Adam is a based at the Birmingham office of Broadway Malyan and has over 15 years of expertise in residential-led and mixed-use regeneration. He has worked across the full spectrum of residential sub-sectors including student accommodation, private homes, high-density apartments and senior living. With a strong focus on sustainability and craftmanship, Adam has a particular interest in how buildings and spaces can be reused for the next generation and how environments can be enhanced through the use of natural materials. His expertise spans the UK and more recently the Middle East where he has been involved in the design of new communities focusing on lifestyle, health and wellbeing. 

Adam has been instrumental in the design and delivery of the Beorma Quarter in Birmingham, notably Beorma Tower, exploring how facades can integrate innovative material, detail and craftmanship to create a dynamic urban identity while prioritising environmental performance.

Alan joined Howells in 2004 and has spent the last two decades delivering transformational placemaking projects across the UK. He has led on a wide variety of schemes and has a keen focus on how existing communities and contexts integrate with and inform the new places Howells creates. He has gained experience on a wide variety of major mixed-use projects, including Royal Wharf, the Birmingham Institute of Translational Medicine, Wirral Waters, the NEC and Salford Central masterplans. He has also delivered several residential and student housing schemes across the country.

He has led on urban integration of HS2 Birmingham Curzon Street into Birmingham’s city core, as well as serving as Lead Architect for the HS2 Washwood Heath Depot, overseeing the design of HS2’s Network Integrated Control Centre and railway Maintenance facilities in the Midlands region.

Alan is currently working with Birmingham City Council on Our Future City which is providing a once in a generation opportunity to influence a vision on the future of Birmingham over the next 20+ years. Following on from the successful Big City Plan, Our Future City will provide a template for a mix of strategic framework masterplans in the city core as well as a number of visionary transformational projects for local communities within the city.

Within the practice, Alan’s precise nature makes him an integral member of our Howells Project Board, providing business-wide leadership on standards and protocol, quality insurance and delivery, including the relationship between RICS and RIBA. Outside the practice Alan is a keen mountaineer and climber.

Andrew Pries, Technical Sales Director at Boston Valley Terra Cotta, holds a BS in Architecture from the University at Buffalo and a Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan. With a focus on design development and leveraging diverse fabrication methods to expand the applications of terra cotta, he has played a pivotal role in high profile projects such as the Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) and 120 Stockton. As one of the coordinators of the Architectural Ceramic Assemblies Workshop (ACAW), Pries spearheads design development with the workshop teams, as well as the fabrication and construction of successful mockup assemblies.

Aneel formerly of Wintech is now an Associate at Ramboll in their Birmingham office. He has been over ten years in the industry, gaining knowledge and experience in the design of facades in a wide range of materials, from concept design, right through to site erection and post-installation diagnostic services, for projects in the UK and abroad.

He has an MEng in Mechanical Engineering. He has a PhD from the University of Nottingham, where he pursued the development of an integrated façade component which globally addresses the issues of enclosure, aesthetics, energy/light transfer, weather tightness and mixed-mode ventilation principles.

He is also the Honorary Treasurer for the Society of Façade Engineers and Midlands Region Event Coordinator.

Ashley Phillips is Senior Technical Specialist for the UK, Ireland and EMEA region at Dupont Performance Building Solutions. He has worked in many project consultancy roles throughout his career and joined Dupont in 2024 following recent work within the passive fire protection industry. Ashley has provided technical and commercial guidance on numerous façade projects across the region such as Brindley Place and Heartlands Hospital. Ashley is currently part of Dupont’s Global Building Knowledge Centre team, created to provide expert recommendations to clients on product portfolio, system installation and to assist regulatory compliance according to local needs and requirements.

With a passion for intricate detail, David thrives on the variety of his role, whether leading a 600-acre masterplan or fine tuning the details on a fire door. Known for mentoring the next generation of designers, he values the blend of analogue and digital design, often building physical models.

He’s an avid outdoorsman who enjoys clay pigeon shooting, exploring in his camper van, and spending time with family and chickens at home in Burton upon Trent. At 17, David met the Queen after winning a sculpture competition and at just 12 years old he even helped to solve a missing person case during a climb with his dad on Ben Nevis!

Eric Claeys holds a degree as Civil Engineer in Construction from KU Leuven, Belgium, a degree in Industrial Engineering in Public Works from KU Leuven, Belgium, and graduated with a Master in Business Administration from the Vlerick Business School, Belgium. Eric has 40 years of experience in façade technologies and consulting and was involved in hundreds of prestigious projects by the most famous architects in more than 30 countries worldwide. Since the very beginning, value engineering has been his driving force, along with the belief that “ It always seems impossible until it’s done”. Out-of-the-box thinking is not just in his DNA; it is his DNA.

Eric is the inventor of “hybrid” curtain wall systems, an innovative combination of stick and unitized CW systems. The technologies are covered by an extensive patent portfolio in more than 70 countries worldwide.

“Innovating is critical, but it is not enough. The Fassada steel curtain wall technologies are carefully engineered to revolutionize the market, setting a new standard to eliminate problems and enable the impossible.”

Eric is co-founder of Fassada Steel SA, which is a Switzerland-based joint venture between the Swiss Montanstahl AG and the Belgian Fassada Group, the parent company of Fassada Technologies.

Gurprit Bassi is a Director and Sustainability Lead at Wintech Group and provides strategic direction as part of his role. At Wintech he has been involved with many high-profile projects on major residential and commercial projects, both in the UK and Internationally. Furthermore, Gurprit has been instrumental in raising the profile of Façade Engineering and contributes as a speaker at many UK Conferences on the subject, with a particular focus on offsite construction and sustainability.

Gurprit earned his master’s degree in Façade Engineering from the University of Bath and is a Member of the Society of Façade Engineering within CIBSE.

Iain Gray is a Chartered member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and Society of Façade Engineering (SFE), with over 15 years of experience within the UK façade industry working as a façade consultant as well as for leading specialist sub-contractors and manufacturers. His expertise covers all major technical areas of engineering a façade to the various standards, guidance documents, and best industry practices across the various materials and façade systems available. His experience also extends beyond the office and into to the real world, with experience ranging from physical testing to on-site inspections and failure investigations. Currently working at BB7, one of the UKs leading Specialist Fire Consultancies, Iain is in the process of launching a new Façade Consultancy arm that will look to bring these two typically separate industries together to provide more focussed support to the construction sector.

Ian Wilson is the Chairman of Benx, a leading provider of innovative façade solutions. Prior to joining the company in 2015, Ian spent more than two decades advising companies across a range of industries on strategic and financial matters, as a partner at Ernst & Young (US) and Grant Thornton (UK), as well as 5 years as an investment banker in New York. He also spent 5 years as European CFO and UK Country Manager at Home Décor Innovations.

Ian’s role at Benx includes spearheading strategic projects to create new market opportunities. The group’s most recent development is the launch of Safewall®, a breakthrough rainscreen innovation designed to reduce complexity, while meeting the highest safety standards and offering exceptional design flexibility. Safewall® is the culmination of 5 years of product development, testing and certification activities, involving colleagues from every part of the Benx group.

With a passion for excellence and a commitment to driving success, Ian thrives in a dynamic and collaborative environment where he can apply his strategic insights and knowledge to navigate the complexities of the façade industry.

Whether fostering customer relationships, leading new product initiatives, or market expansion efforts, Ian is dedicated to delivering unparalleled value and building on Benx’s reputation as a leading façade system innovator.

As a speaker at ZAK Birmingham, Ian will share his insights into the key challenges facing architects and specialist contractors when designing, procuring and installing rainscreen systems. His presentation will share how Safewall® can respond to these challenges to support the design and construction of safe, high performance buildings, featuring exceptional façades.

James is an experienced designer with an excellent eye for detail who works to high standards. He enjoys early project stages and rigorously refining project ideas. When delivering projects, he grasps strategic sequencing and shows clarity of thought. As a responsible and conscientious team leader, James encourages team members through mentoring.

James is Arup’s Birmingham Office Leader and a Director in the Midlands Property Team. He leads Arup teams on regeneration projects including Paradise, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Stadium and Shrewsbury Riverside. He is also the Midlands Growth Director, engaging with clients and collaborators to bring the breadth of Arup’s skills and experience to the local market.

Marc Blackie has been working for The A. Proctor Group since 2021 and has specialised in manufactured solutions for the Building Envelope for over 10 years. Marc has worked for some of the leading lights of the facade industry to provide expertise in commercial, residential and educational projects. By advocating a systems based approach to airtightness in façades, A. Proctor Group have simplified the build-up of through wall designs and pushed forward the specification and completion of safer and more robust solutions utilising technically advanced materials with proven performance. For over 80 years the A. Proctor Group have supplied technically advanced product solutions for all parts of the building envelope. In the façade and high rise sector, the ground breaking Wraptite self-adhesive and vapour permeable external air barrier membrane improves airtightness and simplifies design, installation and detailing, while lowering costs and ensuring compliance with technical standards. The A. Proctor Group’s experience of hygrothermal modelling and understanding of the balance of heat, air and moisture within the building envelope gives specifiers confidence in achieving a robust and effective envelope design.

Stuart is a proven leader & technician within the construction sector, having spent the last 13 years focused exclusively on the building envelope.

With an extensive and detailed knowledge of cladding and external wall systems, relevant UK and European regulations, standards and best practices, and a comprehensive understanding of passive fire performance, Stuart’s experience within the façade industry has led him to offer specialist consultancy services focused on optimising the development, design, supply, manufacture and installation of wall, roof and façade components and systems. 

Tansu Kumru has extensive experience in the glass industry and has been working for Şişecam, one of the world’s leading glass manufacturers with production operations in 14 countries across four continents. She is currently responsible for public relations and coordination within the company.

Throughout her career, she has held various roles in the Architectural Glass division, including strategy development, product and brand management, and marketing communication. She contributed to the development of energy-efficient architectural glass products and provided customised and advanced glass solutions for a wide variety of projects around the world.

As the Vice President of the Board of the Exporters’ Association, she is currently the global representative of the Turkish Glass Sector. She continues to inform industry professionals about how Turkish glass products can enhance the capabilities of important construction projects worldwide.

She graduated from the Department of Industrial Engineering and completed her master’s degree in the Faculty of Business Administration at Boğaziçi University.