218th Edition – Zak World of Façades Netherlands

Main Events 218th Edition – Zak World of Façades Netherlands

218th Edition – Zak World of Façades Netherlands

edition

218

Date

28 May 2026

Venue

Postillion Convention Centre at WTC

City

Rotterdam

Official page Watch the Event

About this edition

This will be the 218th edition globally and the 1st edition in Rotterdam which will showcase sustainable innovations and challenges in the construction industry pertaining to the building envelope and will also display latest technological solutions.

Speakers & Panelists

Conference Agenda

Every speaker for the day, grouped by session. Select a topic to see who is presenting, the session focus and the talk points.

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

08:00 — 08:50

Topic

Delegate Registration & Networking

Gideon Maasland

Director

MVRDV

Topic

Event Convenor & Host

08:50 — 09:00

Topic

Welcome Address

09:00 — 09:30

Alexey Boev

Architect

Neutelings Riedijk Architects

Topic

Façade as Urban Interface: Identity, Climate and Value

Talk points

Façade as interface between architecture and the city

Responding to climate demands: Sustainability, performance and material strategies

Balancing ambition and feasibility: Regulations, cost and buildability

Integrated design approaches and long-term value

09:30 — 09:55

Joep Hovels

Co-Founder

Frontwise Facades

Leonie van Ginkel

Partner

Frontwise Facades

Topic

Façade Engineering in the Dutch Context: From Concept to Compliance

Talk points

Applying international expertise to Dutch façade design

Solving the façade puzzle: Performance, systems and solutions

Façades of the future: Designing tomorrow’s envelopes

09:55 — 10:05

Bart Mispelblom Beyer

CEO and Architect

TANGRAM Architekten

Topic

Storytelling through Double Anodizing

Talk points

The shadow of a historic incident that shaped the city

The reconstruction of a tiny piece of land

The façade tells the story

10:05 — 10:15

Nasser Labidi

Technical Advisory Center Manager - Europe, AME & APAC

Guardian Glass

Topic

Empowering Façade Design with Digital Tools

Talk points

Leveraging technical support team: Capabilities and service offerings

Leveraging digital tools: Overview of digital resources available to support façade design and execution

10:15 — 10:45

Topic

Networking Tea / Coffee Break

10:45 — 11:10

Ana Araújo

Partner

Buro Happold

Anke Rollenhagen

Associate Director

Buro Happold

Topic

Optimisation of Façade Design and Procurement in Existing and New Buildings – Different Challenges in a Common Purpose

Talk points

State of the art façade technical requirements

Case study of Oopen, Utrecht, Holland

Case study of Tate Liverpool Refurbishment, Liverpool, England

11:10 — 11:30

Jeroen Boersma

Senior Product Specialist

Kawneer

Topic

Sustainability in the Façade Industry

Talk points

Thermal performance: Included in Whole Life Carbon

Renovation wave in Europe: Façades as accelerators of decarbonisation

Embodied carbon becomes a design constraint instead of a reporting obligation

Renovation = CO₂ reduction: Re‑using existing building structures

Building certification: Extends the economic lifespan of the building

Aluminium as a perpetual material: Claiming recyclability is not the same as actually applying recycled material

11:30 — 12:00

Ron Bakker

Co-founder

PLP Architecture

Topic

Home Grown Cladding

Talk points

Earth

Baguettes

Sugar Cane

12:00 — 12:40

Moderator

Alessandro Fisalli

Senior Architect

MAD

Panelist

Andreas Vermeeren

Project Manager

CSM Steelstructures

Panelist

Arnoud Herder

Project Engineer

CIG Architecture

Panelist

Darko Andric

Technical Designer

EGM Architecten

Panelist

Paul Korthagen

Partner

IMd

Topic

Fenix Museum Rotterdam: Realising a Sculptural Façade for a Cultural Landmark

Talk points

Translating fluid architectural language into a buildable and performance-driven façade strategy

Façade system engineering and materiality, addressing complex geometries, bespoke detailing, and integration with the museum’s structural framework

Fabrication and installation challenges, covering digital modelling, tolerances, mock-ups, and coordination between design, engineering, and construction teams

Session summary

Alessandro Fisalli

12:40 — 13:40

Topic

Networking Lunch Break

13:40 — 14:00

Do Janne Vermeulen

Founding Partner

Team V

Topic

Balancing into the Future

Talk points

Performance Meets Identity: Where technology, sustainability, and practicality shape the city’s character

Innovation at the Interface: Where façades connect inside and outside, inspiring identity and place

14:00 — 14:20

Erwin ten Brincke

Associate Partner

ABT

Topic

Reinventing Glass: New Approaches to Reuse and Production

Talk points

Glass reuse in practice: Technical feasibility, quality assessment, and structural considerations when reclaiming and reapplying flat glass in façade systems

Innovations in glass production: Low-carbon manufacturing processes, circular supply chains, and reducing embodied carbon in glazing

Designing façades for circularity: Detailing, demountability, and system strategies that enable future reuse and material recovery

14:20 — 14:30

Hilal Ucar

International Specification Manager Benelux

Saint-Gobain Glass

Topic

Innovative and Sustainable Glass Solutions for Façades

Talk points

Sustainable & energy efficiency solutions

The world's first low-carbon glass

Cumulated impacts for decarbonized glass units

14:30 — 14:40

Jochen Regenauer

Head of Strategic Projects & Business Development - EMEA

Kuraray

Topic

The Contribution of Laminated Safety Glass to a Sustainable Building Envelope

Talk points

CO2 facts about laminated safety glass

Case study: Tour Montparnasse

Bird Secure applications as a contribution to sustainability

14:40 — 15:00

Marc de Winter

Façade Consultant

Deerns

Rouven Nieuwenburg

Sector Director - Real Estate

Deerns

Topic

High-End Façades and Holistic Integration: Carbon-Driven Engineering from Concept to Completion

Talk points

Façade detailing based on data of all relevant disciplines including MPG

15:00 — 15:10

Mourad El Garci

International Sales Director

Alucoil

Topic

Technological Cross Over from Aerospace to Façade Sector

Talk points

Solution with an environmental impact

Project case study

Circular economy

15:10 — 15:40

Topic

Networking Tea / Coffee Break

15:40 — 16:00

Tim Brans

Founding Partner

NUDUS

Topic

Circular Design: Learn by Doing

Talk points

The impact of circular ambitions to the design process

Matrix innovation center Amsterdam: A façade made of reused roof tiles

Palace of justice The Hague: Maximizing the reuse of existing materials

16:00 — 16:10

Gerd De Lathauwer

Commercial Director

EUROLACKE Powdercoatings

Topic

Lifespan of Powdercoated Metals

Talk points

Aging of a façade

Choose wisely

Refurbishing a façade

16:10 — 16:50

Boudewijn Thomas

Associate

MVRDV

Stefan Prins

Partner

Powerhouse Company

Panelist

Joris Winters

Sector Leader Property and Investment

Arcadis

Panelist

Mattijs van Ruijven

Head - Urban Planner

Gemeente Rotterdam - Stadsontwikkeling

Topic

Building Impact Together - Steering Impact Across the Value Chain

Talk points

The business case for carbon: Financing sustainable development

Balancing expectations and incentives for sustainable building

Keeping sustainability on track amid budget and regulatory pressures

Designing with carbon in mind: Beyond sustainable architecture

Measuring carbon: Navigating different calculation methodologies

Session summary

Gideon Maasland

16:50 — 16:55

Topic

Vote of Thanks & End of the Conference

How it was

Watch

Chapters

Partners

Presenting Partner

Associate Partners