77th Edition – Zak World of Façades UAE


This was the 77th global edition and the 6th edition in UAE. It showcased the latest innovations and challenges in the construction industry pertaining to building envelopes and the latest technological solutions.

Speakers and Panelists
Partner & Design Principal, Killa Design
Ben Piper is an Architectural Design Director with 20 years of professional experience in architecture and urban masterplanning (14 years in the Middle East). He is an experienced team leader with an excellent ability to work across varying disciplines and...
Principal, Grimshaw
Matthew Utley is a Principal at Grimshaw and leads the Middle East studio. He has spent the past 19 years working across all scales of architecture and design, leading projects in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle...
Lead Design Architect, Atkins
Yahya Kaddoura is an award-winning architect, researcher and strategist. Making the most value out of diverse architectural core principles; user experience human centric design and the influence in surrounding context, and the impact of technology on current and future design. Experienced in architecture, urban...
Senior Consultant - Façade Access, WSP
Shyam has over 13 years of experience in the building sector in the field of Facade Access within the Middle East. He has been involved in a wide range of innovative projects in the Middle East, Northern Africa and Indian...
Business Manager Glass - EIMEA, H.B.Fuller/Kömmerling
Ralf Thorwarth is GSM for Segment Glass at H.B.Fuller/Kömmerling in the EIMEA region and is responsible for the Marketing and Sales of Sealants to the Insulating Glass, Façade systems and Window Bonding industry. With a commercial background, he and his...
Regional Marketing Head IMEA, Henkel Construction Adhesives
Maria Malo is the Regional Marketing Head IMEA and member of the Global Marketing team at Henkel Construction Adhesives since October 2018. Based in Dubai, she is responsible for the marketing and communication strategy in IMEA region, along with the...
Architecture Head, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi
Mark is the Head of Architecture for Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture & Tourism. He is a past Branch President and longstanding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and a former member of the Institute of Historic Building...
Managing Director – Sales & Marketing, AGC Obeikan Glass
Nikolay Kolomiychenko graduated from Russian State Aviation Technological University in 2001, All-Russia Academy for Foreign Trade in 2002, Russian Higher Commercial Management School in 2007, IMD Loisanne in 2012. He has 5 years of design activities experience in aviation mechanical engineering and...
Director, UNStudio
Frans van Vuure, Director at UNStudio, joined the company in 2008, bringing a wealth of experience translating design concepts into technical and feasible construction processes. Apart from his knowledge of complex geometries, interiors and detailing, he is an equipped communicator...
Manager Sales & Business Development - Middle East, Saint-Gobain SageGlass
Since mid-2015, Alain Garnier is in charge of developing the SageGlass business for Saint-Gobain in the Middle East, based out of Dubai. His goal is to support continued and sustainable growth for SageGlass dynamic glazing and to address this new...
Commercial & Corporate Relations Director, Effisus MENA
Paulo Carvalho is Effisus commercial & corporate relations director, supporting the business with his skill set and experience in the international building construction industry. With a solid experience on sales, management, product development, and business strategy, his current focus is...
Matthew Engele
Principal | Regional Design Leader - Middle East, Woods Bagot
Matthew is Woods Bagot’s Middle East Regional Design Leader and Principal in the Dubai studio. He is responsible for leading the design of the architecture department. A specialist in sustainable design, Matthew has a wide range of experience in projects...
Managing Partner, AESG
Scott is the co-founder and Managing Partner of AESG, an award winning, Specialist Consultancy, Engineering and Advisory firm headquartered in London and Dubai, working throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Under Scott’s leadership, AESG has grown to be a...
Global Design Principal, LWK & Partners
Kourosh Salehi is the Design Director for LWK + PARTNERS. He is a British Architect, Urbanist and educator with over 25 years international experience. He has designed and successfully delivered a range of award winning multidisciplinary signature projects in the...
Group CEO, Priedemann Façade Experts
Lars Anders is the CEO of Priedemann Façade Experts and Façade-Lab Research & Development Center, which accomplishes tasks relating to the façade or building envelope. In this role, He manages and leads along with his managing partners, a team providing...
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...
CEO, Koltay Façades
Agnes Koltay has a Masters degree in Architecture (Hungary, USA) and in Façade Engineering (UK) and worked with award winning architects and multidisciplinary engineering companies before founding Koltay Façades, a boutique façade engineering consultancy firm, in 2011. She is the...
Principal TS&D Scientist, Dow
Valérie provides technical service to the construction design community, including façade system manufacturers, architects and engineers. She has developed a broad expertise in façade engineering, including structural performance, fire safety, thermal or acoustic insulation.  Valérie is active at standardization level...
Managing Director, Schüco Middle East
Ammar Alul is the Managing Director of Schüco Middle East which is the regional headquarters of Schüco International KG that’s responsible for eleven countries across the Region.  He has been in the Middle East since 1996 and has held several...
Commercial Director, Schüco Middle East
Alastair Common was born in UK (1976) and finished his Civil Engineering studies with Honors. He started his career in the façade industry in 2002 and has since then obtained a wealth of knowledge through experience gained in Italy, Ireland,...
Technical Director, Meinhardt Façade Technology
Michelle graduate as an Architect with the PUC-PR University – Brazil. In the first years of her career she gained experience as an architect working in Brazil and Australia. In 2004, she has completed a Masters Degree in Structural and...
President & Design Director, NORR
Yahya Jan believes that Great Design, done right, can solve many of humanity’s problems. For this to happen, he believes that our efforts must always be inclusive, inviting opinions in an open-minded search of possibilities. An exploration where owners, users...
Technical Director - Façades, AESG
April Soh brings with her over 20 years of experience in the Façade Consultancy with experience in project management, consultancy, engineering, and site supervision. Prior to joining AESG in 2020, April has consulted on numerous prestigious projects across the Middle...
Conference Agenda
  • Lessons learned: Impact on purchase strategies and sustainability
  • Adjustment into new global trends: New developments vs updating existing façades
  • Following upcoming business opportunities: Digital technology supporting new business models
  • How the concept for this tower is a result of design Integration and the symbiotic relationship between form, structure and façade
  • Parametrically modeled for optimization, the façade of this tower responds to changes in geometry
  • Sculpted in glass, the shaping of this tower is based on wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamic modeling
  • Contributing to the connectivity of a building with dynamic glass
  • Increasing the occupant’s comfort and well-being
  • Case studies: Dynamic façades in the UAE
  • Challenges of the changing world
  • Back to the future: Reviewing existing & new technologies
  • Major design considerations for sustainable building envelopes
  • How the idea of Dubai's upcoming tourist sensation was developed in collaboration with the developer, façade engineer and architects?
  • Engineering challenges of designing giant glass pieces outside of a skyscraper to scare people
  • Implementation and installation, doing the unprecedented
  • “Cherry picking” the right façade system for the right application
  • The secret to designing a sword façade
  • Digitalisation: your daily fix
  • How can we answer the need for comfort and well-being in the skin of buildings
  • How do we control the rationality of providing that well-being
  • Are we able to transform the city’s existing envelopes and make them more sustainable?
  • The impression of the envelope
  • The substance of the façade
  • A narrative of context culture and content
  • Learning from the past
  • Climate changes
  • Designing for the future
  • Enabling design freedom and building functionality with advanced technologies
  • Optimizing safety and security of high rise construction
  • The proven contribution of silicone materials to façade quality and longevity
  • Façade access strategy development
  • Building maintenance unit (BMU) types
  • Requirements for BMU integration into the building
  • What are A2 class fire rated weatherproofing membranes?
  • Bespoke solutions for façade weatherproofing
  • Advantages of a reactive thermoplastic spacer in structural glazing façades
  • Improved energy efficiency through long-term gastight insulating glass
  • High end warm-edge spacer system for unlimited design possibilities e.q. cold-bending glass
  • Glare versus daylighting
  • Design process examples
  • Designing for optimal lighting
  • Liveability, efficiency and sustainability; Houses to apartments
  • Reducing the area of land use by increasing the functions in each space; Efficiency in spaces with time
  • Four key dimensions playing the main parameters in building’s envelope
  • Cues from UN17 goals for sustainable façade design and construction
  • Circular economy: Smart façades through responsible consumption, production and recycling
  • How stringent are the ways paved for creating environmentally friendly infrastructure
  • Greener buildings for enhanced well-being and healthier environments inside and outside

Panelists
Ben Piper, Partner & Design Principal, Killa Design
Benjamin Beer, Façade Director, Werner Sobek
Kourosh Salehi, Design Director, LWK + PARTNERS
Matthew Engele, Principal | Regional Design Leader - Middle East, Woods Bagot
Matthew Utley, Principal, Grimshaw

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