Talk of the town: Downtown Design

Twenty-five global experts will voice their views about burning topics in architecture and design, including innovation, collaboration and diversity.

Two discussions — The Culture of Collaboration and The Hands of A Designer, on 13 and 14 November respectively — will see designers Ini Archibong and Matthew McCormick explore the burgeoning crossover between handcrafted and high-tech manufacturing.

At Breaking Ground: New Design Markets and the Road Ahead (14 November), Mohit Gurjal, CEO of India’s real-estate developer DLJ, Dara Towhidi of Foster + Partners and others will investigate how design practices can respond more effectively to emerging design economies’ needs. LA-based Martyn Lawrence Bullard, interior designer to Hollywood stars, will argue for greater diversity in the design community at Fashioning Experience Beyond Borders (14 November). In Creating the Extraordinary (15 November), another LA-based designer Marc Ange will consider the creative possibilities opened up when the boundaries between art and design, fantasy and function are blurred.

At Cities 2.0: Designing the Future, Now (15 November), Tariq Khayyat, Head of Region, Middle East at Zaha Hadid Architects, Matthew Utley, Associate Principal, Grimshaw Architects and others will discuss their shared quest for building more resilient communities.

Going Regional: Local Distinction for Global Brands (15 November) will spotlight how hospitality industry projects can balance preserving their global identity with regional relevance. Speakers include Beat Fornaro of Design Hotels and Isabel Pintado (Wilson Associates).

Exploring a more equitable world, Chetana Andary of UAP and Sumaya Dabbagh, founder of Dabbagh Architects, among others, will examine leadership by women in the design world.

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