Pearling Path Talk Series: David Van Severen and Bas Smets

Pearling Path Talk Series (1): A Talk by David Van Severen and Bas Smets Moderated by Ali Ismail Karimi Wednesday, April 10, 2019, 7:30 PM Pearling Path Visitors Centre, Muharraq, Bahrain David Van Severen (Ghent, 1978) graduated in Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Ghent, Belgium and at the Esquela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura in Madrid, Spain. He worked with Stephan Beel Architects and Xaveer De Geyter Architects. He was visiting tutor at various international educational institutions including the University of Ghent (BE), Berlage Institute Rotterdam (NL), the Academy d’Architecture Versaille (FR), Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture (US) and is currently holding professorship at the Harvard Graduate School of Architecture (US). In 2002 he founded OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen together with Kersten Geers. In 2009, 2013 and 2015 they were awared with the Belgian Prize for Architecture, in 2016 with Art Prize Berlin and in 2010 with the Silver Lion at the 12th Venice Biennial of Architecture. Various monographic publications such as ‘Seven Rooms’ (Hatje Cantz), ‘2G N.63’ (Gustavo Gili) and ‘El Croquis 185’ (El Croquis) have presented their works, alongside the extensive book ‘OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, Volume 1, 2, 3’ published by Buchhandlung Walther König. Bas Smets (1975) received a Master’s degree in Architecture and Civil Engineering from the University of Leuven and a Postgraduate qualification in Landscape Architecture from the University of Geneva. He regularly lectures at international institutions, such as the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the EPF in Lausanne. He founded his office in Brussels in 2007 and has since constructed projects in more than 12 countries with his team of 17 architects and landscape architects. In 2008 he was awarded the biennial prize for young landscape architects ‘NAJAP’ from the French Ministry of Culture. Ten years later he received the Award for Urbanism from the French Academy of Architecture. His first monographic exhibition of his projects was co-produced by the International Arts Campus deSingel in Antwerp and the Arc en Rêve centre for architecture in Bordeaux. He was appointed General Commissioner for the Biennial of Architecture of Bordeaux in 2017. Ali Ismail Karimi (1989) is a Bahraini architect whose work explores social housing, public space, and the landscapes of the GCC countries. Ali received his Master in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and previously worked in Chile with Alejandro Aravena, and Belgium at OFFICE KGDVS.