Riyad Joucka (BArch, MArch AA)
Is a Computational Designer, Entrepreneur and Researcher based in Dubai. He is the Lead Architect and founder of
MEAN* ‘Middle East Architectural Network’; an Innovative Architecture Practice, and the synergistic counterpart to
MEAL* ‘Middle East Architecture Lab’; An Experimental Design Repository. The two symbiotic organizations are aimed at amalgamating material research with computational design solutions. He has gained professional experience in the Middle East and Asia as well as North America.
Riyad worked in New York and Hong Kong from 2012- 2017 at the intersection of academia and practice, on complex structures, facades and building technologies, with a focused interest in design that is at the nexus of technology, material research, and computation. Riyad earned his Master of Architecture (MArch, Distinction) at the Emergent Technologies & Design program at the AA School of Architecture in London. Riyad had been a program head at the AA Visiting School for over 5 years, with directorship and teaching experience in over 15 workshops.
Alessandro Zomparelli (BArch, MArch)
Is a member of
Co-de-iT as part of the design team for the Reefs project, a 3D printed reef system computationally designed for adaptation to marine environment. He taught in several international workshops about computational design strategies in Architecture and Product Design.
His background in Engineering and Architecture drove him to explore the opportunities of computational design in combination with 3D printing technologies at different scales, from architecture to human body. In 2012 he co-founded
MHOX, a generative design studio focused on the development of body extensions developing products such as customized masks, medical devices and fashion products. Since 2015 he is author and developer of
Tissue, an open-source add-on for Blender with the aim to make some Computational Design workflows more easy and intuitive.He is currently Contract Professor at Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and at Istituto Marangoni (Milan), where he teaches digital design techniques for product design.
Roberto Naboni (BArch, PhD Hons.)
Dr. Roberto Naboni, is an experimental Architect and Assistant Professor in Computational Design and Digital Fabrication at the
University of Southern Denmark (SDU) where he leads CREATE, the group for Computational Research in Emergent Architectural Technology.
His research and practice are focused on evolving visionary architecture and design concepts with new material systems and advanced manufacturing.
Author of Advanced Customization in Architectural Design and Construction (2015), he has built experimental architecture and presented his work in international conferences and exhibitions.
Since 2014, he is founding co-director of ACTLAB at Politecnico di Milano.
His collaborations have included international research centers and offices for architecture, such as ICD and ITKE Stuttgart, AA School, Politecnico di Milano, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Enric Miralles & Benedetta Tagliabue Associates and Stefano Boeri Studio.