Speakers & Moderator

As director of IIBW, the Institute of Real Estate, Construction and Housing Ltd., Vienna/Austria, Wolfgang Amann has executed more than 300 research and consulting projects on housing decarbonisation, housing finance, housing policy and housing legislation. He is consultant to international organisations, national governments and the private sector and teaches real estate economics at several graduate programmes in Austria. He has executed consultancy and implementation projects in countries such as Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia and the Ukraine.

Carl Bäckstrand serves as the President of the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE), following his earlier roles as a member of the ACE Executive Board and as the Sustainable Architecture Thematic Coordinator. He champions unity and collaboration in a rapidly changing and polarised world, urging architects to work collectively to tackle environmental and social challenges, with fairness, solidarity, and quality at the heart of sustainable architecture. Carl is also an architect and Deputy CEO of White Arkitekter, one of Scandinavia’s leading practices known for visionary, sustainable projects such as True Blue in Bergen, Norway, and the 100-year masterplan for the relocation of Kiruna, a mining town in Sweden’s Arctic north. His work focuses on architecture’s potential to create resilient, inclusive communities amid climate change and urban transformation. Holding a Master’s in Architecture from Lund University, complemented by studies in Landscape Architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts in Copenhagen and Urban Design research as a Visiting Scholar at MIT, Carl brings a multidisciplinary perspective to sustainable urban development. His projects span housing, cultural, and masterplanning schemes across Sweden, Denmark, the UK, Canada, and East Africa.

João Carvalhosa is currently Head of Strategic Planning Office at Gebalis, the biggest Portuguese social housing provider (with more than 22.000 units), where he works for 22 years. With a very large experience on housing policy, since 2004 he collaborates with Housing Europe, in many roles, such as Chair of Social Committee, Vice-Chair of Public Sector Committee and member of the Election Committee. He is also on the Board (Coordination Committee) of the European Network for Housing Research and is President of CECODHAS.P – Portuguese Coordination Committee for Social Housing since 2011. Participated in various Seminars / Conferences organized by various organizations such as Eurocities, the Government of Estonia, the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, SGI Europe, UN-Habitat, Building and Social Housing Foundation, etc. Held numerous technical visits in most countries of the European Union and China (Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau). Member of the Organizing Secretariat of the International Congress of Housing in Portuguese Speaking Countries, having participated in some of the congresses. Is, since 2007, the Portuguese National Coordinator of the World Day of Neighbour’s and is co-founder of the European Federation of Local Solidarity, based in Paris. Since 2002 is member elected of the Belém local authority, in Lisbon, acting now as Mayor.

Lucía Caudet is Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission’s Housing Task Force. She was previously Deputy Head of Cabinet for EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton (2019-2024) and the Commission’s Spokesperson for internal market, industry, competition, research and innovation (2014-2019). Before joining the Commission in 2014, she gathered 15 years of EU affairs professional experience in the private sector, professional associations and NGOs. A Spanish-German national born in the US, she is a lawyer by training and has lived and studied in Spain, Germany, France and Belgium.

Dalibor Hlaváček is a Czech architect, academic, and educator. He graduated and was appointed associate professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague (FA CTU). Over his career, he has combined architectural practice with academic teaching—he undertook an internship at Renzo Piano’s studio in Genoa (2001-2002), runs his own architectural studio since 2008, and has been leading studios at FA CTU as well as heading the Department of Architectural Design II since 2018. Between 2015-2021 Dalibor was a member of the council of the European Association for Architectural Education (EAAE). Since 2022, he serves as a Dean of the FA CTU.

Patrycja Haupt, DSc PhD Arch, MPOIA, Professor of Faculty of Architecture at Cracow University of Technology. The main field of activity is dedicated to the mission of Chair of Housing and involves the quality of housing and urban environment. Her detailed experience is related to pro-ecological tendencies in design and their impact on the image of contemporary urban space, as shown in publications (incl. The role of natural compositional elements in shaping architectural and urban space). Project leader for social innovations, accessibility and educational projects. Member of Affordable Housing Advisory Board. Head of Cracow University of Technology Centre of Accessibility. Author and co-author of mostly residential architectural projects, including social housing estates in Tarnów. Organiser and co-organiser of conferences, workshops, architectural competitions, and exhibitions.

Michaela Janečková studied at the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University, the Master's programme in Art History at UMPRUM and the PhD programme in Theory and History of Modern and Contemporary Art at the same institution (Ph.D. 2022). In 2013-2017 she was a member of the research teams of grant projects Prefabricated Housing Estates in the Czech Republic as Part of the Urban Environment: An Evaluation and Presentation of Their Housing and Living Potential (NAKI III) and Architecture and Czech politics in the 19th to 21st century (NAKI II). Since 2024 he has been working in the Department of Art-Historical Topography of the IAH CAS. She focuses on 20th century architecture, especially of the post-war period in the former Czechoslovakia. She devoted herself not only to the construction of housing estates, but also to the possibilities of cooperative construction during the socialist era.

Jan Kasl graduated in 1976 in Architecture and Urbanism from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague and immediately began his professional practice. Today, he leads the studio JK ARCHITEKTI. Between 1990 and 2006, he was active in municipal politics, serving as the Mayor of Prague from 1998 to 2002. Since April 2019, he has represented architects as the President of the Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA). He is also a member of several boards, academic councils, expert panels, and advisory committees. He remains active in the fields of strategic and spatial planning for Prague, as well as in residential and commercial development. Recently, his work has focused on the landscape and urban integration of major transport projects – including the completion of the City Ring Road and other large-scale urban structures. In his designs, he consistently promotes a comprehensive, holistic approach based on the principles of long-term sustainability and the quality of the built environment.

Petra Korlaar oversees the city’s property management, housing agenda, and cooperation with local businesses and investors. She is responsible for coordinating Mikulov’s strategic development in culture, education, social policy, tourism, and sports, with a strong focus on sustainable urban growth and the use of external funding programs. Her work connects heritage preservation with the city’s contemporary needs — ensuring that Mikulov remains both an attractive destination and a vibrant place to live.

Architect, Dr. Karin Krokfors combines practice, research, and teaching in her professional life. She acts as an Associate Professor of Urban Design Practices in Aalto University. Her research interest are tightly connected to the practice in which the housing design development has been at the centre of the focus. She leads the architectural studio Karin Krokfors Architects. The studio is an innovative architectural practice whose work ranges from building design and adaptive reuse to urban design and landscape installations. The development projects focus on creating a lasting built environment, particularly by rethinking housing design to meet both current and unpredictable future needs in affordable ways. A holistic approach is central to the studio’s work, connecting different scales and fostering site-specific solutions that emphasize spatial and ecological resilience and regenerative design. The practice has received several awards in architectural competitions in Finland and internationally.

Petr Kulhánek was born in Karlovy Vary and graduated from the secondary industrial school of electrical engineering in Ostrov. He headed to Prague to study at university, where he graduated from the University of Economics with a focus on business management. From 1998 to 2000 he worked as a director of HOPI Logistic. From 2000 to 2013 he worked as a director of the publishing house Promenáda v.o.s. In 2005 he became Secretary General of F.I.J.E.T. (International Federation of Journalists and Travel Writers). A year later he became a co-founder of the Karlovy Vary Civic Alternative (KOA). Since 2006 he has been a member of the Karlovy Vary City Council. From 2010 to 2018, he served as Mayor of Karlovy Vary, and since 2012 he has been a member of the Karlovy Vary Regional Council. From 2018 to 2020 he worked as a HR manager at Hofírek Consulting. Since 2020 he has been the Governor of the Karlovy Vary Region. Since October 2024, Petr Kulhánek has been serving as the Minister for Regional Development of the Czech Government. His main tasks have been to support areas affected by floods and to stabilize the process of digitalizing the building permit system.

Jitka Molnárová is an urbanist and researcher. Her main focus is on town planning and urban regeneration in post-socialist countries. She holds a master degree from the Faculty of Architecture at CTU in Prague and the Urban School of Sciences Po Paris where she studied urban governance. She has gained professional experience in France, Peru, Colombia, and the Czech Republic. Currently she is part of the urban team at Unit Architects and the Center for Housing Quality Research NGO. In her dissertation thesis, she explored the spontaneous transformations of modernist housing estates across different geographical contexts.

Henrieta Moravčíková is a professor at the Faculty of Architecture and Design at STU and the head of the Architecture Department at the Historical Institute of SAS. She leads the Slovak working group of DOCOMOMO and is a member of the advisory board of DOCOMOMO International. She has published several monographs, hundreds of studies and critiques, organized multiple exhibitions, and collaborated on key documentary films about architecture. Her research focuses on 20th- and 21st-century architecture, with an emphasis on modern architecture and architectural heritage. Through her work, Moravčíková has opened several new thematic areas of architectural research, such as the contributions of architects from national minorities in Slovakia, the activities of the first generation of female architects in Slovakia, the architectural heritage of mass housing developments, the ideological context of architecture under totalitarian regimes, the evaluation and preservation of works from the second half of the 20th century, as well as the relationship between modern architectural and urban planning concepts and traditional urban structures.

Sabine Pollak runs the architecture firm Köb&Pollak Architektur in Vienna together with Roland Köb. 1996 doctorate and 2004 habilitation in residential construction at the TU Vienna. Until 10/2025 Sabine Pollak was professor for space&designstrategies at the University of Arts in Linz/Austria. Sabine Pollak works theoretically (books, essays, an ongoing urbanism blog) about the history and theory of housing, researches the topics of housing and feminism, community and urbanism and works with her office as an expert for communal housing in Vienna. Residential buildings by Köb&Pollak Architektur, such as the ro*sa Donaustadt women's housing project, have been exhibited, published, and awarded numerous prizes. In 2025 Sabine Pollak, Michael Obrist and Lorenzo Romito are the curators of the Austrian pavillon at the Architecture Biennale in Venice, curating the project „Agency for Better Living.”

Daniel Ryšávka studied at Masaryk University in Brno and at the École nationale d'administration (ENA) in Strasbourg. He gained professional experience at the French Ministry of Defence and Erste Group Bank in Brussels. He has long been involved in topics related to public investment, sustainable regional development, and social and affordable housing. Before joining the Czech State Investment Promotion Fund (SFPI), he worked at the National Development Bank, where he participated in the preparation of financial instruments and public investments for affordable housing under the Ministry of Regional Development. Since May 2023, he has been serving as Director of SFPI. He focuses on developing new tools and programmes to improve housing affordability for young families, seniors, key workers, and people with low incomes. Under his leadership, SFPI has launched successful affordable housing scheme for construction of over 2.000 dwellings and mobilised a pipeline of 12.500 new affordable appartments. The key has proved to be local advisory in public investment into housing.

Jan Schneider holds a degree in International Business from the University of Economics, Prague. Before joining the Ministry for Regional Development (MMR), he worked as a project and strategic manager in the social services sector, focusing on equal opportunities, family support, and cooperation with public institutions. In his current role at MMR, Schneider leads the division responsible for regional development and affordable housing policies. He is involved in designing policy instruments and working with municipalities, developers, and central government actors to improve the affordability and accessibility of housing. He has experience in legislative processes, network building, and organizing international expert conferences and collaborations.

Susanne Sturm is a registered architect and managing director of CKRS Architekten in Berlin, specializing in socially oriented and affordable housing. Her work focuses on timber construction and sustainable urban development, with numerous projects realized for municipal housing associations. As a co-founder of CKRS and a member of the Berlin Chamber of Architects, she actively contributes to shaping public housing policy and quality standards through her roles in professional committees. Her projects aim to combine architectural quality with social responsibility. With over 20 years of professional experience, she brings a deep understanding of participatory design processes and community-driven development. Her approach prioritizes inclusivity, long-term value, and ecological construction methods.

Due to Russian occupation Šik - born 1953 in Prague – left 1968 Czechia for Switzerland. After his architecture studies he developed in the late 1980ies the Analogue Architecture relating to traditions, context and usual architecture. By the time Ensemble, Oldnew and Midcomfort were discovered, values of mixture and Reform. He still works in his 1988 opened Zurich studio, partnering 2016 together with D.Frei and M.Mayor. Following different research and teaching posts - his secondary way of making architecture - he was elected 1999 as ordinarius of architecture. After 30 years at the ETH he continues since 2018 his teaching at the Prague Fine Arts Academy. Famous Swiss, German and Czech architects passed his school studio. In 2005 he was honored by the German Heinrich Tessenow Prize. At the Architecture Biennale Venezia 2012 he represented Switzerland by his single overview „And Now The Ensemble“. In 2017 he was awarded doctor honoris causa by the Czech Polytechnical University. In 2024, the Czech Ministry of Culture awarded him the Architecture Prize and in June 2025 he has obtained The Meret Oppenheim Prize , given out by the Swiss Ministry of Culture. „Analoge Architektur„ was an exhibition tour through European capital cities between 1987 and 1991, famous by its Black and Gold catalogue. Quart Publisher Luzern published 2012 Šik‘s monograph and 2018 a tendency overview „Analoge Altneue Architektur“. Sacral architecture, office first focus, started by transforming in stages 1989-2003 the Catholic Center in Egg, then came 1995 the Catholic congress and hotel center in Morges. Shortly were realised transformations of Catholic churches in Horgen 2018 and in Thalwil 2022. A commission by Zurich City was the first housing for musicians in Bienenstrasse 1992-97. In the center of Haldenstein was built 2005-2008 a house in a concrete look. A living house for +75 age near the Zug railway station transformed an existing school. Housing projects for Swiss Cooperatives became the main office focus: apartments Hunzikerareal Zurich 2009-2015, Hoernlistrasse Winterthur 2015-2020, Talgut Winterthur 2015-23. Two upper segment apartment houses in New Alps Resort Andermatt were opened 2024, based on office village design from 2009. Two commercial and living houses, built 2024 in Merenschwand, form a new village center. A substantial living project Frohburgstrasse in Zurich is coming, based on English crescents and Garden City courts

Irina works as a senior lecturer at the Department of History & Theory of Architecture and Heritage Conservation at ”Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest. With a general background in the 20th and 21st-century history architecture, she has an interest in research involving the documentation and assessment of postwar architecture in Romania. Beginning with her PhD studies (2011) on 1950s Romanian architecture. She wrote and lectured on continuities and fractures in housing policies before and after the Second World War (Co-author of ”Post-war large housing estates in Romania”, contribution of the Romanian team for European Middle-Class Mass Housing: Past and Present of the Modern Community European Middle-Class Mass Housing: Past and Present of the Modern Community, MCMH Atlas, Working Group 1, COST, 2023). Irina is one of the founding members of Docomomo Romania.