FLORENCE LAM – Arup
Florence is an Arup Fellow and leading the firm’s Global Lighting Design practice. She is a multi award winning lighting designer with over 15 international and national awards to her name, including Lighting Designer of the Year in 2013 and the recipient of the Society of Light and Lighting 2020 President’s Medal.
Her particular expertise in daylight, visual perception and holistic lighting approach play a key role in many of her projects, from museums to airports, bridges to city precincts all over the world. Florence has a strong interest in visual light art as a lighting designer and has collaborated with a number of artists and architects on public realm projects including Anish Kapoor’s ArcelorMittal Orbit in London and the World’s Largest Timepiece along Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich.
Her projects of significance include the V&A Dundee, the British Museum World Conservation Centre in London, The Acropolis in Athens, Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Abu Dhabi International Airport Midfield Terminal, Taipei Taoyuan International Airport T3, Dongdaemun World Design Park in Seoul, the Stonecutters Bridge and the Tai Kwun Centre of Heritage and Arts in Hong Kong.
Florence is also a Visiting Professor of Lighting Design and Engineering at The Bartlett UCL Institute of Environmental Design and Engineering.
CHARLES G. STONE II – Fisher Marantz Stone, Inc.
Charles joined FMS in 1983 and became President in 2003. His Traveling Light lecture tour has visited 22 nations. FMS studios in New York and Seattle have designed award-winning work on 5 continents.
THOMAS RÖMHILD – University of Applied Sciences Technology, Business and Design
Thomas Römhild studied at the University of Hanover from 1975 to 1981. After graduating, he worked as an architect. Then until 1995 as a research assistant at the University of Hanover. Doctorate to Dr.-Ing. with the topic "Artificial lighting interpreted as a system of symbols". Since 1995 he has been a professor at the University of Wismar. From 1998 to 2000 he was dean of the architecture department and from 2002 to 2004 vice president for research at the University of Wismar.
In 2001, he set up the interdisciplinary, international master's degree in “Architectural Lighting Design”. In 2012, he added the master's degree in “Lighting Design and Design Management” to the continuing education program. This program celebrates on 28-30. October 2021 its 20th anniversary.
CHRIS JONES – 10 DESIGN Europe & Middle East
Chris Jones is Partner of 10 Design. He has over 20 years of international experience on major projects throughout the Middle East, Asia, the UK, and the US. He has lived and worked in New York, London, Istanbul, Edinburgh, and is currently based in Dubai.
Chris has extensive experience on the design, delivery, and management of projects across all stages. These include mixed-use developments, masterplanning, residential, retail, commercial, education, and civic projects. He has worked with a wide variety of clients including international developers, private clients, government bodies, and universities and college trusts.
His current role is principal client liaison across all projects in the Middle East. He works closely with design leadership teams to establish project direction and interfaces with clients and other consultants to ensure that project proceeds in accordance with clients’ goals.
Presently in the region, he has been managing the design and delivery of landmark mixed use projects with Dubai International Financial Centre, Al Barari, Emaar, DMCC, Meraas, Mirage, Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana, TECOM, and Swiss Property to name a few.
Chris has been invited to speak at international and regional conferences, including Lead European Architects Forum in Frankfurt, Smart Skyscrapers Summit in Dubai, Cityscape Global Conferences in Dubai, Leaders in Architecture and Design Summit in Dubai, Cityscape Egypt in Cairo, Cityscape Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, Cityscape Abu Dhabi, and so on.
STEVEN VELEGRINIS – AECOM Middle East and Africa
Steven Velegrinis is Head of Masterplanning at AECOM Middle East and Africa. His work has focussed on the multi-disciplinary intersections between urban planning and landscape architecture and he has led design teams since 2003. Over the past 23 years he has practiced in Australia, Southeast Asia and the Gulf. His recent work has included urban design projects such as the Expo 2020 Masterplan, District 2020 Legacy Masterplan, NEOM Regional Land Use Masterplan, Dubai Design District Masterplan, Bogacay Creek Masterplan in Antalya, The Mount Masterplan in Muscat, Le Marais Masterplan in Rabat, Morocco and the Hatta Tourism Masterplan.
Steven has also led the site design and landscape architecture of a series of public realm and hospitality projects including Expo 2020 Public Realm, the Chedi, Ras Al Hadd, La Ville Hotel and City Walk Residential in Dubai, Kempinski The Wave Muscat and Hakkasan Restaurant in Emirates Towers Dubai. He remains involved in the development of the profession through his speaking engagements and research initiatives which have included speaking at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge University and Universite Paris Sorbonne.
Siddharth Mathur – Studio Lumen
Steven Velegrinis is Head of Masterplanning at AECOM Middle East and Africa. His work has focussed on the multi-disciplinary intersections between urban planning and landscape architecture and he has led design teams since 2003. Over the past 23 years he has practiced in Australia, Southeast Asia and the Gulf. His recent work has included urban design projects such as the Expo 2020 Masterplan, District 2020 Legacy Masterplan, NEOM Regional Land Use Masterplan, Dubai Design District Masterplan, Bogacay Creek Masterplan in Antalya, The Mount Masterplan in Muscat, Le Marais Masterplan in Rabat, Morocco and the Hatta Tourism Masterplan.
Steven has also led the site design and landscape architecture of a series of public realm and hospitality projects including Expo 2020 Public Realm, the Chedi, Ras Al Hadd, La Ville Hotel and City Walk Residential in Dubai, Kempinski The Wave Muscat and Hakkasan Restaurant in Emirates Towers Dubai. He remains involved in the development of the profession through his speaking engagements and research initiatives which have included speaking at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge University and Universite Paris Sorbonne.