Programme Directors

MEDINE ALTIOK
Medine Altiok a German-Turkish architect graduated from the AA in 2000. She is the founder of MOCA Office for Culture and Architecture based in Zurich and initiator of a series of research projects dealing with cultural, political and economic changes in the Mediterranean. She has been teaching at ETH Zurich since 2005 with Momoyo Kaijima (Atelier Bow Wow, Tokyo) and Prof. Felix Claus (Claus en Kaan, Amsterdam). Together with Stephanie Tunka, she is programme director of the AA Visiting School Mittelmeerland series.
www.medinealtiok.com

STEPHANIE TUNKA
Stephanie Tunka graduated in 2001. After that she collaborated with Mecanoo Architects and TU Delft in the Netherlands. In 2006 she moved to London to join Foster + Partners. Over 10 years, she designed and realized various projects dealing with a contextual approach, different urban densities and innovative environmental concepts for waterfronts in Europe, North Africa and America. Together with Medine Altiok, she is programme director of the AA Visiting School Mittelmeerland series.
www.fosterandpartners.com

Partners, Tutors and Local Collaborators

KARIM NAJJAR
Architectural practice based in Vienna and Beirut and teaching at AUB Department of Architecture and Design. Karim has set up his practice, Najjar & Najjar Architects, with his brother Rames in Vienna in 1999. The practice is renowned for its highly original work. Activities include designing villas, commercial buildings, bridges, naval architecture and interiors. That fascination in movement is indulged in his research, exploring kinetic and floating structures that are highly functional - inspired by both nature and technologies transferred from various industrial domains.
www.najjar-najjar.com

PHILIP H.SALEH
Philip H.Saleh recently completed his master's degree in Sustainable Environmental design from the AA. His interest in the field goes back to his final project from AUB 1998. He easily alternate from design to execution, currently he is technical manager on the execution of 3 high rise towers. In parallel he started environmental research to understand the interaction of the Lebanon built up fabric with the different climatic zone of the country, and how passive design could reduce the dependence on energy.

PAULA SAN PAYO CADIMA
Is an architect graduated from Lisbon who lived and worked in Lisbon, Zürich, Brussels and London and practiced in various architectural offices and in private. Her PhD on transitional spaces was developed at the AA where she also taught in the E&E MA Programme. She has published and presented worldwide on sustainable urban design and low carbon buildings. She was chair of the Environment & Sustainable Architecture working group at the Architect's Council of Europe in 2009 where she represented the Portuguese Order of Architects for several years. She worked at the European Commission in Brussels between 2005 and 2010 to manage European projects, promote energy efficiency & renewables and encourage frontier research in new emerging fields. She was responsible for the European Research Council participation at the EU-US Energy Technology Platform. She is the current president of PLEA and since 2010 returned to London to teach at the AA SED and PhD Programmes.

FADI MANSOUR
Fadi Mansour studied at the AA in London and at McGill University in Montreal. He graduated from the AA in 2009. He has worked at Zaha Hadid Architects in London, WORKac in New York and is currently a project architect at Bernard Khoury Architects in Beirut. In parallel, through private practice, he explores with a critical approach Urban interventions, Architecture and Product Design







TOMAS KLASSNIK
Tomas Klassnik MA(cantab) MA(RCA) ARB is a UK qualified architect and director of The Klassnik Corporation, an interdisciplinary design practice focused on the communication of ideas through architectural speculation. Recent built projects include a Ping Pong Parlour in Soho, studio and gallery spaces in Shoreditch, landscape interventions for the 2012 London Olympics and a Pop Out Shop for Puma. Other projects include proposals to adapt cities affected by climate change, augmenting historic landmarks on London's skyline and contacting the spirit of Le Corbusier.
www.klassnik.com

CARLA ARAMOUNY
Carla Aramouny received her Bachelor of Architecture from the Lebanese American University. She did her graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where she graduated in 2006 with a post-professional Master of Architecture. Carla has worked at Pierre El Khoury Architects in Beirut, Rafael Vinoly Architects in New York, and is currently a senior architect at Raed Abillama Architects. In parallel to practice, she is a part time lecturer at the American University of Beirut, where she has taught several architecture studios dealing with subjects of hybrid systems, infrastructure and urban agriculture. She is also responsible for organizing the yearly Talk20 lecture event at AUB. 

CHRISTOPHER PIERCE
Christopher Pierce is an Intermediate Unit Master at the AA, director of the AA's Visiting School and writes widely on seventeenth- and eighteenthcentury drawings as well as contemporary building criticism. He studied at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and gained a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. Among his recent publications are essays on Ron Arad's Design Museum, 'In Praise of the Harpoon' (Log, 2010); EMBT's Shanghai Pavilion, 'Chinese Whispers' (Urban Flux, 2010); and, with Tom Weaver, 'In Conversation with Léon Krier' (AA Files, 2010). He formed Mis- Architecture with Christopher Matthews in 2000.
www.mis-architecture.co.uk

SPEAKERS
Superpool (www.superpool.org), Cristian Suau ( www.ecofab.org), Bernard Khoury (www.bernardkhoury.com), Stefano Lelli (Beirut), Sandra Frem (Beirut), Robert Saliba (AUB), George Arbid (AUB), Howayda Al-Harithy (AUB), Paula Cadima (AA)

VISITING CRITICS
Julie Weltzien (Beirut), Rania Zhouki (AA), Joris de Baes (Brussels), Elie Harfouche (Beirut), Nikolina Muza (Zagreb)

RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Mayssa Jallad , Krystel Terzis, Salwa Sabbagh, Ali Zeineddine Reem Fayyad, Lamiece Jamil, Louwla Achkar

PARTICIPANTS
Sariah Abi Chaker, Maurice Junior Homsy, Hend Charaf, Charles Hajj, Tatiana Stephan, Rabih Anka, YeltaKom, Giuseppe Alizzi, Tamer Msherbesh, Karoline Liedtke, Maria Makhlouf, Mayssa Jallad, Vishnuvardhan Basker, Mohammed Maher, Salwa Sabbagh, Giacinta Manfredi, Ali Zeineddine, Reem Fayyad Bachir Keyrouz, Aline Haddad, Lamiece Jamil, Loulwa Achkar, Sara El Batal, Christina Ursina Widmer, Nour El Jarrah, Giulia Boni