PBFD | 2025 Technology Meets Nature

SEMINAR

Technology Meets Nature

The 3rd edition of the Performance-Based Façade Design (PBFD) initiative, titled Technology Meets Nature, continued its mission to bring together global leaders and innovators in façade design. Building on the success of the previous years, the 2025 seminar explored the intersection of advanced technologies and natural elements in the evolution of building envelopes.

The 2025 edition presented the Advisory Group, a multidisciplinary body of recognized experts guiding the long-term vision of the initiative.

DEBATES

Façades as Drivers for Sustainable Developments

The day's debates on Façades as Drivers for Sustainable Developments focused on the transformative role façades play in promoting sustainability within the built environment. Experts explored how innovative façade technologies and design strategies contribute to energy efficiency, resource conservation, and climate resilience. The debates touched key topics such as the integration of circular economy principles, the potential for material reuse, and how façades can increase their service life.

OFF-SITE ACTIVITIES

Simeon Factory and De Stefani Winery Tours - A Journey Beyond Ideas and Into Taste

At Simeon’s production facility high-performance façade systems are manufactured. The tour included a detailed examination of the latest mock-ups featuring crafted pressed terracotta, designed for installation in New York City.

The visit continued with a tour of Cantina De Stefani, where participants acquired in-depth knowledge of the historical and technical aspects of winemaking in the Veneto region.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2025

SEMINAR PROGRAM
Technology Meets Nature

Angela Mejorin - PBFD 2025: Technology Meets Nature

Michele Pasca di Magliano - Zaha Hadid Architects: Design Driven Innovation

Joan Tarrús - Revolutionizing Architectural Design with 3D-Bent Tempered Glass

Ingo Stelzer - Sustainable Solutions for Laminated Safety Glass

Laura Craft - Smart Technology and Biobased Innovation in Next-generation Timber Façades

Andrea Mazzocco - Bringing Terracotta Craftsmanship to a City Skyline

Stephen Katz - Stainless Steel Façade Panels in Silicon Valley

Caroline Kruit - An experiment in Non-Electric Dynamic Shading

Peter Dushenski - The Cold, Hard Facts: Achieving Beauty, Durability, and Daylight North of 60

Agnes Koltay - A Borosilicate Cast Glass Museum Façade - Design and Development Journey of a Unique Building in the Middle East

Angela Mejorin - Final Discussion and Closing Remarks

SEPTEMBER 12, 2025

DEBATES

Façades as Drivers for Sustainable Developments

Mikkel Kragh - Welcome & Opening of the Debates

Marino Mazzon - Welcome Address by the Climate Change Working Group of the Engineers of Venice

Angela Mejorin - The Future of Performance-Based Façade Design

Lars Anders - Think R-IOT: Saving Natural Resources Through Predictive Maintenance

Mitsu Edwards, Damian Rogan, Lisa Ramming, Alessandro Baldini - Façade Circularity in Practice: Strategies for Adaptive-Reuse Across Global Markets

Thomas Winterstetter - High-tech and Growing: Innovative and Sustainable Modern Façade Technology

Angela Mejorin - Closing Remarks and PBFD 2026 Announcements

SEPTEMBER 13, 2025

OFF-SITE ACTIVITIES PROGRAM
Simeon Factory and De Stefani Winery: A Journey Beyond Ideas and Into Taste

An exploration of high-performance façade solution, craftsmanship, and heritage: the program started at Simeon’s production facility, showcasing advanced architectural designs and façade systems.

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2025 Keynote Speakers

Michele Pasca di Magliano | Director, Zaha Hadid Architects

Michele Pasca di Magliano is a Director at Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), specializing in high-rise developments and large-scale urban projects. Since joining ZHA in 2004, he has played a key role in delivering internationally recognized architectural and masterplanning designs, spanning urban regeneration, cultural institutions, and bespoke interiors.
Currently, Michele leads major projects, including the newly awarded Porta Est Masterplan in Naples, Italy, a transformative urban regeneration project featuring the new Campania region headquarters, along with residential, commercial, and public spaces designed for connectivity and sustainability.
He also directs the Singapore New Science Centre and the Sleuk Rith Memorial Institute in Phnom Penh. As Project Director, he contributed to the Morpheus Hotel & Resort in Macau, one of the region’s most iconic integrated resorts.

Agnes Koltay | Founder, Koltay Façades

Fascinated by high-rise buildings since childhood, Agnes Koltay pursued a career that blends architectural aesthetics, engineering precision, and performance-driven design. She is the founder and CEO of Koltay Façades, with offices in Dubai and Singapore. In 2025 she won of the UAE’s Excellence and Innovation in Engineering Award. Her firm has contributed to iconic skyscrapers, including The Opus (ZHA), Address Jumeirah Gate, Museum of the Future (both Killa Design), Sky View and Burj Vista (both SOM), and Fountain Views (DP Architects). Agnes specializes in innovative façade solutions, pushing technical boundaries. Koltay Façades also played a key role in the Misk Art Institute Museum (Studio Anne Holtrop) in Riyadh, overseeing its complex cast glass façade from the competition stage to handover. The project required advanced engineering coordination and material testing, particularly for the borosilicate glass elements, ensuring both performance and aesthetic integrity.

Thomas Winterstetter | Partner and Managing Director, Werner Sobek

Thomas Winterstetter has been Managing Director of the Werner Sobek Stuttgart main office since 2008 and is Partner since 2016. After having joined the company in 2001, he has spent most of his career focusing on the design and construction of complex building envelopes and structures, and he completed a wide range of projects across the globe, ranging from supertall high-rise buildings to cultural facilities. Thomas Winterstetter holds a PhD in Structural Engineering at the University of Essen/Germany and also graduated in Economics at the University of Hagen/Germany. Since 2018 he is honorary professor at the University of Stuttgart, where he has been a lecturer since 2004.

2025 Speakers

Joan Tarrús | Consultant, Sedak

Joan is a consultant at Sedak, providing guidance to architects and facade engineers on innovative and complex designs. With 26 years of experience in facades and custom glass solutions, he has contributed to projects across the globe. Joan holds a degree in industrial design engineering and a master's in marketing. He gained in-depth knowledge in curved glass and the design of glass configurations.

Ingo Stelzer | Senior Technical Program Manager, Kuraray Europe

Ingo Stelzer is Senior Technical Program Manager at Kuraray Europe GmbH. With more than 20 years of professional experience in the glass and façade industry he has been involved into the realization of many projects and R&D programs worldwide. He is also an active member of DIN & EN Code Work groups in Europe. In year 2000 he received his engineering degree at the University of Hanover.
Positions before joining Kuraray have been at DuPont / GLS as a Senior Consultant and at the Seele-Group as a Technical Director.

Laura Craft | Head of Sustainability, Staticus

As Head of Sustainability at Staticus, Laura Craft is dedicated to embedding lifecycle sustainability into façade construction processes, addressing the climate crisis and supporting the transition to a circular industry. With over 10 years of international consulting experience and technical training in architecture, façade engineering, and sustainability, she brings a holistic approach to sustainable construction practices.
Laura delivered numerous high-profile projects across Australasia, East Asia, Europe, and Scandinavia. She leads the implementation of Staticus' sustainability strategy across product development, project delivery, and business operations. Laura is known for her close collaboration with supply chain and research partners to implement low-carbon design and circular construction strategies into façade construction, including most recently on Pilefaçade, Denmark and One Exchange Square, UK.

2025 Moderator

Mikkel K. Kragh | Head of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Aarhus University

Professor Mikkel K. Kragh is Head of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Aarhus University, Denmark. Appointed Professor in 2017, he previously led programs at the Danish Architecture Centre and worked internationally as a façade specialist with Arup, Permasteelisa Group, and Dow, advancing high-performance façade solutions.
He holds a PhD in Building Physics from the Technical University of Denmark, is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and a Fellow of the Society of Façade Engineering (FSFE), a Board Member of CTBUH Scandinavia, among other affiliations. He received the CIBSE Silver Medal (2014) and became a member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences (ATV) in 2017. In 2023, he co-founded the Aarhus Centre for Regenerative Building.

2025 Panel Session

Mitsu Edwards | Director, EOC Paris

Mitsu has worked in Paris for over 20 years leading facade and structural engineering projects for International architects including MVDRV, Heatherwick, BIG and Morphosis. Her expertise focuses on highly technical structures and envelopes, often with complex geometries or new materials.Previously a director with RFR and HDA, she has been with Eckersley O'Callaghan since 2017, occupying a cross-functional role that facilitates the consolidation of technical knowledge between our London and Paris offices and the development of collaboration with clients and architects globally. Mitsu has also lectured regularly for many years at Architectural and Engineering schools in France.

Damian Rogan | Director of Facade Engineering, EOC London

Damian joined Eckersley O’Callaghan in 2012 to establish a Facade Engineering group in the London office. Under the success of his leadership, the group has grown into one of the largest facade engineering groups in the UK, engaged in the design of many innovative and sustainable building envelopes ranging from bespoke detailing of high-performance curtain wall systems, to refined interventions in historic buildings. With over 20 years of professional experience, Damian is a leading expert in his field and today sits on the Board of the Society of Facade Engineering and is a member of the CWCT sustainability steering committee.

Lisa Rammig | Director, EOC Los Angeles

Lisa is the Director of our West Coast offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. She joined Eckersley O’Callaghan in 2013 to support the practice’s emerging facade engineering group in London and after playing a significant role in the group’s exceptional growth, Lisa has been responsible for the expansion of our West Coast presence. She leads our most high profile projects with Google campus’ in California and a number of Apple flagship retail stores. Lisa is leading EOC’s R&D efforts, focusing on innovative glass designs and technology. She is currently pursuing her doctoral research at TU Delft.

2025 Event Venues: Auditorium & Grand Finale

Auditorium Santa Margherita, Venice

The third edition of PBFD will take place in the prestigious Auditorium Santa Margherita, a venue that perfectly embodies the intersection of history, culture, and innovation. Located in the heart of Venice, this former 13th-century church has been transformed into a versatile cultural hub, renowned for hosting international conferences, artistic performances, and workshop events. The auditorium's unique blend of Gothic and Venetian architecture, coupled with its elegant vaulted ceilings and preserved fresco fragments, creates an inspiring atmosphere for creative and technical exchange.

The choice of Auditorium Santa Margherita underscores the initiative's commitment to connecting cutting-edge façade design with Venice’s rich architectural legacy, providing a fitting stage for advancing the future of performance-based façade innovation.

Grand Finale location: Palazzo Nani Bernardo

Located in the heart of Venice on the Grand Canal, between Ca’ Rezzonico and Ca’ Foscari, Palazzo Nani Bernardo is a 16th-century palace. The building features a typically Renaissance façade with remarkable compactness and regularity, divided into a ground floor, two noble floors, and an attic. Originally adorned with frescoes and decorative motifs, small fragments of these are still visible on the sides of the building. The façade, clad in white marble, is also distinguished by two 18th-century coats of arms positioned at the level of the second floor between the windows.

The Palazzo is accessed via a splendid entrance from the Grand Canal, leading to a grand main staircase that provides access to the two noble floors. Inside, it boasts a truly unique Italian-style garden, one of the largest private gardens in Venice.