Featuring international experts, Downtown Design’s stellar programme of talks
and workshops is designed to uplift design professionals and enthusiasts.
2018’S PROGRAMME
The Culture of Collaboration
From his studio in Switzerland, the American-Nigerian designer is steadily influencing our appreciation of contemporary artisanship and its confluence with innovation.
Speaker(s): Ini Archibong
Breaking Ground: New Design Markets and the Road Ahead
New design economies such as the Middle East, Africa and South Asia present an uncharted territory for design to contribute towards building communities and sustaining the ambitions of its people.
Speaker(s): Dara Towhidi (Foster + Partners), Elie Mrad (ARADA), Ewa Juszczyk (Benoy), Janus Rostock (AECOM), Mohd. Adib (Dewan Architects & Engineers), Moderator: Tarik Al Zaharna (T.ZED Architects)
The Hands of a Designer
Speaking for the first time in the Middle East, the award-winning Canadian designer talked about how a blowtorch and a passion for hand tools redefined his career trajectory.
Speaker(s): Matthew McCormick
Cities 2.0: Designing the Future, Now
The future of the planet is a collective responsibility. How can architects, designers and developers lead the way for sustainable innovation?
Speaker(s): Baharash Bagherian (SEE Nexus),Matthew Utley
(Grimshaw Architects), Nigel Craddock (Imkan), Tariq Khayyat
(Zaha Hadid Architects), Moderator: David Lessard (H+A)
Fashioning Experience beyond Borders
L.A-based designer to the stars, Martyn-Lawrence Bullard has designed homes for global icons. On the way he has established a multi-million dollar brand encompassing TV shows, book-deals, furniture collections.
Speaker(s): Martyn Lawrence Bullard
Going Regional: Local Distinction and Hospitality Design
Responding to new challenges, the hospitality industry evolves from creating luxury to delivering one-of-a-kind experiences for the well-travelled, discerning guest.
Speaker(s): Beat Fornaro (Design Hotels), Isabel Pintado (Wilson Associates), Maliha Nishat (Marriott International), Rabih Geha (RG Architects), Tal Danai (Artlink), Moderator: Molly Dolan (Sleeper Magazine)
Women and Design: In the Driver’s Seat
The global design world is still woefully male dominated, but these women are bringing gender diversity to the field and making more room at the top, one project after another.
Speaker(s): Carlotta de Bevilacqua (Artemide), Karen Howes (Taylor Howes London), Nadia H. Bakhurji (NB Architects), Pallavi Dean (Roar), Sumaya Dabbagh (Dabbagh Architects), Moderator: Rue Kothari (Downtown Design)
Culture, Community and Collaboration: The Architecture of Happiness
From the bird’s eye view of urban design to the intimate scale of interior objects, the success of any design scheme lies in its ability to elicit an emotional response.
Speaker(s): Mario Cucinella & Aldo Parisotto
Measure what Matters
Speaker(s): Oliver Baxter
The Business of Design
Speaker(s): Karen Howes
Colour Trends 2020: The Influence of the World’s Favourite colour
Speaker(s): Carolina Calzada-Oliveira
Fundamental Human Needs and the Workplace
Speaker(s): Oliver Baxter
The Future of Hospitality Design
Speaker(s): Molly Dolan
LinkedIn for design professionals
Everyone is on LinkedIn, and yet not all know how to use its many features to better brand their business and attract top talent. At Downtown Design, Marcus Butler from the professional networking platform gave a detailed guide to making the most out of LinkedIn.
Speaker(s): Marcus Butler
Ceramics of Italy
A b2b workshop organized by the Italian Trade Agency and Confindustria Ceramica.
The Art of the Space in Between
In the midst of the built environment, urbanscapes of the future will be defined by the unbuilt spaces in between.
Speaker(s): David Harber (David Harber), Duncan Denley (desert INK), Kamelia Zaal (Kamelia), Maja Gligic Bosse
(Azizi Developments), Melkan Gursel (Tabanlıoğlu), Moderator: Chetana Andary (UAP)
Confidence & Teamwork At The Workplace
Collaboration and innovation are at the heart of today’s businesses and LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) Methodology helps organisations to build participatory practices through visual and physical co-creation sessions.
Speaker(s): Marina Ojan
Effective Communication Through Play
As the world shrinks, communication can be a bit tricky, especially given the diverse cultures and languages that make up our cities.
Speaker(s): Marina Ojan
Brand Your Instagram
Instagram 101 for design professionals and enthusiasts looking to build their brand, this workshop addressed Instagram’s influence on our interaction with design, its promotion and consumption.
Speaker(s): Ashley Cadzow, Nisrine El Lababidi
Made in the Middle East
What does the ‘Made in the Middle East’ label stand for circa 2018?
Speaker(s): Fatima Al Zaabi (Studio D04), Layth Madhi (Layth Mahdi)