Spirit of Paimio

This year’s conference will feature a host of high-profile speakers.

Beatriz Colomina
Beatriz Colomina is a renowned architectural historian and theorist, and a professor at Princeton University. Her research focuses on the relationship between architecture, media, and society, with significant contributions to understanding modernism and contemporary design through her influential books and exhibitions.

Bjarke Ingels

Bjarke Ingels is a renowned Danish architect and the founder of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), known for his innovative and sustainable designs. His projects, such as the 8 House in Copenhagen and VIA 57 West in New York, combine playful forms with practical functionality, addressing contemporary urban challenges through imaginative solutions. Ingels has received numerous accolades, including the Wall Street Journal’s Innovator of the Year Award and the European Prize for Architecture.

Carlo Ratti 
Carlo Ratti is an influential Italian architect, engineer, and director of the Senseable City Lab at MIT. He is also the director of 2025 Venice Architectural Biennale. His pioneering work explores the intersection of design and digital technologies, aiming to create smarter, more sustainable urban environments. Ratti’s projects have been exhibited worldwide, reflecting his vision for the future of cities.

Ersilia Vaudo
Ersilia Vaudo is an esteemed astrophysicist and Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency (ESA). She has significantly contributed to space science and exploration and is a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields, promoting gender equality and inspiring future generations of scientists and engineers.

Spencer Bailey
Spencer Bailey is an acclaimed writer, editor, and co-founder of the media company The Slowdown. With a deep interest in design, architecture, and culture, Bailey has contributed to numerous publications and is known for his thoughtful insights and ability to connect complex ideas across various disciplines.

Studio Swine
Studio Swine (Super Wide Interdisciplinary New Explorers) is an artistic collaboration between Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami. The studio combines art, design, and filmmaking to create works that explore the future of resources, craft, and sustainability. Their innovative approach has been showcased in prestigious venues worldwide, reflecting their commitment to interdisciplinary exploration and sustainable practices.

Ferdinando Verderi
Ferdinando Verderi is a NY based Italian creative director responsible for some of the most radical fashion imagery of the past half decade. Many experimental concepts are recognized as industry firsts. He is most known for his continued partnership with Prada, his recent tenure at Vogue Italia, and masterminding the Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama collaboration.

Dan Hill 
Dan Hill is a prominent designer, urbanist, and educator, currently the Director of Melbourne School of Design. He is known for his work at the intersection of design, technology, and urbanism, developing sustainable and resilient urban systems and exploring themes of civic design and digital infrastructure.

Marco Steinberg 
Marco Steinberg is a Finnish architect and strategic designer, founder of Snowcone & Haystack. He specializes in design-driven innovation and public sector transformation. Previously, he was the Director of Strategic Design at Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund. Steinberg’s holistic approach combines design thinking with strategic planning to address contemporary societal issues.

Loreta Castro Reguera
Loreta Castro Reguera is a Mexican architect and urbanist specializing in water management and resilient urban design. She co-founded Taller Capital and has worked on notable projects like the Chapultepec Park regeneration and Hydric Park La Quebradora. Castro’s efforts in sustainable urbanism have gained international recognition, and she is a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Nicolay Boyadjiev 
Nicolay Boyadjiev is an architect, educator, and researcher with extensive experience in the intersection of architecture, technology, and urbanism. He currently serves as lead for Practice Lab, a philanthropic initiative by re:arc. Boyadjiev’s work explores the impact of digital technologies on urban environments and architectural practices, often examining how these innovations can foster more inclusive and adaptive cities. His research and projects are deeply rooted in understanding and addressing the complex social, economic, and environmental challenges of contemporary urbanization.

Oliver Jahn
Oliver Jahn, thought-leading design and culture journalist, consultant and curator. From 2007 to 2023 he served as editor-in-chief of German AD Architectural Digest (part of Condé Nast). Most recently he also co-led the brand internationally as Deputy Global Editorial Director. Oliver Jahn studied linguistics, literature and philosophy and is currently preparing the launch of a new international venture at the intersection of craftsmanship, business and culture.

Yoko Choy
Yoko Choy, the China editor at Wallpaper* magazine, is a seasoned design journalist whose work has been featured in numerous Chinese and international publications. With a profound understanding of the creative industry, Choy has collaborated with institutions like Art Basel, Beijing Design Week, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as notable studios and brands, including Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Mariotestino+.

Kieran Long 
Kieran Long is a British journalist, curator and museum director specializing in architecture and design. Long has worked in notable institutions such as Victoria & Albert Museum in London and ArkDes, Sweden. In 2024 Long was appointed as the new Director of Amos Rex, a hugely successful art museum in Helsinki known for their international popularity.

George Massoud
George Massoud is an architect, educator and cultural worker. He is director at Material Cultures, a design and research practice based in London. He is interested in how we can build futures of interdependence with the various ecologies that shape our built environment. This underlying philosophy is explored in the spaces he occupies as a practitioner: in the studio, in the classroom and in the community.

Jean Lee & Dylan Davis
Jean Lee, & Dylan Davis of Ladies & Gentlemen Studio are co-curators and co-organizers of Furnishing Utopia and Public Access project, a global collective centered on shared-connection on design through observing the past, responding to the present, and reimagining the future. Ladies & Gentlemen Studio is a multi-faceted, bi-coastal design studio focused on creating a diverse set of design products from lighting, to furniture, to collaborations, community-based exhibitions and beyond. At the core, they believe in exploring thoughtful and meaningful design practice as a form of sensemaking with the world at large.

Joseph Grima 
Joseph Grima is the Curator of Paimio Sanatorium. An architect by training, his work occupies the intersection between architecture, design, writing and exhibition-making. He is the founder of the Milan-based design research studio Space Caviar, Creative Director of Design Academy Eindhoven, and partner at Alcova, a platform for forward-looking design during Milan Design Week. He was formerly editor in chief of Domus magazine and has directed Storefront for Art and Architecture, a non-profit gallery in New York.