Stephen Kieran, FAIA is principal of the firm KieranTimberlake Associates LLP in Philadelphia, which has received prestigious awards such as the Distinguished Building Award from the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Kiernan now serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, leading a graduate research studio that explores the emerging interface between architecture as high art and the integration of developing technologies in materials science and product engineering. Currently, he lectures internationally about the processes and methods underlying transfer technologies and his firm’s involvement in this new architecture.

Frank Matero, AIA is Chair of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the Graduate School of Fine Arts and Director and founder of the Architectural Conservation Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Matero has consulted on a wide array of projects such as the Ayyubid Wall of Cairo and the Guggenheim Museum and Trinity Church in New York. As a Professor of Architecture, his teaching and research are focused on historic building technology and the conservation of building materials, with an emphasis on masonry and earthen construction, the conservation of archaeological sites, and issues related to preservation and appropriate technology for traditional societies and places.

Ali Rahim, AIA is an Assistant Professor of Architecture Media and Design at the University of Pennsylvania and the Director of Contemporary Architecture Practice in New York. His architectural designs, including Ephemeral Structures of the 2004 Olympic Games and a one-acre Naval Memorial, have earned him many awards and worldwide exhibition. Current design research includes a range of residential, commercial and product design projects. Well-known for his use of digital design and production techniques to create futuristic work, Mr. Rahim currently lectures extensively on these topics and their application to his projects in Asia, Europe and North America.