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CREATIVE CROSSROADS - NEW SERIES
CREATIVE CROSSROADS - NEW SERIES
Welcome to CREATIVE CROSSROADS! a new series from IE School of Architecture and Design where we bring together professionals from diverse creative fields to explore career paths, the skills in demand today, and key industry trends. This new series would feature a mix of young and senior speakers with experience across different fields.
Each episode will focus on a specific discipline—such as interior design, comprehensive design (graphics, product design etc), fashion, architecture, videogame design and virtual environments—while addressing our programs drivers; entrepreneurship, craftsmanship, and sustainability. The main focus will be on careers, the skills in demand today, and honest conversations about the 'behind the scenes' of how these professionals got to where they are. Topics will include their mentors, the role of education in their journey, and more.
The objective is to create content that provides deep insights into each specific discipline while keeping the conversation engaging and relevant to the current market and our school.
PAST INTERVIEWS
Creative Crossroads: Meet Design Haus Liberty - How to Start a Global Interior Design Business
Join entrepreneur and interior designer Dara Huang for an exclusive interview on building a global interior design business, Design Haus Liberty. Dara will share her journey from working with top firms like Herzog & de Meuron and Foster + Partners to founding her own brand. She’ll also discuss preserving design heritage in contemporary spaces. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a visionary leader in interior design!
CREATIVE CROSSROADS: Can we design for social and ecological awareness?
Join the launch of CREATIVE CROSSROADS, a new series by IE School of Architecture and Design, featuring professionals from diverse creative fields. This Fishbowl event will explore career paths, in-demand skills, and key industry trends, with a focus on how design addresses environmental and societal challenges. Attend in-person at IE Tower or online, and enjoy a book signing with Michael Leube afterward!
Human-centred Fashion: steps towards a new industry mindset
In this session, Lourenço Viana, Global Head of Research at Mango, explored how human-centred design can drive change in the fashion industry, making products better suited to diverse customer needs. He will share insights on integrating design research into fashion product development and discuss the challenges of transforming traditional business approaches.
THE BACKSTAGE SERIES: REIMAGINING THE FASHION SYSTEM
Kavita Parmar, Founder of the IOU Project and Partner at XTANT, spoke at the event as the keynote speaker, sharing her insights on sustainability and emerging trends in fashion. She explored how technology can empower artisan weavers, promote ethical sourcing, and drive positive change through transparent supply chains. With experience working with brands like Nike and Levi’s, Kavita is a leading voice in fashion’s social impact movement.
CHECK TO BUILD
Learn about Alejandro's journey from inspiration to innovation with Check to Build, a cutting-edge software born from his passion for revolutionizing the construction industry. Join us to learn how shaping the future of construction can be made with SaaS-based solutions.
Unlocking earth's secrets
Founded by Ángela del Carmen Fuentes Imageryst democratizes access to drone and satellite imagery analysis, empowering users of all technical levels to extract valuable information.Imageryst transforms how businesses harness Earth Observation data.
Universities' role and creative industries' impact in shaping cities
Ignacio Diaz Maurinho, Associate at Allies and Morrison Architects, London explores the significant role universities play in shaping cities, influencing the aesthetics and atmosphere of neighborhoods. Ignacio shares how different projects from Allies and Morrison demonstrate how design fosters a positive and transformative connection between universities and the cities they inhabit.
Fostering Entrepreneurship in EMEA: Venture Capital as a Catalyst for Change
Based in London, Andre Bothma leads a dynamic team supporting the EMEA region, overseeing operations and managing an impressive portfolio of 55 companies. Andre delved into his journey from entrepreneur to growth principal in venture capital, sharing insights into the selection criteria for successful startups in the real estate sector.
Pioneering Architecture for New Ways to Live and Work
Kelsea Crawford, an award-winning entrepreneur on the frontlines of exciting architectural innovations. Crawford, the CEO and co-founder of Cutwork Studio, a visionary team of architects, designers and engineers determined to redefine how space is used and shared in the modern world.
FRAGILE: RESILIENT & SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Lukas Kauer, founder of Fragile, joined an exclusive list of illustrious speakers to have graced this online forum. Fragile has managed to turn strategic imagination into innovative design solutions to help future-minded companies achieve global impact.
URBAN MATTERS
Enrique Ibáñez González, founder and director of Urbanmatters, started his career in the Netherlands, but he’s worked all over the world. When he joined us for the latest in the IE NextGen program, we knew we were in for some fascinating insights from the cutting edge of the architectural profession.
Steve Edge
The London-based studio, which specializes in brand identity, brand strategy and digital design and build, believes that behind every good brand is an even better story.
SAVILLS
Savills, an award-winning international studio, that specializes in full-service interior architecture and design, development advisory and workplace transformation; striving to improve the future of cities through innovative real estate solutions.
BILDIA
Bildia joined us to talk about how the company is making its mark on the construction industry: changing the dynamics of the procurement supply chain. Bildia is a cloud-based software ecosystem helping construction companies automate their processes.
THE VENTURE CITY
From the Venture Lab to the International MBA, it was at IE University that Brooke began to think outside. The box and learn to take advantage of opportunities that came her way, including the opportunity to join The Venture City thanks to her IE University network.
THE “COLIVING” PHENOMENON
DoveVivo’s Spain Director Irene Trujillo joined us to talk about a fast-growing phenomenon: coliving. Coliving has grown out of students’ and young professionals’ frustration with inaccessible urban accommodation, and money.
EXPECTATION VS REALITY
The behind-the-scenes experiences at Built-ID, a social impact tech company that focuses on building sustainable places for a better future. They accelerate collaboration and beneficial relationships between decision-makers and communities, by connecting diverse groups of people.
POWERING ANY TYPE OF BUILDING
Connect Amenities, Services and People.” In it, they discussed their journey to building a workplace experience platform that allows teams to “navigate the workplace and stay connected from anywhere.”
TECH IN REAL ESTATE
LandTech may have started small, but they’re a model of success and rapid growth. In just four years, their original four became 100 people.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MANAGING REAL ESTATE PORTFOLIOS
The inspiring young professional gave us an inside look into the fast-paced world of financial data, and explained what inspired to found Menhir.
THE POWER OF KNOWING; DATA & ANALYTICS
Mathew Glenny discussed his real estate career journey—from working for real estate giant JLL, to joining the team at property search engine Realla, to leading sales at CoStar.
CONNECTING PEOPLE, BUILDINGS & CITIES
WiredScore is championing cutting-edge technology in real estate. They provide the only certifications for rating the infrastructure and technological capacity of commercial and residential buildings, ensuring buildings can meet today’s expectations and tomorrow’s demands.
SOUND CITIES: RETHINKING MUSIC & NIGHT TIME ECONOMY IN CITIES
Sound Diplomacy is the leading global advisor on growing music and night time economies in cities. It has defined a new way of thinking about the value of music, and influenced over 100 cities to invest in music and culture.
UNDERSTANDING A PLACE’S PAST, PRESENT AND POTENTIAL
Future Places Studio is a London-based research and strategy studio that works with the built environment sector. They help companies embark on new projects from a strategic research perspective, examining macro and micro elements and using that insight to create better places.