The 2024 Future Builders international conference was a rousing success
Fourteen panellists, three panels and several hundred industry representatives; this, in a nutshell, was ALUPROF’s 2024 Future Builders international conference. The event hosted prominent architects and construction industry experts at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Warsaw on 16th October, as they debated the subject of the future of architecture in the context of sustainable building.
Their discussions also embraced the challenges facing the sector and an analysis of trends in architecture, encompassing the direction for the development of cities and towns. Acclaimed figures among the panellists this year included José Pareja Gómez of the renowned Zaha Hadid Architects and Ian Bogle, the founder of the multiple award-winning architecture and design studio Bogle Architects, along with leading Polish architects such as Andrzej M. Chołdzyński, Ewa Kuryłowicz, Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys, Przemo Łukasik, Marcin Sadowski and Zbigniew Maćków.
Another successful edition of a unique initiative from ALUPROF
The latest edition of the Future Builders international conference is over. On 16th October, ALUPROF’s guests gathered together in the elegant interiors of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Warsaw. The international line-up of panellists encompassed not only outstanding architects, but also eminent construction industry experts, including engineers, urban planners, sustainable building specialists and sociologists of space, all of them there to talk about the future of the construction industry and the directions the sector should take. The event was open, which meant that, along with the panellists, the conference was attended by a throng of other people involved in the construction industry in various ways. All of them had the opportunity to ask a question or voice their opinion on a given topic. In addition, ALUPROF had the forethought to arrange for the event to be streamed online for those who were unable to be there in person.
As Bożena Ryszka, the company’s Marketing and PR Director emphasises:
This was the fifth edition of our Future Builders international conference and its success is borne out not only by the participation of esteemed architects from Poland and around the world, but also by the high attendance during the event and the numerous people who watched the live streaming. Once again, our original initiative won the recognition of industry representatives by forming a space for substantive discussion on the future of the construction industry, with a particular emphasis on issues like sustainability, innovation, technological progress or keeping up with architectural trends. I am delighted that, despite the passing of time, Future Builders continues earn the appreciation of sector experts and representatives, which is confirmed by the very positive feedback we received from conference participants both during the event itself and afterwards, including via our social media channels.
Further confirmation of the status and success of the event is the fact that the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of the Republic of Poland is its main patron and that it has the Polish Architects’ Association (SARP), the Polish Chamber of Architects, the Polish Green Building Council and the Polish Union of Property Developers as its other patrons. The media partners of the event are international in scope, with Polish media “Architektura i Biznes”, “Architektura Murator”, “Bryla.pl”, “Builder”, “Świat Aluminium” and “Zawód: Architekt” joined by Glass News (UK), Z&R (Netherlands/Belgium), gevelbouw.info (Netherlands), Profiel (Netherlands), OCTOGON Architecture & Design (Hungary) and “spatiulconstruit.ro”.
An international conference featuring distinguished architects
This year’s edition of the Future Builders international conference offered three panel discussions featuring distinguished architects and other experts as the panellists, along with a presentation of the winner of the 2022 Building of the Year Created with ALUPROF Systems competition and a talk on a unique development created using aluminium architectural systems by ALUPROF. The first panel, entitled Sustainability in architecture: A genuine necessity or just a trend?, was chaired by ALUPROF brands communication manager Paweł Gregorczyk and Wojciech S. Wocław, a business etiquette and public speaking trainer. The panellists were award-winning Macedonian architect Besian Mehmeti, expert designer of innovative façade solutions Lukáš Romanczin, José Pareja Gómez, who is associated with the prestigious Zaha Hadid Architects, Alexandra Virlan, a senior architect and partner in Dutch architectural practice UNStudio, which employs people from various countries with technical training in numerous fields, and Edyta Stanek, co-founder and former vice-president of the board of directors of ML System and currently responsible for developing the company's organisational structure in the United States as the CEO of ML System Inc. The panellists debated a range of topics, including the ways that modern technologies can help architects and designers counter the effects of climate change and fight for a better tomorrow. They also shared experiences from their own countries, talking about the systemic solutions being implemented in them.
Experts on the role of regeneration
The second panel at the Future Builders conference, entitled New or ReNEWed. Revitalising buildings as the future of architecture, was devoted to the question of building renovation, which has been gaining in popularity over the past few years, partly as a result of the European Union’s decarbonisation strategy. Taking part as panellists were Bledion Baraliu, a pioneer of implementing BIM technology in architecture in Kosovo and the Southern Balkans, Colman Billings, contemporary façade design specialist and managing director of Irish design office Billings Design Associates, architect Ian Bogle, founder of award-winning design studio Bogle Architects, which operates in more than twenty-five countries worldwide, Razvan Puchici, architect and managing partner of notable Romanian studio Cumulus Architecture SRL and Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys, member of the Polish Architects’ Association’s (SARP) Architectural Committee, co-founder of the Polish Institute for Sustainable Building and president of SARP from 2022 to 2024. They were unanimous in underscoring the absolute necessity of maintaining a balance between new and renovated buildings and striving to minimise the negative impact that the construction industry has on the environment. When Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys set out her argument, one point she noted was that, regardless of whether we renovate existing buildings or build new ones, which we undoubtedly must, the starting point should be sustainable development. She also stated that newly built developments should be “flexible”, meaning that, in the event of changes in the economic situation after ten to twenty years, it is possible for a given building to obtain a new life and function, with future architects able both to use its structure and its façades and to recycle the previously used finishing materials.
A jubilee panel on the past decade in architecture
The third session of the conference featured distinguished architect Professor Ewa Kuryłowicz, who is associated with the renowned Kuryłowicz & Associates studio. She gave a talk on Warsaw University’s Faculty of Modern Languages and Institute of Applied Linguistics building, which won the Grand Prix in the fourth edition of the Building of the Year Created with Aluprof Systems competition, held in 2022. Presenting a case study about the solutions used in what is one of the most interesting construction industry projects in Poland in recent years, she also introduced the audience to the challenges the studio had to tackle as they worked on developing their concept for the building.
Professor Kuryłowicz’s presentation was followed by a jubilee discussion panel entitled Is a decade in architecture long enough?, where the audience had the opportunity of taking part. The debate, which was held to mark the fifth anniversary of the Building of the Year Created with ALUPROF Systems competition, featured previous winners Andrzej M. Chołdzyński, Ewa Kuryłowicz, Przemo Łukasik, Zbigniew Maćków and Marcin Sadowski as the panellists. They all agreed that the designs they had created for their winning buildings would be the same today. However, they did point out that the massive developments which have taken place in building technology over the past decade would allow them to use even greener solutions. Professor Ewa Kuryłowicz also shared an interesting observation when she stated during her argument that the final appearance of a building nowadays is decided much more by prosocial issues than by the formal or aesthetic matters which would have held sway ten years ago.
A closing talk presenting a prestigious building featuring ALUPROF solutions
For the final session of the Future Builders conference, Michał Marcinowski, Head of Product Development for ALUPROF’s aluminium architectural systems, took to the floor with a talk entitled Icons: From local to global. He presented the ALUPROF solutions which were used in the development of the prestigious Flatiron Building in New York. Located at the junction of Broadway, 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, it is one of the city’s tallest and most recognisable skyscrapers. Highlighting the challenge involved in proposing solutions that would work for the planned change in the building’s function from office to residential, he explained how the company’s aluminium systems also had to meet the requirements stipulated by the historic landmarks preservation authorities. All in all, ALUPROF is supplying the project with more than 1,100 windows.
For those who were unable to attend the conference or want to revisit selected parts of the event, ALUPROF is making the recording of this year’s Future Builders live stream available in full. It can be viewed on the company’s YouTube channel, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SM8sTVSEfo.
The conference participants enjoyed a surprise extra in the form of an appearance by ALUPROF brand ambassador and international football referee Szymon Marciniak, who gave a talk entitled How a strong personality affects a team.
The 2024 Building of the Year Created with ALUPROF Systems awards ceremony
In what has now become a tradition, the Future Builders conference culminated in a gala where the winners of the international Building of the Year Created with ALUPROF Systems competition were announced. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the initiative, which was conceived for architectural practices and independent architects and designed to single out the most interesting buildings featuring aluminium solutions by ALUPROF. The 2024 jury, which was chaired by notable architect and co-founder of the award-winning Medusa Group studio Przemo Łukasik, faced the challenge of assessing almost two-hundred and thirty entries from Poland and around the world and selecting the winners whose works would receive the prestigious title, while they themselves would be awarded valuable cash prizes. The Grand Prix of PLN 50,000 went to Maćków Pracownia Projektowa for Bernardyńska 4, a residential and retail complex in Wrocław. The runner-up was the Lakeside office and services building in Warsaw, which is the work of Grupa 5 Architekci and won its creators the PLN 30,000 second prize. Third place, along with PLN 15,000, was taken by JEMS Architekci and their new office building for the LPP Fashion Lab complex in Gdańsk.
For more information on the 2024 international Building of the Year Created with ALUPROF Systems competition winners and shortlisted buildings, visit https://future-builders.com/en/contest/awards-ceremony.
