Peter Ortner
F. Peter Ortner is Assistant Professor in Architecture and Sustainable Design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. His current research asks how we can build more sustainably and resiliently by taking urban metabolism data into account during the design process. Evidence-based design of cities and buildings for Urban Air Mobility, the growing presence of drones and air taxis, is another ongoing research interest. Peter’s doctoral research built on insights from critical data studies to elucidate the changing role of architecture and architect in complex, data-driven urban systems.
Carlos Bañón
Carlos Banon is co-founder of Subarquitectura Architects Spain, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and co-founder of AirLab @SUTD. He holds an M.Arch. with Extraordinary Distinction.
He also held visiting professorships at MIT Massachussetts Institute of Technology and at EPFL, and was invited to lecture by a number of universities, including ETSAM Madrid, UIC Barcelona, KEA Copenhagen and PUPR Puerto Rico. His research projects span from Geometric Exploration for Space Making (GESM), 3D Printing applied to actual building components, Artificial Intelligence applied to high-rise developments, and Affordable Housing prototypes.
Rene Tan
Rene Tan, who describes himself as an ‘accidental architect’, grew up in Penang, Malaysia amidst discussions over jazz, art and football at home. He received his BA both in architecture and music at Yale and his MArch from Princeton. He attributes learning the ‘core values’ of aesthetics from Yale; from Princeton he learnt the true value of the plan. Today as Director at RT+Q Architects (a firm he co-founded in 2003 with partner TK Quek), Rene collaborates with about 15 colleagues in their search for the elusive ideals in architecture. He has two daily reminders for his team and himself: ‘never think like an architect’ and ‘never be afraid to put the wrong thing at the right place’. RT+Q’s portfolio covers works of various types, scale and sizes; they have done work locally and internationally. Amongst recent projects are a tombstone, a bus stop, a high-rise residence and a stageset. Rene was ‘Designer of the Year’ laureate of the 2016 President’s Design Awards, Singapore–an honour he shares with everyone at RT+Q. Active in academia, Rene has held teaching appointments in USA, Hong Kong and Singapore. Strong advocates of travel, education and fun, his office now confers the annual ‘RT+Q Rome Prize’ at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. To maintain work-life balance, Rene searches—with his wife and daughter—for the next ski slope to negotiate, and looks toward harvesting their new spice terrace.
Tamotsu Ito
Tamotsu Ito is a first-class registered architect in Japan. He focuses on the aesthetics of non-modern hybridity in architecture where society and objects meet. He holds Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture from University of Tokyo in 2008, and Master in Architecture Ⅱ with honors from Harvard GSD in 2016. He has worked for Ryuji Fujimura Architects and Coelacanth K&H Architects in Tokyo during 2008-2013, now has his own award-winning practice, tamotsu ito architecture office in Gifu and Tokyo.
He was an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia GSAPP in 2017, as well as engaged in numerous teaching and researches as an assistant at ETH Zurich D-ARCH from 2017 to 2020. He was an assistant curator of Japan Pavilion for Venice Architectural Biennale in 2018. His works and researches have been introduced through lectures and exhibitions worldwide, including ETH Zurich, EPFL, Architektur Galerie Berlin, and Yokohama National University Y-GSA.