The speakers for the 2016 World Architecture Festival (WAF) seminar program have been announced, with names including Patrik Schumacher (director of Zaha Hadid Architects), Peter Cook (director at Crab Studio) and Ole Scheeren (principal at Buro Ole Scheeren).

The festival will be held at Arena Berlin in Berlin, Germany over three days from 16–18 November. The theme for this year’s WAF is “Housing for Everyone”. 

Keynote speaker Schumacher’s talk, “Housing as architecture,” will explore the idea that housing discussions are currently based on politics, migration, urbanization, new cities and numbers, rather than being considered as a type of architecture. Schumacher will discuss the lessons that could be taken from the work of Zaha Hadid Architects in Berlin and around the world. 

Cook will be speaking on how population movements, demographic shifts and lifestyle trends inform how we live and how this has impacted on the function and design of dwellings, while Scheeren will discuss how greater urban density can improve housing situations for all of society and how architects can create mass-density housing solutions that appeal to European sensibilities and do not alienate occupiers.

Other topics in the program include low-cost poverty relief housing, housing and cultural difference, architects as instigators, energy use in architecture, expectations of luxury housing and weaving housing into urban fabrics.

The winners of the 2016 World Architecture Festival Awards will be announced during the festival, with the 2016 World Building of the Year being chosen from the category winners.

Other events include live critique presentations by award finalists with live judging and discussion, Berlin architecture tours, networking, the finalists gallery, student charrette and closing gala.

See the New Zealand projects shortlisted for the 2016 WAF Awards here.