Official Call for Entries of 2A Continental Architectural Awards (2ACAA) 2025–2026

She seasoned awarded design innovator, Professor Arianna has a track record experience in sustainable design, entrepreneurship and social innovation ecosystems for good. Previously, she taught at Harvard University to contribute to the pedagogy of innovative format of transformational design for emergent leadership, working extensively with industry and community to enhance another kind of sustainable leadership. She is currently Dean of Aimer Business School and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Canadian University Dubai in UAE. Her last book, “Co-learning for People, Places, and Planet: Stories from Teaching Design Studies Around the World” is a conducive path to addressing complex societal challenges and a future where design innovation and AI converge as a tool for the greater good, co-learning for a better world for all life.

He is a Professor of Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture, Art, and Design at the American University in Dubai. He previously served as the Editor of the Arabic/English edition of l’ARCA magazine, focusing on Architecture, Design, and Visual Communication. Since earning his Ph.D. from Nottingham University in 1989, Dr. Chenaf has taught Interior Design, Architecture, and Urban Planning. In Algeria, he was President of the National Committee of Pedagogy of Town Management and Urban Techniques and has played key roles in organizing and leading scientific committees for international Architecture and Urban Planning conferences.

He is a Principal at Grimshaw and leads the Middle East studio. He has spent the past 25 years working across all scales of architecture and design, leading projects in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Matthew’s personal and professional focus has been on socially and environmentally sustainable design approaches, promoting the contribution of designers in community-based project initiatives and expanding the role of architecture and design in the public realm for a broader societal impact. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design, as well as a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Madhav is an architect and urbanist who co-founded Anagram Architects with Vaibhav Dimri after graduating from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, in 2001. Established in 2004, the firm is internationally recognised among the world’s top emerging practices for its context-sensitive and sustainable approach to design. Anagram Architects works across Architecture, Interior Design, Urban Design, Public Infrastructure, and Environmental Planning. The practice embraces bold, concept-driven design that addresses sustainability through resource management, cultural identity, market dynamics, traditional knowledge, urban governance, evolving technologies, and climate change.

Arzu Erdem, Prof. Dr. (ITU Faculty of Architecture BA 1983, MA 1985, PhD 1995) Arzu Erdem, who worked as a Research Assistant, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor at ITU Faculty of Architecture between 1988-2009, served as the Head of the Architecture Department at the same university in 2012-2013. She served as the Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Abdullah Gül University between 2015-2017. She served as the Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design and the Vice Rector responsible for Education at KHAS University between 2017-2023. She currently works as a faculty member at İstinye University Faculty of Fine Arts, Design and Architecture.

Kourosh Salehi is a multi-award-winning architect and urbanist with over three decades of international leadership experience.

His design philosophy centers on contextual sensitivity, social purpose, and design excellence, with a strong focus on a networked approach to architecture, urbanism, and infrastructure.

Salehi has cultivated a comprehensive portfolio of signature projects across London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Doha, and Dubai, spanning a broad range of sectors including residential, commercial, civic, and cultural developments. His practice reflects a deep understanding of place, culture, and context.

Assistant Professor of Architecture, Canadian University Dubai

He is an architect and academic whose work focuses on architectural heritage, historical urban environments, and the integration of digital technologies in documentation and design. He completed his PhD at Oxford Brookes University in 2022, with research centered on lost heritage and the relationship between heritage and identity in post-conflict societies. His academic and professional trajectory combines practice-based research with deep historical insight, particularly in the documentation and reinterpretation of early modern and 20th-century architectural heritage.

Dr. Günay brings this expertise into his teaching, which spans design studios, architectural history and theory, and specialized courses on heritage, digital methods, and regeneration.

Andy Shaw RIBA is an architect based in Dubai. Andy is passionate about how combining innovative technology, cultural sensibility and sustainable design can improve the built environment for all citizens.

He is the Managing Partner at AMA (www.ama.design). AMA is a boutique design studio, designers of the landmark ‘Yacht Club’ in Dubai Harbour, the Nobu Hotel and Residences in Abu Dhabi, and over 2000 homes for the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority. He is currently working on new hotel resorts and housing communities in the UAE and Gulf region, and has worked on UNESCO heritage sites in the UAE, KSA and UK.

He is the Chair of the RIBA Gulf Chapter, from 2019 till 2025, helping to grow the design community and create events including the regionally focused Sustainability Series, and led the team delivering the Sustainability – Past, Present and Future exhibition in London and Dubai during COP28.

His works and writings about architecture have been featured in the RIBA Journal and Building Design Magazine.