Architecture Matters
Less, but better.*
2–3 April 2025
Munich

Deputy Head of Departement (Feuilleton) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurt

Dr. Matthias Alexander studied history, German studies, and philosophy in Bonn, Bologna, Jena, and Munich. In 1998 he completed his PhD with a dissertation on the Free Conservative party in the German Empire. Alexander joined the editorial team of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) in 1999, covering urban planning and architecture and rising to head of the department in 2007. He moved to the FAZ features department in summer 2020, where he has been the deputy head since June 2021.

photo: © FAZ

Curator, editor and advisor, Berlin

David Basulto is the founder of ArchDaily, the world’s most visited architecture website, acquired by the NZZ Mediengruppe in 2020. Since 2025 David works as an independent curator, editor and advisor to different global institutions and technology startups. He is a member of the Master Jury of the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture, the Endeavor Foundation in New York, and the Academic Council of the TEC de Monterrey in Mexico. He was curator of the Nordic Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. David is one of Chile’s 100 Young Leaders and received the Chilean National Innovation Award for ArchDaily.

photo: © Jose Salto, FELICES Agency

Bouwmeester – Maître Architecte, Brussels

Kristiaan Borret was the Bouwmeester – Maître Architecte (BMA) of the Brussels Capital Region from 2015 to 2024. The BMA is a government appointed official who advocates for spatial quality in urban development from an independent position. Recently, the book Soft Power – 10 years of Bouwmeester Maitre Architecte in Brussels (Walther und Franz König, Köln) was published on his work in Brussels.

His career has been marked by a close relationship between theory and practice, design and policy, the public and private sectors, architecture and urban planning. Previously, Borret has carried out theoretical research into contemporary transformations of the city, urban life and public space, and contributed as a designer to urban development projects in Belgium, the Netherlands and France. From 2006 to 2014 he was the Stadsbouwmeester of the City of Antwerp and, since 2017, he works also for the City of Amsterdam as quality supervisor for the Oostenburg and Hamerkwartier urban transformation areas. Borret is professor of urban design at Ghent University.

photo: © Mikel Blasco

Founder and principal architect Gustav Düsing, Berlin

Gustav Düsing studied architecture at the University of Stuttgart and the Architectural Association in London and lives and works in Berlin. His projects between spatial installation and architecture have been awarded the 2020 Rome Prize of Villa Massimo and the 2024 Mies van der Rohe Award.  Since 2015, he has taught at various universities, including TU Braunschweig, Roma Tre and Cornell APP. Since this semester, he has been a visiting professor for Experimental Design at the UdK Berlin.

Foto: © Gustav Düsing

Partner l’AUC, Paris

Alessandro Gess is a partner in the Paris-based architecture and urban planning office l’AUC. The projects of l’AUC explore scenarios for the contemporary metropolis by challenging conventional hierarchies of scale, methodological approaches, and disciplinary boundaries. The work of l‘AUC has been awarded with the Grand Prix de l‘Urbanisme and the Patrick Abercrombie Prize for Urban Planning and Design.

In 2024 Alessandro Gess was appointed as professor at HafenCity Universität Hamburg. Before he has been teaching at various architecture and planning institutes, such as l’Institut Méditerranéen de la Ville et des Territoires in Marseille, IBA Research Lab Vienna, the Université Gustave Eiffel in Paris as well as Guest Professor (2023/24) for Transformation and Adaptive Re-Use at Karlsruher Institut für Technologie KIT. Alessandro Gess completed his studies in architecture and urban planning at Technische Universität München, ENSA Versailles and Sciences Po Paris.

photo: © Quentin Besson

Founding Partner, Foundamental

Patric Hellermann is a founding partner at Foundamental, a venture capital firm with a strong focus on the construction industry and construction technology. Foundamental invests globally in business models that address the construction, renovation, and deconstruction of buildings and infrastructure. Hellermann studied business administration and finance across three continents. His career path spans roles at an M&A boutique during the first wave of solar and wind industry consolidation, strategic innovation and investment positions at E.ON, and a focus on industrial innovation at Thyssenkrupp. Today, he applies his expertise to scaling start-ups and driving innovation in the construction sector.

photo: © Foundamental

Economics Correspondent, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurt–Berlin

Julia Löhr is an economics correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and a leading expert on the Berlin political scene. Known for her precise analyses of economic and urban development policy, she is a frequent guest on political talk shows. Löhr studied business administration and journalism in Mainz, followed by roles in both print and television. She joined the FAZ in 2007, initially covering economic policy before transitioning to the business section. After a guest stint at the British newspaper The Guardian, she served as deputy editor for the launch of the weekly magazine Frankfurter Allgemeine Woche. She has been a correspondent in the FAZ Berlin capital city bureau since early 2018.

photo: © Daniel Pilar/FAZ

Managing Director, Die Stadtmacherin, Berlin–Zurich

Regula Lüscher is an architect and urban planner. From 2007 to 2021, she shaped Berlin’s urban development as Senate Building Director and State Secretary, overseeing 900 employees and representing Berlin at the federal level. Before this, she managed urban planning and architectural projects in Zurich, serving as Deputy Director of the Office for Urban Development. Since 2022, Lüscher has been Managing Director of “Die Stadtmacherin” (The City Maker), where she supports complex urban development and architectural projects, facilitates planning processes, and advises leaders. She has presided over numerous award juries and is an honorary professor at Berlin University of the Arts. Her expertise spans urban planning, participation, sustainability and communication.

photo: © Anke Illing

Planning Director, City of Munich

Prof. Dr. (University of Florence) Elisabeth Merk, an architect, has served as Munich’s City Planning Director since 2007. After working as a freelance architect and completing advanced studies in Florence, she was responsible for urban design, urban monument preservation, and special projects in Munich and Regensburg from 1995 to 2000. From 2000 to 2005, she headed the urban planning office in Halle/Saale. Merk held a professorship at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences (HfT) from 2005 to 2007 and has been an honorary professor there since 2009. She was also appointed honorary professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in 2020. Merk is a member of the Building and Planning Committee of the Bavarian Association of Cities and Towns, the UNESCO network Conservation of Modern Architecture and Integrated Territorial Urban Conservation, the Board of Directors for National Urban Development Policy, the Advisory Board of the Federal Foundation for Building Culture, and the Advisory Board of the German Werkbund.

photo © Ilona Stelzl

Chief Economist and Head of Research BayernLB, Munich

Dr Jürgen Michels has been Chief Economist and Head of Research at BayernLB in Munich since October 2013. Prior to that, he was an economist at Citigroup in London from 2002 to 2013, focusing on capital markets in the eurozone and becoming its Chief Euro-Area Economist in 2008. From 1997 to 2002 he worked as an economist at Sal. Oppenheim in Cologne, and from 1996 to 1997, as a research associate at the University of Bonn’s Institute for International Economic Policy.

Michels studied economics at the University of Bonn and earned his doctorate at Goethe University Frankfurt with a dissertation on central bank strategies.

photo: © Tobias Hase

Head of Development & Construction, Commerz Real, Wiesbaden

With over twenty years of experience, Andreas Rauch is a leading expert in complex real estate projects. He has initiated and overseen the revitalization and restructuring of both proprietary and third-party developments for Commerz Real in domestic and international markets.

He and his team have played a key role in numerous successful projects, including residential developments, the Omniturm in Frankfurt, and Widok Towers in Warsaw. They have also led the technical due diligence for the Millennium Portfolio, which spans major German cities, and the Tucherpark redevelopment in Munich, to name just a few.

www.commerzreal.com

Founder and principal architect Somaya Sampat, Mumbai

Brinda Somaya is one of India’s most renowned architects. Over four decades she has merged architecture, conservation, and social equity into a cohesive yet diverse practice. Since founding her practice Somaya and Kalappa Consultants in Mumbai in 1978 (Somaya Sampat since February 2025), she has worked across a broad spectrum, including institutional campuses, rehabilitation of an earthquake-torn village to restoration of an 18th century Cathedral. Her belief is that “The Architect’s role is that of guardian – hers is the conscience of the built and un-built environment”. Somaya’s influence extends far beyond India. She has lectured in the US, UK, Australia Pakistan and India amongst other countries. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she has served on multiple international design juries, actively shaping the future of architecture and design on a global scale. Her many accolades include Honorary Doctorates from Smith College in 2012 and from Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University in 2023. She is the first Indian woman to win the Indian Institute of Architects’ (IIA) Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal, which is the highest honor bestowed by the IIA for lifetime contribution to the architectural profession.

photo: © Sergey Ponomarev

Chief Building Director, City of Hamburg (retired)

Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Jörn Walter served as Hamburg’s Chief Building Director from 1999 to 2017. Before that, he led the urban planning office of Dresden, the state capital of Saxony, from 1991 to 1999. After studying spatial planning at the University of Dortmund, Walter combined his full-time work with teaching at institutions such as the Technical Universities in Vienna and Dresden, as well as the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg (HFBK) and HafenCity University, both in Hamburg. He has also been actively involved in numerous committees, juries, and publications. Walter is a member of the Academies of Arts in Berlin, Saxony, and Hamburg, as well as the German Academy for Urban and Regional Planning. His encyclopaedic knowledge of urban planning informs ongoing debates in the field.

photo: © Jörn Walter

Founder and Managing Partner, PAMERA Real Estate Partners, Munich

Christoph Zapp is the founder and Managing Partner of PAMERA Real Estate Partners, where he oversees portfolio, investment, and transaction management. With over 4 billion euros in transactions and projects, he has set benchmarks in the real estate sector. A qualified architect, Zapp previously worked at IVG Immobilien, CRE Resolution, and Drees & Sommer. Alongside his role at PAMERA, he serves as deputy chairman of the supervisory board for a long-established family business in the special steel industry and manages his family’s single-family office.

photo: © PAMERA