222nd Edition – Zak World of Façades UAE

This will be the 222nd edition globally and the 11th edition in UAE which will showcase sustainable innovations and challenges in the construction industry pertaining to the building envelope and will also display latest technological solutions.

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Speakers & Panelists
Subraya Kalkura
Managing Director, John R Harris & Partners
Subraya Kalkura is the Managing Director of John R Harris & Partners (JRHP), where he leads the firm’s strategic growth, business operations, and design delivery across the Middle East. With over two decades of experience in the built environment sector,...
Maya Cochrane
RIBA Gulf Chapter Chair | Architect and Health-Centred Design & Ethical AI, RIBA Gulf
Experienced RIBA Chartered Architect & Healthy Materials Expert, framing Health-Centred Design as the next evolution of sustainability—connecting material health and ethical AI to create environments that actively support the health of both people and planet.   Leading MAYA MATERIAL studio,...
Gizelle Javidan
Consultant - Building Enclosures, WSP
Dr. Gizelle Javidan is a Computational Design Architect with a Ph.D. specializing in the intersection of architecture, advanced geometry, and emerging technologies. Her work explores how computational design, AI-driven workflows, and performance-based strategies can shape intelligent, and fabrication-aware designs. With...
Mohamad Kasab
Techno-Commercial Manager, IBECE Group
Mohamad Kasab is an experienced engineering professional with over a decade of expertise in delivering large-scale projects across the UAE, KSA, Lebanon, and Asia. His background spans technical delivery, complex building systems, and techno-commercial management, with a strong focus on...
Nic Holmes
Lead AI Design Innovator, LW Design Group
Nic Holmes is the Lead AI Design Innovator at LW Design Group, driving the integration of generative AI across the firm’s global architecture and interiors practice. For the past four years, he has been deeply focused on AI R&D, exploring...
Nandan Tavkar
Senior Associate Director, Climate Response + ESG Advisory | Strategic Consulting, Jacobs
Nandan has 20 years of sustainability thought leadership in the built environment, with expertise in energy and experience in all aspects of sustainability in the built-environment context. He recently leads key sustainability aspects of a major Net-Zero Airport Masterplan development...
Khaled Iskandar
AI Educator & Workflow Strategist, ZKANDAR
Khalid Iskandar is an Architect and Interior Designer turned AI Educator, Workflow Strategist, and founder of ZKANDAR L.L.C, an EdTech company focused on AI integration for the creative industry. With over a decade of experience across luxury hospitality, F&B design,...
Elia Galatolo
Senior Façade Engineer, Arup
Elia is a façade specialist with expertise in building physics, sustainability, and façade design detailing. He is also actively engaged in digital innovation, leveraging advanced tools and workflows to improve design integration and performance.  His work centres on developing holistic...
Christine Espinosa-Erlanda
Associate Director, Godwin Austen Johnson
Christine is a seasoned and award-winning architect in the Middle East, with over two decades of experience shaping the architectural landscape. A proud Filipina architect, she pursued her passion for design and furthered her education with a Master’s degree in...
Ralph Damkoehler
Managing Director, seele Middle East
For more than two decades, Ralph Damkoehler has been at the forefront of international façade engineering, shaping some of the most technically ambitious and visually striking architectural projects across the globe. After eight years with the company, he embarked on...
Oana Fayyad
Senior Architect, Killa Design
Rania AlBanna
Senior Façade Consultant, Meinhardt Façade Technology
Rania AlBanna is a Senior Façade Consultant at Meinhardt Facade and Technology⁠ with experience in façade design, coordination, and delivery across complex architectural projects in the Middle East. She is passionate about combining technical precision with elegant, high-performing building envelopes,...
Amir Shurafa
Head of Design, Ai certified expert, Danube Properties
With over ten years of experience in interior design, project management, and emerging technologies, I am the Head of Interior Design at Danube Properties, a leading real estate developer in the region. I lead the design and innovation team to...
Arwa Alzaabi
Sustainability Consultant, Werner Sobek Dubai
Arwa Alzaabi is a Sustainability Consultant at Werner Sobek Dubai with nearly two years of experience in the built environment sector. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable and Renewable Energy Engineering and is a LEED Green Associate (LEED GA)....
Drew Gilbert
Lead Design Architect & Global AI Lead, OBM International
Drew Gilbert is an award-winning Architect, Urban Designer, and Futurist. Gilbert’s work is defined by his integration of technology and design, a deep respect for site, climate, and cultural context, and his ability to craft solutions that are both timeless...
Prathush Sreedharan
Specification Leader - Middle East, Axalta Coating Systems
I’ve spent more than 10 years leading marketing and specification efforts within the industrial materials and construction sectors across Middle East. My approach is rooted in my civil engineering background and a genuine passion for the intersection of material science...
Alejandro Garcia Gadea
Lead Principal Architect, Atkins Réalis
Alejandro is a Lead Principal Architect at AtkinsRealis, specializing in the design and development of landmark projects in the Middle East. Currently focused on the Mukaab, the world’s largest building set for completion in 2030, his design approach integrates innovation and...
Tony Abi Gebrayel
Managing Partner, MZ Architects
Tony Abi Gebrayel is a partner at MZ Architects. He is the Projects Director of MZ Architects LLC, Abu Dhabi, UAE, and a chief contributor to the company’s design vision. He has been managing the company for 18 years and...
Celeste Gariando
Technical Director, Meinhardt Façade Technology
Celeste joined Meinhardt Façade Technology (MFT) – Dubai in 2008 and is now MFT’s Technical Director, bringing over 20 years of experience in façade engineering across the Middle East and Central Asia. She holds a Master’s Degree in Structural Engineering...
Fan Lee
Founder, Anometal Aluminum
Mr. Fan Lee is the founder of Anometal Aluminum Co., Ltd. who has profound expertise in the industry of pre-treated aluminium. Anometal masters the core technology of continuous anodising and has three automatic continuous pre-anodising lines nowadays. With 28 years’...
Jincy Mariam Rinu
Middle East Façade Leader, Arup
With over 19 years of experience in the region, Jincy is a seasoned facade professional specializing in the design and execution of sustainable building envelopes. As the Middle East Façade Leader at Arup, she plays a key role in shaping façade...
Alina Valcarce
Founder | Design Director, Valcarce Architects
Alina is a visionary leader and Architect, serving as the founder and design director of Valcarce Architects. With an unwavering passion for innovative architectural forms and groundbreaking designs, Alina continuously pushes the boundaries of what is possible in the built...
Osama Abbas
Chief Executive Officer, IBECE Group
Osama Abbas is a façade engineering specialist and industry leader with over 20 years of experience in the design, specification, construction, testing, and commissioning of building envelopes across the region. He holds dual engineering degrees, including a Master’s degree in...
Renato Cilento
Associate Façade Consultant, Turner & Townsend
Renato is a Façade Engineer with more than 25 years of experience in the design and delivery of building envelope systems. He has worked internationally across the Middle East, the UK, and Europe, including within leading international firms such as...
Jasmin Hodzic
Glass Specialist, Guardian Glass
Jasmin Hodzic is the Senior Director Global Architectural Demand Creation at Guardian Glass, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of float, coated, and fabricated glass products. In his role, Mr. Hodzic oversees International and Larg-scale commercial architectural project globally. His...
Edward McIntosh
Regional Design Director (Middle East + Africa), Atkins Réalis
Ed McIntosh is a British-Ecuadorean architect.  He is a Fulbright Scholar and Graduate of Columbia University. Ed has more than 25 years of professional experience with a long standing trajectory in the design of sport & event venues, stadia, arenas...
Ahmed Abuhashem
International Projects Manager – AME (Africa and Middle East), Guardian Glass
Ahmed is on a mission to help architects, façade designers, and developers in selecting the right glass solutions for their projects. As a mechanical engineering graduate, he embarked on a career in the glass industry, fueled by a deep passion...
Shyam Chand
Associate Consultant - Building Access, WSP
Shyam Chand is a façade access specialist with 18 years of experience across the Middle East, North Africa, and India. He supports commercial and residential developments by analysing façades and developing robust, architecturally integrated Building Maintenance Unit (BMU) solutions and...
Giovanni Zizioli
Partner | Middle East Director, Maffeis Engineering
Giovanni has honed his ability to lead complex multidisciplinary projects, coordinating efforts between structural, architectural and technical teams to deliver cohesive and high-quality solutions. As Partner and Middle East Director for Maffeis Engineering, he oversees engineering deliverables and timelines, ensuring...
Marina Kindelan Calvo
Director of Façades ME / APAC, AESG
Marina is AESG’s Associate Façades Director. Since joining the firm in 2017, she has been involved in a varied range of projects such as the writing of thermal insulation guidelines, a residential development with a GFA of 300,000 sqm. In...
Benjamin Beer
Managing Director, Werner Sobek Dubai
Benjamin has been working as a façade professional for 20 years with projects around the world and long-term positions in Stuttgart, London, New York and Dubai. After building up and heading the Dubai office of Werner Sobek in the position...
Conference Agenda
  • More than shelter: The historical importance of building façades as a cultural mediator between public and private space
  • Crafting narratives through the conception of the building envelope
  • Bringing vision’s to life, how the human sketch becomes standardized and detailed for construction through the use of parametric and AI Tools
Speakers:
  • Challenging the norm
  • Ideas that defend themselves
  • Design that becomes inevitable
Speakers:
  • Specialized entry solutions
  • High-performance façade elements
  • Advanced building envelopes
Speakers:
  • Introduction to Bird1st™ glass and its role in bird-friendly design
  • Facilitating architectural ambitions: Balancing energy performance and design vision at Serenia Living Project
  • Overview of digital tools that support architects and designers
Speakers:
  • Using parametric models to directly link key façade drivers (WWR, shading, glazing) to energy, daylight and comfort outcomes
  • Rapidly testing large sets of façade options to understand the impact of design decisions
  • Enabling early collaboration through a shared model to visualize complex relationships that guide balanced design choices
Speakers:
  • Wind, drift and accumulated movement: Façade behavior in a 750m tower (Burj Azzizi, Dubai)
  • Thermal expansion, geometry & interface movement: Façade engineering in a waterfront pavillion (AMAALA Triple Bay Yacht Club, Yanbu)
  • Designing for movement, not against it: Lessons from the tallest and the lowest
Speakers:
  • Unveiling a new, next-generation anodized aluminium cladding with an anodic oxide layer that harnesses sunlight to continuously break down pollutants, keeping façades cleaner for over 25 years with minimal maintenance
  • How its ultra-hydrophilic surface (WCA = 8.9°) helps with any remaining particles to effortlessly wash away with rain or wind, ensuring the façade stays brighter, fresher, and visually pristine year-round
Speakers:
  • Immersive architecture through organic lines
  • Complexity of design & material selection
  • Future vision & solutions for immersive architecture
Speakers:
  • How smart teams think before buildings fail
  • Some façades fail long before the first crack appears. Some succeed long before construction begins
  • What separates the two is not only engineering, architecture, or budget - but the way teams think
Speakers:
  • Climate Change Resilience, and implications on façades
  • Net Zero Carbon, and implications on façades
  • New wave of Sustainability Regulations and Certifications
Speakers:
  • Sources and mechanics of façade movement
  • Analysis methods and design coordination
  • Movement accommodation and performance optimization
Speakers:
  • Challenges in coatings faced by modern design and architecture
  • Smart surface solutions supporting architectural vision
  • Next generation of architectural coatings - case study
Speakers:
  • Data-Driven Façade Intelligence: How computational design, AI optimize façade performance
  • From Complex Geometry to Buildable Systems: Using parametric workflows and optimization to transform freeform façades into manufacturable, panelized, and maintainable intelligent skin systems
  • Computational Access & Maintenance Strategies: Integrating BMU systems, rope access simulation, safety offsets, cleaning paths, and maintenance logistics into early-stage façade design workflows
Speakers:
  • Daylight, Human Health, and Wellbeing: Why humans need natural daylight and the physiological and psychological impacts of insufficient daylight exposure (circadian rhythm, sleep, mood, productivity, and overall health)
  • Modern Solar Control Glass: Benefits and Implications for Occupants: Why solar control coated glass is used in contemporary buildings, how selective spectral transmission reduces heat gain and energy consumption, and the potential effects of filtered daylight on human wellbeing
  • Balancing Sustainability and Human-Centric Design: The relationship between solar control glazing, Sick Building Syndrome, the question of whether transmitted light remains “natural daylight,” and whether conflicts may arise between Green Building objectives and Human-Centric Building Design

Benjamin Beer

Speakers:
Event Details
  • 222nd Edition – Zak World of Façades UAE, June 25, 2026
  • Start Date
    June 25, 2026 8:00 am
  • End Date
    June 25, 2026 5:00 pm
  • Status
    Upcoming
  • Location
  • Venue
  • Category
    • Sponsors

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