Miia-Liina Tommila (FI), Architect (SAFA), Tommila Architects Ltd, CEO , Chair of the jury

Miia-Liina Tommila has a deep passion for creating engaging, future-oriented architecture and urban spaces, she has successfully explored new ideas and opportunities through both building and urban design competitions, with success.

Miia-Liina excels in multidisciplinary teams, bringing a user-oriented, participatory approach to every project. With extensive experience in facilitating urban planning and building design processes, she consistently prioritizes sustainable development and the circular economy 🌱.

In addition to leading Tommila Architects, she is also a partner at Nordic Works* and a founding partner of Kaleidoscope Nordic.

Frédéric Chartier (FR), Architect, ChartierDalix

Frédéric Chartier founded ChartierDalix with Pascale Dalix in 2008. Since its creation, ChartierDalix has delivered over twenty-five buildings; ten today are under construction. The office’s accomplishments are highlighted by consistent and commendable international projects such as the Demain Montparnasse competition in 2017 to rehabilitate the Montparnasse tower skyscraper in Paris, with the collective Nouvelle AOM (ChartierDalix, Franklin Azzi, Hardel Le Bihan), and more recently in 2021, the reconstruction of the Bockmühle school campus in Essen (Germany), and the restructuring of an urban block in Warsaw. 

With this international exposure, the office has received numerous awards, including the Première Œuvre du Moniteur prize in 2009 and the “40 under 40” European prize for young architects in 2012. In 2022, the New Headquarters of the AP-HP in Paris (12th) won the Équerre d’argent award, for the category of “Activities”. The office was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2015, as well as receiving the Le Soufaché prize in 2017, awarded by the French Académie d’architecture for the whole of its work. In 2019, Frédéric Chartier and Pascale Dalix were appointed Chevaliers des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

Frédéric has had the opportunity to teach and lecture at various universities and architecture centres in France and abroad. For many years, the research department of the office has worked on the integration of biodiversity in architecture, combining advanced technical knowledge in the fields of materials, construction science, and ecology. This research is compiled in a book published in 2019 entitled “Hosting Life: Architecture as an Ecosystem” by ParkBooks.

photo©Camille Gharbi

Frank Martela (FI), Assistant Professor, Philosopher; Aalto University

Frank Martela is a researcher, philosopher and an author, whose research focuses on understanding the conditions for a good life at individual, interpersonal, and collective levels. He has studied meaning in life, happiness, and human motivation with the aim of creating new ways of thinking that enhance people’s ability to live fulfilling lives, using writing as his primary tool. His work has been published in various academic journals within psychology, philosophy, and organizational research and he has been speaking at universities on five different continents, including Harvard and Stanford.

Currently, he serves as an assistant professor at Aalto University where he also teaches a course on The Art of Living. His book Stop Chasing Happiness – A Pessimist’s Guide to a Good Life was published in March 2025, while his previous book A Wonderful Life – Insights for Finding a Meaningful Existence (HarperCollins, 2020) has been translated to 29 different languages. 

All of Frank’s activities aim to serve the quest to understand what to do, value, and aim for in this unfolding experience called human life.

photo © Marek Sabogal

Andro Mänd (EE), City Architect of Tallinn, Estonia 

Before his appointment as the City Architect of Tallinn, Andro Mänd served as the president of the Estonian Association of Architects Union of Estonian Architects, where he advocated for the value of enduring and timeless architecture. As City Architect, he is committed to enhancing Tallinn’s urban environment, striving to create the best living conditions along the Baltic. His vision prioritizes the development of key areas in need of renewal while ensuring that new projects uphold architectural integrity.

Throughout his career as a practicing architect, Andro has contributed to numerous high-quality reuse and renewal projects, including Fotografiska Museet and Creative Hub Kultuurikatel (a former power plant) in Tallinn. He is also a seasoned jury member in architectural competitions.

photo (c) Reio Avaste

Pekka Pakkanen (FI), architect (SAFA), Planetary Architecture Ltd, founder, CEO

Pekka Pakkanen’s work spans a wide range of research, education, and architectural design projects — many of which have emerged from winning competition entries.

In every project, the Planet Earth is considered a client. Pekka’s mission is to address the urgent challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and the overuse of natural resources. As we push past planetary boundaries, he and his office seek smart, enduring, and beautiful solutions for a truly sustainable built environment. His approach integrates high-quality architecture with the use of renewable and recycled materials, ensuring that sustainability is at the core of his designs.

photo © Lari Järnefelt

Sofie Pelsmakers (BE), Prof., Architect (ARB/RIBA), University of Tampere

Sofie Pelsmaker’s passion is for sustainable architecture and sustainable housing design teaching, practice and research that makes a difference and responds to current societal and environmental challenges. She has dedicated over 20 years to advancing sustainable architecture and creating more sustainable living environments and new ways of living together and with nature, and how planetary well-being goes hand-in-hand with a better quality of life for all of us.

Sofie challenges the current status quo, and re-imagines new approaches to housing design and wider living environments and its spatial and architectural quality in an ever-changing world (e.g. climate change, finite resources, ageing populations, declining health and well-being, loneliness, pollution, urbanisation, affordability). Key words include ecology, inclusivity, democratic processes and agility and adaptability.

She thrives on genuine collaboration with others who are also striving to make the world a better and more sustainable place.

photo © Arto Jalonen

Suvi Saastamoinen (FI), Landscape architect (MA), (MARK), Sitowise Ltd 

Suvi Saastamoinen is a practicing landscape architect, teacher, visual artist, and lighting designer working at the intersection of public space, art, and landscape.

She is inspired by natural processes, circular economy, human and non-human experience and genius loci. Her work varies from functional spatial design, lighting concepts, strategic and conceptual landscape design to urban interventions and public art.

Currently, Suvi is a group manager and professional landscape architect at a multidisciplinary consulting firm Sitowise Ltd, where she leads and contributes to interdisciplinary projects in landscape design, public art, outdoor lighting, and urban planning. Suvi also teaches landscape architecture and public art in Aalto University and University of the Arts Helsinki.