FACULTY

Alexandros Kallegias is an architect and a researcher. Alexandros graduated from the Architecture School of the University of Patras, Greece and completed his postgraduate studies at the Architectural Association Design Research LAB (ΑΑDRL) in London,UK. His practice background includes having been a Senior Architect at Zaha Hadid Architects and BIM Coordinator for different projects in different countries. Alexandros research focuses on exploring generative design techniques, incorporating design through coding coupled with large-scale digital fabrication tools. His work includes the investigation of urban data and biomimetics as drivers for design, interaction and robotics in architecture. His research has been presented and published in peer reviewed reports and international publications like eCAADe, CAAD Futures, and SimAUD, among others. Alexandros also directs the AA Greece Visiting School and he teaches graduate studies at the University College London (Bartlett). He gives lectures in the UK and abroad while he has been an invited in juries like the Archiprix 2015 in Ankara, Simaud and IsArch. He has previously taught as an Associate Lecturer at the School of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University, and in the School of Architecture of Liverpool University.

Born in Athens, completed his studies in Architecture in Polytechnic of Turin where he obtained his doctorate in 1985. In Italy, in collaboration with Polytechnic of Milan and Turin he established urban studies while he designed retail stores. He collaborated with Travasaros’ Architects and Karadavanis’ Architects. In 1993, he founded his own architectural practice which was engaged with hotels, retail, industrial, residential, exhibition design. In 2012, having taught for 25 years in AKTO, he became Head of Interior Architecture and Design.

Daniel Zaldivar is a Mexican architect. He received his BA in architectural and urban design from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, and an M.Arch degree from the Emergent Technologies and Design programme at the Architectural Association in London. Since then, he has collaborated with diverse architectural and engineering firms around the world, including JVAS, Buro Happold and Mota Engil among others. He is currently a thesis advisor and studio master at Universidad Iberoamericana’s Digital Project and Production Workshop. He is head of TZ Architects in Mexico City and an independent consultant for digital design and fabrication projects.

Italian architect and engineer, Massimiliano Battisti (1986) graduated in Architectural Engineering (M.Eng) at the University of Brescia  gathering technical knowledge in building engineering and sustainable design, exploring different approaches whereby architecture and engineering can collaborate toward innovation. During his professional experience he worked as computational designer, BIM designer and environmental analyses consultant for several local Italian practices including the University of Brescia where he developed conceptual studies on kinetic and environmental responsive structures toward sustainable solar energy collection. In March 2018 at the Architectural Association School of Architecture (LDN) he achieved the M.Arch  in the Emergent Technologies and Design master degree led by Michael Weinstock embedding architectural critical thinking in his background and investigating new synergies between architecture and ecology through the intersection of different fields such as computational design, robotic fabrication, multi-criteria optimization and form finding.

Brigilda Deda, being born in Albania, currently resides in Athens, Greece where she undertakes Interior Architecture and Design studies at AKTO Art & Design College in association with the Middlesex University of London. She is a member of the Arts Faculty at the University of Tirana. Brigilda’s inclination in arts has been expressed through numerous artistic activities where her drawings and paintings have been showcased in various exhibitions. While on the way of becoming an architect, through her studies at AKTO she has participated in seminars and workshops. These include the Architecture in Different Civilizations with the University of Sharjah of the United Arab of Emirates and the workshop Colour in Architecture.

Sevasti Pantou lives in Athens, Greece where she is currently in the final year at her BA Degree studies in Interior Design from Middlesex University in collaboration with AKTO Art & Design College. During this period, Sevasti is also studying product engineering at Athens public college. Her fascination about architecture has taken her to attend numerous architectural exhibitions and conferences both in Greece and abroad, through which she has expanded her knowledge on hotels interior design, building materials, house decoration and furniture design. Sevasti has participated at the workshop for “Architectural details in Greece and United Arab Emirates” that took place in AKTO in cooperation with Ajman University. She actively engages with the industry’s applied side through a series of small scale projects like wine bars, cottage houses and corporate identity designs. Sevasti’s ability to combine hand sketches and CAD drawings allows her to experiment in drafting both straight and curvilinear forms. Her interest is in designing and making pavilions, exhibition spaces and installations that augment the experience of the visitor and complement and reinforce the items being showcased.