berlin in 2003. Additionally, he worked as a guest professor at the renowned Boston Wentworth Institute of Technology.