Darling is CEO and cofounder of The Architect’s Newspaper, celebrating its 12th year. The A|N media company consists of print and digital publications covering architecture and design news, as well as the Facades+ conferences. As A|N’s publisher, Darling won the AIA National Collaboration Award, Grassroots Preservation Award, and ASLA NY’s President’s Award. She began her publishing career as director of print production for The Gap’s European markets. She holds a BS from The University of Texas at Austin.

Niknaz is the CEO and co-founder at aec+tech, an all-in-one innovation platform and community connecting AEC/O (Architecture, Engineering, Construction & Operations) professionals with the latest tools and technologies. Prior to launching aec+tech Niknaz practiced architecture in the bay area, California, both as a design professional as well as a design technologist. Niknaz is passionate about technology and innovation in the AEC space, and she has been a keynote speaker at various international aec-tech events. Niknaz is a member of AIA San Francisco design technology committee, and has also been developing curriculum and teaching architecture courses online to Bahai students in Iran who continue to be deprived of access to universities in their own country.

Dr. Nathaniel Jones is a senior building scientist at Arup, an architecture professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and president of the USA affiliate of the International Building Performance Simulation Association. His portfolio at Arup includes numerous thermal and visual comfort, daylighting, microclimate, air quality, and COVID-19 disinfection projects. Nathaniel has developed simulation tools used by architects and engineers worldwide, including comfort.arup.com, Arup’s advanced online comfort modeling tool, and Accelerad, a suite of open-source GPU-based lighting and daylighting simulation tools used by architects, engineers, and educators around the world. He is the author of over twenty peer-reviewed papers related to occupant health, comfort, and building energy use.

Zoltan Z. Toth is the Head of the Global Solution Engineer Team at Graphisoft. With a background in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Zoltan brings two decades of experience in both practice and technology. After working as a BIM Manager in New York City, he joined Graphisoft in 2012 and has since held multiple technical sales roles.

Zoltan’s mission is to help AECO firms harness the power of digital workflows to create better buildings and empower their teams. He has dedicated much of his career to exploring the impacts of digitization on the architecture industry, with a particular focus on sustainability and visualization. Currently, Zoltan’s primary focus is on assisting firms in evaluating and implementing enhanced digital workflows, ensuring they are equipped to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.

Ali Tabatabaie Ghomi is a designer and architect with expertise in computational and digital design and fabrication. He holds a Master of Science in Design from the University of Pennsylvania. He has experience in various scales and typologies from 7000 sqft cultural center to 3.1m sqft residential development. He is also actively working in other fields including furniture design, product design, experimental art, and CGI.

His interest in the integration of art and technology led him to work with the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory (PSL) at the University of Pennsylvania as a research assistant and design Lead. During that time he was the lead designer of the award-winning project, Saltatur. Ali was a lecturer at Stuart Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, and guest lecturer at the City College of New York.

Ali was also a senior designer and the head of the computational design committee at CetraRudy Architecture. During his time at CR, he established and led the computational design committee with a focus on research and development, education, and utilization of computational design tools, and sustainable design. MottHaven Tower in the Bronx, Atir Towers in Weehawken, LIC Tower in Long Island City, Livingston Residential Development in Elizabeth, Greenbaum Center at the University of Rochester, and Porcelanosa Flagship in NYC are some of his projects during this time.
Ali works with various companies as a computational and sustainable design consultant, helping them develop custom tools, model and rationalize complex designs, environmental and sustainability analysis, workflow optimization, etc.

Ilkay Can-Standard is an architectural technologist and founder of GENx Design and Technology, a modern innovation hub committed to lead the 4th Industrial Revolution at a global scale. With 15 years of experience in the AEC industry, Ilkay has managed projects that required the most advanced use of technologies in 7 different countries. GENx teams focus on diminishing the gaps in the AEC industry and helping stakeholders achieve intended budgets, timelines and sustainability objectives through the integration of advanced technologies to project management. In addition to advancing Building Information Modeling (BIM) experience in high-rise and large-scale projects, her team is leading Generative Design and Automation through CATIA and 3DS Platforms.

İlkay is an NJIT Graduate alumnus of Architecture and is currently teaching at NYU while simultaneously collaborating with multiple universities across the globe. Prior to founding GENx, İlkay was an Associate Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates in NYC where she led multiple award-winning projects both locally and globally. As previous Chair of CTBUH Future Leaders Global Committee and current Board of Trustee CTBUH NY Chapter, she is fostering open dialogue between architects, engineers, developers and the academia to develop responsible buildings and cities for the future.

Keyan Rahimzadeh, Founder/ Formulate Ltd. Keyan combines his dual education in architecture and structural engineering with a deep expertise in computational design. He spent 10 years at Front, Inc. developing facade systems for high profile projects around the world and working with many premier global design firms. He then went on to lead the Computational Design team for Grimshaw’s New York Studio, and now runs an independent consultancy focused on automation and digital processes for designers and builders. His career has been especially focused on parametric design, complex simulations, DfMA, and anything related to the process of transforming data into real, physical constructions.

Andrew is co-founder of SumPoint. He’s a problem solving technologist – trained as an Architect, he takes on complex design challenges by collaborating across disciplines, working from micro to macro, and building interesting and impactful spaces that make the world a better place.

Formerly, Andrew was Associate Director of Fabrication Architecture at Sidewalk Labs/Google where he led the DFMA prototyping of a mass timber kit-of-building-parts composed of facade, floor, and structural elements.

He was an Advanced Manufacturing Engineer at Zahner, where he developed custom fabrication processes, implemented bespoke software and hardware tools, and created online platforms for the specification of unique facade components. He holds a Master of Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Mustapha Benosman is a seasoned sales manager with a decade of experience in finance and tech, now leading go-to-market sales at D5 Render for North America, LATAM, and MENA in the AEC industry. He has a proven track record in strategic sales planning and team leadership, contributing significantly to D5 Render’s position as a leader in AEC rendering technology. His dynamic approach and commitment to mentoring make him a pivotal figure in the sales and tech communities.

Nirva Fereshetian is a Principal & Chief Information Officer at CBT Architects, a Boston based award winning design firm providing services nationally and internationally in Architecture, Interior Design & Urban Design. She is responsible for aligning business technology strategy to meet primary business objectives. She specializes in leading and managing technology solutions in creative design environments, technology adoption and change management. She leads multiple teams within the Digital Practice group, including Design Technology, Business Technology and Computational Design. She is a results driven Information Systems executive delivering Practice Services (BIM, AR, VR, Automation), Knowledge Services (Collaboration, Corporate Knowledge, Training management) and Business Technology Services (Infrastructure Management, Vendor Relations, Application Deployment). Her experience includes delivery of cost-effective information services, outsourced business models, virtualization, cloud computing, collaborative technologies, and business analytics. She is a board member of WITI (Women in Technology International) Boston Chapter and a member of SIM (Society for Information Management).

Natasha is the Design Technology Leader at CannonDesign. Recognized as one of the industry’s foremost design technology influencers, she leads the implementation of advanced design technologies, including computational tools and workflows, immersive realities, artificial intelligence, advanced analysis and visualization, and other data-informed processes. In this role, Natasha oversees the design technology team, which is focused on developing new applications through R&D, implements best practices and oversees firm-wide adoption of the latest tools and programs.

She has 15 years’ experience leading technological advances at global design firms. Previously, she was the Director of Emerging Technologies with Jacobs where she explored and implemented new tools to strengthen the firm’s design and delivery efforts. One of her greatest strengths is identifying and demystifying technology trends to help teams anticipate what the future of design will look like and stay focused on those that can achieve true impact.

Natasha is a sought-after thought leader, having presented at the Leadership Forum at Autodesk University, BILT NA, BIMForum and the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) National Convention. She has been featured in and written articles for Architect Magazine, Design Intelligence, AIA YAF Connection and AUGIWorld. In 2018, she was the Chair for Technology in Architectural Practice, the American Institute of Architects’ knowledge community focused on the intersection of technology and architecture.

Jennifer, aka Je, joined BA in early 2022 as Project Architect. She received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from UC Berkeley. While a graduate student, she was the recipient of the Branner Traveling Fellowship which allowed her to spend a year documenting housing designed and built for families in post-disaster communities in various countries. With nearly a decade of experience, Je has worked at renowned architecture firms, most recently SHoP Architects where she spent 4+ years mainly involved in government projects, including the US Embassy Annex in Bangkok, Thailand. Je believes that everyone deserves good design and that the service of an architect should be a benefit to all. Je is the mom of Joao Santiago and step mom to Toni the cat.

PE, PMP, MBA, DBIA

CONSTRUCTION – 35 YEARS PROGRAM, PROJECT AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE

Business Development Manager at Skanska USA Civil Spearheading Construction Business Strategy and Innovation Forging partnerships with investors, clients, consultants, suppliers, regulators, contractors and employees to drive business success. Spearheading innovation and business strategy to deliver value within complex project environments.

Portfolio of over $5 Billion in completed projects, in the U.S. and Canada. 30 years of proven construction business experience, spanning complex and high-visibility commercial construction, core and shell, electrical, transportation, high-technology, critical systems and design-build infrastructure projects (including P3) for real estate developers, multinational corporations, technology providers, private investors, contractors and large public institutions.

Gained significant supply chain experience in General Electric’s prestigious Technical Marketing Program (Construction Equipment Sales). Completed Alstom’s Leadership Development Program. Visiting faculty at New York University, Fordham University (Real Estate Institute) and Georgetown University – Taught graduate-level courses in project management, leadership, innovation, risk management, entrepreneurship and negotiation.

Registered Professional Engineer (PE), certified Design-Build (DBIA) and Project Management Professional (PMP), with a M.S. in Telecommunications & Information Management from New York University and a Master of Business Administration from Hofstra University. Earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (w/Computer Science minor) from Polytechnic University. Completed Stanford University’s (Graduate School of Business) Professional Certificate program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Cornell University’s Project Leadership Program, and Harvard University’s Advanced Real Estate Finance program.

Niknaz is the CEO and co-founder at aec+tech, an all-in-one innovation platform and community connecting AEC/O (Architecture, Engineering, Construction & Operations) professionals with the latest tools and technologies. Prior to launching aec+tech Niknaz practiced architecture in the bay area, California, both as a design professional as well as a design technologist. Niknaz is passionate about technology and innovation in the AEC space, and she has been a keynote speaker at various international aec-tech events. Niknaz is a member of AIA San Francisco design technology committee, and has also been developing curriculum and teaching architecture courses online to Bahai students in Iran who continue to be deprived of access to universities in their own country.

Leading sustainability strategies at Henning Larsen’s New York office, Kritika Kharbanda spearheads diverse projects worldwide, from educational, cultural, and civic buildings to labs, offices, and masterplans. Her work lies at the intersection of architecture, sustainability, and technology. With a Master in Design Studies specializing in Energy and Environments from Harvard GSD with cross-enrollment at MIT, Kritika was a Social Innovation and Change Initiative Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. Her commitments within the broader building science community include contributing to the global Carbon Leadership Forum, International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA), and local carbon-focused policy efforts in Boston and New York City.

RA

Jared is a licensed architect and design technologist who currently works as a Computational Product Manager in the New York City office at Walter P Moore. Jared has taught coursework related to BIM and Computational Design at The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, and has lectured at numerous conferences and universities on the subjects. Much of his work focuses on how data and computational design processes can be applied towards embodied carbon reductions in the built environment.

A sustainable design expert with a background in modeling and analyzing building energy use at an urban scale, Carlos Cerezo Davila has served as KPF’s Environmental Design Director since 2018. Carlos leads the Environmental Performance team (KPFep), which takes an evidence-based approach to sustainable design, collaborating with teams across the firm’s global network to ensure projects meet their sustainability goals. Carlos has taught environmental design at MIT and his research has appeared in multiple academic journals.

Darling is CEO and cofounder of The Architect’s Newspaper, celebrating its 12th year. The A|N media company consists of print and digital publications covering architecture and design news, as well as the Facades+ conferences. As A|N’s publisher, Darling won the AIA National Collaboration Award, Grassroots Preservation Award, and ASLA NY’s President’s Award. She began her publishing career as director of print production for The Gap’s European markets. She holds a BS from The University of Texas at Austin.

Niknaz is the CEO and co-founder at aec+tech, an all-in-one innovation platform and community connecting AEC/O (Architecture, Engineering, Construction & Operations) professionals with the latest tools and technologies. Prior to launching aec+tech Niknaz practiced architecture in the bay area, California, both as a design professional as well as a design technologist. Niknaz is passionate about technology and innovation in the AEC space, and she has been a keynote speaker at various international aec-tech events. Niknaz is a member of AIA San Francisco design technology committee, and has also been developing curriculum and teaching architecture courses online to Bahai students in Iran who continue to be deprived of access to universities in their own country.