GIACOMO GALLO

Giacomo (1988) is an architect and urban designer, founder of NEW ENVIRONMENTS. He works internationally on urban assignments connecting different disciplines and scales. Climate-positive design and wellbeing act as core pillars for his projects.

Giacomo is committed to education: the driving force for critical thinking and activism. He is design critic and guest lecturer at several higher education institutions, such as the Amsterdam and Rotterdam Academies of Architecture, where he pursues learning through urban practice.

He gained experience at UNStudio, KCAP, and MUST, working on complex international and Dutch urban design projects involving multiple stakeholders. In Porto he founded the start-up for temporary urban projects CITY.MAKING. His graduation project was distinguished at Archiprix Portugal. He is winner of two Europan 17 competitions, in The Netherlands and Sweden.

HAROLD DELIMA

Harold is an architect and co-founder of Placemaking Davao and 5XD, a PH-based architecture and design firm. As Co-Convenor of Placemaking Davao, he advocates for community-led design and better public spaces in Davao City and across the Philippines. He has led programs for the Davao Bus Project, the Davao City Library, and a school in Siargao Island. Additionally, he is one of the organisers for the 2024 Placemaking Fiesta, a week-long festival held to promote and celebrate Filipino initiatives through experiential learning activities.

As an architect, Harold’s practice is rooted in sustainable design and focuses on enriching people’s lives and the built environment while creating spaces that harmonise with nature. He actively seeks to engage in the collaborative interplay between architecture, design, and environmental stewardship, striving to create meaningful and positive experiences through every project.

Harold was invited to be part of the Placemaking Sandbox Fellowship led by the Melbourne School of Design (The University of Melbourne) and Place Agency, where he focuses on advancing nature-based and regenerative placemaking practices.

ROBERT YOUNGER

Robert (Munich, 1988) is an urban designer, partner at NEW ENVIRONMENTS. He is passionate for innovative urban strategies that employ foresight and scenario techniques to foster a symbiotic relationship among humans and their environment.

Robert was appointed Head of Urban Design at the Fontys Academy of the Arts in Tilburg, where he curates the urban design curriculum with thematic emphases on Degrowth, Urban Environments and Futures. In his role he is responsible for the branding of the urban design track and for expanding the domestic and international network of the school, bridging academia and design practice. He has previous teaching experience at the Amsterdam and Rotterdam Academies of Architecture.

Before joining NEW ENVIRONMENTS, Robert was project leader at Karres+Brands, where he led multiple urban transformation projects and master plans from competition to realisation, focusing on the German market. Previously he worked as urban designer at the international firm MLA+ and the Department for Space and Sustainability at the City of Amsterdam.