Adaptable Building Conference

Cécile Faraud is Head of Clean Construction at C40 Cities, where she leads initiatives to reduce emissions from urban construction and champion circular, regenerative building practices. With a background in environmental policy and international collaboration, she supports global cities in accelerating the shift toward climate-resilient urban development.

Director Development at Zadelhoff and Het Slotervaart, Martine Gründeman leads large-scale urban transformation projects across the Netherlands. Her work balances adaptability, heritage, and social value in complex developments involving public-private partnerships, community stakeholders, and multi-use programming.

Werner Hulst is Managing Director at Isolectra and founder of Streda. At Isolectra, he focuses on integrated smart building solutions for energy, lighting, and communication systems. With Streda, he introduces a modular plug-and-play system that combines power and data in a single hybrid cable — enabling fast, circular, and customisable electrical installations that make buildings more future-proof and cost-efficient.

Marc Koehler is founder of MKA, Superlofts and Superwood, and co-founder of Openbuilding.co and MaMa Pioneers. His practice focuses on modular, user-driven housing that prioritises adaptability, community, and architectural resilience across different life stages and ownership models.

Stephen Kendall (PhD MIT’90) is Professor Emeritus, co-founder of the Council on Open Building and an internationally recognized author and advocate of Open Building. Dr. Kendall will share a global perspective on the long road to an Infill industry, which he believes depends ultimately not on technology but on a shift in society’s responsibilities, and which is key to scaling up and normalizing adaptability in the long run.

Senior Urban Planner at the City of Amsterdam, Paco Bunnik is recognized for his contributions to the Zuidas business district and the transformation of Amsterdam's Southeast. He specialises in strategic planning, infrastructure, and adaptive urban development in complex, multi-stakeholder contexts.

Professor of Architectural Design at Loughborough University and a pioneer in adaptive architecture, Robert Schmidt III focuses on building flexibility, open systems, and future-proof design. His research explores how architectural adaptability can be embedded in policy, process, and spatial thinking.

Tom Frantzen is an architect and professor at TU Eindhoven, where he co-leads the Open Architecture research unit. His work bridges academic inquiry and architectural practice, advocating for buildings as open, layered systems that enable long-term adaptability, sustainability, and user-driven transformation.

Principal and Global Practice Area Leader at Gensler, Steven Paynter develops strategic real estate frameworks that support adaptability, reuse, and resilience. His work helps clients align spatial design with long-term portfolio performance through digital tools and systems-based thinking.

Founding Partner at Ditt Officemakers, Mattijs Kaak leads the commercial and creative direction of one of the Netherlands' top design & build firms. With a background in hospitality, he develops hybrid workplace concepts like Hoff that blend comfort, flexibility, and wellbeing. Ditt is a certified B Corp and Studio Alliance member.

Hubert Rhomberg, CEO of Rhomberg Group and co-founder of CREE, is a pioneer in timber-hybrid construction and modular systems. As both developer and contractor, he champions scalable, low-impact building models that align economic feasibility with long-term environmental responsibility.

Founder of Fragile and co-initiator of Panels by Knauf, Lukas Kauer leads research into adaptable housing, combining strategic design and spatial storytelling. He authored the Adaptable Home Survey and drives projects that enable more flexible, circular living systems for the future.