Keynote Lecturers

Tarek Abdelsalam Is an Associate Professor of architecture and urban design and former Program Director of Postgraduate Studies in the Department of Architecture at October University of Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA) in Egypt, where he has been working since 2006. He received his BSc in architecture from Banha University in Egypt in 1989, and in 2002 he received his PhD in architecture from the University of Huddersfield in the UK. Through his PhD thesis he investigated the architectural identity in Eastern Arab cities and developed an assessment method with particular reference to the Aga Khan Awards. 

From 1990 to 2005 he practiced architecture and urban design in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states where he designed numerous projects and built a particular experience in healthcare facility design and educational buildings design. In 2005 he started his academic career when he joined Ajman University in UAE then moved to MSA University in Egypt and Effat University in Saudi Arabia. Through his academic journey he taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses related to architectural and urban design studios, building technology and building development in historic areas, in addition to supervising postgraduate theses. 

He has research interests on issues related to the architectural identity and city image, contemporary intervention in historically sensitive areas, traditional architecture and architecture of Islamic Cairo, courtyard housing, sustainable architecture, the program of Aga Khan Award for Architecture and post-war city image. He published a large number of research papers and articles in international journals, professional magazines and international conferences, in addition to contributing to writing book chapters. He is a member of a number of local and international academic and professional associations. He is also a member of the editorial and reviewer board of local and international architectural journals

Zaki Aslan is an architect, urban planner, educator, and leading advisor in the field of cultural heritage conservation. Currently, he serves as Professor of Practice at the American University of Sharjah's College of Architecture, Art, and Design, and as Advisor to the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi. With a career spanning over two decades, Aslan was the founding director of ICCROM-Sharjah Regional Conservation Centre, where he led heritage conservation programs across the Arab region from 2003 to 2023. His work involved coordinating large-scale projects in partnership with organizations such as UNESCO, the EU, GCI, USAID, ICOMOS, and the British Council, focusing on areas like World Heritage management, national policies, technical guidance, and public outreach.

Aslan's expertise extends to developing training programs, curricula, and capacity-building initiatives in heritage conservation, working with governments and institutions to enhance cultural preservation practices. He has published extensively on conservation issues and has held advisory roles in various international initiatives, including ASOR, EAMENA, the UAE-funded Mosul Project, TERRA 2022, and ALIPH.

Aslan's academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Heritage Conservation and Management from University College London and an MSc in Conservation of the Built Environment from the University of Montreal. His contributions to the field are recognized globally, and he continues to play a key role in shaping the future of cultural heritage conservation through his academic, advisory, and collaborative efforts.

Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, Portugal. Experienced in non-destructive testing, advanced experimental and numerical techniques, innovative repair and strengthening techniques, and earthquake engineering. President of ICOMOS ISCARSAH - International Scientific Committee on the Analysis and Restoration of Structures of Architectural Heritage. Specialist in structural conservation and forensic engineering, with work on 200 monuments, including 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Revision leader of the European masonry code (EN 1996-1-1). Coordinator of the MSc on Structural Analysis of Monuments and Historical Constructions, with alumni from 75 countries and European Heritage / Europa Nostra Award. Editor of the International Journal of Architectural Heritage, Taylor & Francis. Author of “Historic Construction and Conservation” and “Finite Element Analysis for Building Assessment”, Routledge (2019 and 2022). Supervised 80 PhD theses and coordinated multiple national and international research projects. Awarded a European Research Council Grant to develop an integrated seismic assessment approach for heritage buildings. Coordinator of a European Doctoral Network with 15 PhD students on sustainable building lime applications.

Dr. Cristiano Luchetti is a distinguished architect, researcher, and educator based in Dubai. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the Università degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, a Master's in Architecture from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. in Architecture and Urban Design from the Università Politecnica delle Marche. With over 25 years of combined professional and academic experience, he has developed a deep expertise in integrating modern architectural practices into culturally and historically rich environments.

After a successful professional career in Hong Kong, Dr. Luchetti has been in the UAE since 2012, teaching and researching architectural and urban design at leading universities. Currently, he serves as the Creative Director at Binghatti Group, overseeing innovative designs and large-scale projects across the Middle East's residential, commercial, and hospitality sectors. His work focuses on merging contemporary design approaches with the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the region's built heritage.

Dr. Luchetti is also Associate Editor Middle East for Compasses Architecture & Design, where he provides critical insights into architecture and urbanism in the Arabian Gulf. In 2018, he co-curated the Egyptian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. In 2021, he co-authored Desert: Space—Architecture for Emptiness. Additionally, Dr. Luchetti frequently serves as a juror for high-profile international design competitions and awards.

Professor Emeritus, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México – UNAM (2023)

Doktor-Ingenieur, Universität Stuttgart, Germany (1982)

Architect, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - UNAM (1975)

His doctoral dissertation was published in 1982 with the title “On the Construction of Grid Shells” at the University of Stuttgart and published as issue 63 of the Collaborative Research Center SFB 64. Here, Oliva Salinas demonstrates that the design processes applied by Frei Otto through physical models built with hanging networks can be carried out digitally on translation surfaces. Oliva Salinas developed the GEOG parametric program. A core contribution is the pioneering publication of the geometric properties of translational surfaces applied to grid-shell design. Oliva Salinas states for the first time that meshes are generated with planar rhombic quadrilaterals.

At the Lightweight Structures Laboratory - LEL, Oliva Salinas heads the Research Seminar on Mechametry, a visionary term he coined and refers to the joint action of mechanics with geometry, in other words, of the form with the forces acting on a structure. Many national and international articles and presentations have emerged from all these research projects that have impacted architectural practice and the generation of new knowledge transmitted to many generations of students. The above is primarily demonstrated by international competitions in which Mexican students have first place. Parallel to his academic development, he has designed and built several lightweight structures in Mexico and has been awarded with the following recognitions:

National University Award 2007 for Architecture and Design, UNAM.

Mexico’s City Engineering Award 2009, Mexico’s City Government.

Pioneers’ Award 2021, Spatial Structures Research Centre, University of Surrey, UK.

SEWC Roland Sharpe Medal 2023, Seoul, Korea.

IASS Honorary Member, to be awarded during the IASS 2025 Symposium in Mexico City.

Born in Pasto, Colombia (América). Architect (Universidad de La Salle. Bogotá, Colombia), PhD in Architecture (Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo. Morelia, México), Post-PhD - Research stay (Universidad de Piura. Lima, Perú), Master in Cultural Heritage and Territory (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Bogotá, Colombia), Specialist in Pedagogy of Creativity (Universidad de Nariño. Pasto, Colombia) and International Diploma in World Heritage (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (México City, México).

His professional experience includes the formulation and execution of architectural and cultural heritage projects, as well as academic, research and extension projects. Author of publications, conferences, presentations and exhibitions at national and international levels, with an Honorable Mention at the Pan-American Architecture Biennial and participation in Architecture Biennials in Colombia. Fellow in Latin America and the Caribbean by the Association for Preservation Technology (United States) and winner of the “Julio González” recognition and award. Gómez 2017” of the Alcadía Mayor de Bogotá (Colombia), with the book of collective authorship called “Italian Engineers and Architects in Colombia”, published in Rome, Italy.

He currently works as Coordinator of the Maestría en Patrimonio Cultural Latinomericano (Master's Degree in Latin American Cultural Heritage), associate professor and researcher at the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism of the Universidad de La Salle (Bogotá, Colombia), and is also a professor of the PhD in Development and Territory Studies at the Faculty of Economics, Business and Sustainable Development of the same University.