Design solves problems, foretells change and fuels growth. How are designers around the world expading on the power of an idea to influence the shape of things to come?

This talk was broadcasted on the Dubai Design Week website on 14 November, Saturday 4pm and on Dubai Design Week’s Youtube channel.

About Sabine Marcelis
Sabine Marcelis is a Dutch designer who runs her practice from the harbor of Rotterdam. After graduating from the Design Academy of Eindhoven in 2011, Marcelis began working as an independent designer within the fields of product, installation and spacial design with a strong focus on materiality. Her work is characterized by pure forms which highlight material properties.

Sabine recently won the prestigious Wallpaper awards ‘ Designer of the year 2020’, the Design Prize 2019 in the 'Newcomer of the year' category, The Elle Deco International Design award 2019 'Young designer of the year’ and ‘GQ Men of the year 2019’ International Artist of the year.

About Gijo Paul George
Gijo Paul George Chembakassery is the Co-Founder and Principal Architect of Studio Toggle. He graduated in Architecture from the University of Kerala (T.K.M.C.E) in 2007. From 2007-2009 he worked with multiple practices of varying sizes in India and Kuwait while obtaining his LEEP AP certification. In 2009, he started pursuing his Master’s Degree in Urban Design (Brain City Lab, Wolf D Prix) at the Universität Für Angewandte Kunst (Die Angewandte) in Vienna.

In 2011 he Co-Founded the experimental architectural practice Studio Toggle in Vienna with fellow Die Angewandte graduate Hend Almatrouk and relocated to Kuwait in 2012. As the Principal Architect of Studio Toggle he has guided the firm to winning multiple prestigious architecture awards like ‘Middle East Architect Awards 2016’ (Residential Project of the year), ‘Cityscape awards 2017’ (Best low to mid-rise residential building of the year) ‘Middle East Architect Awards 2018’(Boutique Architecture Firm of the Year) etc.

About Hend Almatrouk
Hend Almatrouk is from Kuwait and did her Bachelor of Architecture in the American University of Sharjah, graduating in 2008. She went on to do her master’s degree in Urban Strategies (Excessive, Hernan Diaz Alonso) from the Universität Für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna and graduated with distinction in 2011. In 2011, she established Studio Toggle with Gijo Paul George, a fellow Die Angewandte graduate. By 2016, she established Studio Toggle Porto branch in Portugal.

About Abdalla Almulla
In 2014, Abdalla received his Bachelor in Architecture from Woodbury University in San Diego, USA. Where he was awarded, the Grand Critique Faculty Choice Award and the Best Degree Project Award in Architectural Design graduation research based on geometric explorations.

During his University years in San Diego, Abdalla was selected to speak and exhibit his architectural projects in “Next Fresno” Master Plan 2013 exhibition, The San Diego Art walk and Dwell on Design. While studying a semester in the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, Abdalla was involved in an in-depth analysis of Sustainable Energy Design program “Active Cities Active Buildings”.