Jury & Selection Committee

Jonas Malmberg (b.1974) has M.Sc.Arch at Oulu University 2002 and M.A. at Helsinki University 2012. He is preparing PhD on Säynätsalo Town Hall. Since 2012 he has been employed at Aalto Foundation. He has been a member of the board of DOCOMOMO Finland since 2014 and chairman since 2023, and a voting member of ISC20C.

He was the main author of Paimio Sanatorium CMP 2015 and participated in Sevan Writers’ House CMP (Armenia 2019), and has lectured at various universities. He co-edited the book DOCOMOMO Finland – Register Selection (2018). His previous places of employment include the Finnish Heritage Agency and Finnish Architectural Review.

Michiel Purmer (born 1972, Utrecht) studied Historical Geography at Utrecht University. Since 2000, he has worked for Natuurmonumenten, a Dutch NGO managing over 110,000 hectares of nature reserves, including a wide range of cultural heritage sites, where he serves as Senior Heritage Specialist and advisor on cultural heritage.

He earned his PhD with the thesis Het landschap bewaard (The Landscape Preserved) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2018. In 2020–2021, he held a position at Groningen University alongside his work for Natuurmonumenten. He guest lectures at universities and regularly publishes on heritage and landscape.

Michiel is a member of the National Consultation Panel on Heritage of the Netherlands and serves on the board of the Dutch Network Historic Cultural Landscape (Netwerk Historisch Cultuurlandschap). He is also a member of the Landscape History Committee of the Limburgs Geschieds- en Oudheidkundig Genootschap and is currently preparing a landscape biography for Saba in the Dutch Caribbean on behalf of the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency.

In addition, he is active in numismatics and the study of clay pipes, and will this year be appointed to the Advisory Committee on Coins of the Dutch Ministry of Finance, where he will evaluate and select designs for special Dutch coins.

Riin Alatalu is the Vice-President of ICOMOS, an Associate Professor of Cultural Heritage and Conservation at the Estonian Academy of Arts, and Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in Heritage Studies at the same institution. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Estonian Heritage Conservation Council and is an active member of various ICOMOS groups, including the Rights-Based Approaches Working Group, CIVVIH, ICLAFI, ISC20C, and the European Heritage Label Panel.

Alatalu has held leadership roles in the Estonian National Heritage Board, the Tallinn Culture and Heritage Department, and the Ministry of Culture. She earned her PhD in 2012 with a dissertation on “Heritage in Transitional Society: From Nation’s Conscience in the Estonian SSR to the Harasser of the Private Owner in the Republic of Estonia.”
She has been deeply involved in initiatives like the Urban Agenda Dissonant Heritage Working Group and has been a strong advocate for preserving and contextualising dissonant heritage in Estonia. Alatalu has organised numerous courses and lectures on the topic.

Her campaigns include the Estonian National Cultural Heritage Year 2013, European Cultural Heritage Days, Visit Baltic Manors, and other awareness-raising activities. She has successfully fostered collaboration between decision-makers and the wider public to promote cultural heritage preservation.

Prof. Dr. Christian Hanus, born in 1974, is the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Arts, and Architecture at Danube University Krems (DUK), where he also leads the Department of Building and Environment. After completing his studies and doctoral work at ETH Zürich, specialising in monument preservation and sustainable architecture, he joined DUK in 2007 and became a professor in 2013.

At DUK, Prof. Hanus developed the “Refurbishment and Revitalization” program, focusing on restoring historical buildings with a sustainable and multifaceted approach. He has organised annual summer schools on heritage conservation and led various national and international research projects, including the European Heritage Awards Archive. He is actively involved with Europa Nostra Austria, contributing to its conferences and publications, and serves on the Industrial and Engineering Heritage Committee.

His expertise extends to advising UNESCO and the Austrian government on World Heritage properties, including assessments for sites like the Historic Centre of Salzburg. He also founded the “Center for Architectural Heritage and Infrastructure” and the “Center for Cultural Property Protection,” emphasising heritage conservation, reconstruction of earthquake-damaged historical towns, and international collaboration on cultural property protection.

Professor Alex Torpiano is currently Dean of the Faculty for the Built Environment of the University of Malta, a position he has held for the last 16 years; he has served as Head of the Department of Building and Civil Engineering, 1988-1999, 2007-2011, as Head of the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, 2011-2016, as Head of the Department of Architecture and Urban Design, 2016-2020, and Acting Head of the Department of Visual Arts, 2021-2022. Het set up and served as Director of the Institute for Masonry and Construction Research between 1994 – 2009. He is currently a member of the University Senate, (since 2008), and has served as a member of the Council of the University between 2009-2021.

He is a member of the Board of the Institute of Sustainable Energy and of the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development. He has served as Chairperson of San Anton School, between 2000 and 2009; as President of the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers, 1994-1996, 2017-2019, as Chairman of the Valletta Rehabilitation Committee 1995-1996, 2000-2001, as member of the Periti Warranting Board between 1999-2001 and since 2009. He has also served on the Eurocodes National Implementation Committee since 2002. He is currently the Executive President of the National Trust of Malta, Din l-Art Helwa.

Dr. Jermina Stanojev is a policy and research expert and lecturer in cultural heritage and international cultural relations. She serves as an individual expert to the European Commission expert group on cultural heritage. Dr. Stanojev has extensive experience in policy development, evidence-based research, and the implementation of international projects. She has collaborated with institutions such as Uppsala University, KU Leuven, Una Europa, UNESCO, Europa Nostra, the European Commission, and Goethe-Institut Brussels. Her work focuses on culture-led policy development to address global challenges through various governance frameworks.

Dr. Stanojev co-chairs the EIT Culture & Creativity Strategic Topic Group on Cultural Heritage in Green and Digital Transitions for Inclusive Societies. She advises on cultural heritage in international relations within the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance in the Western Balkans and supports the EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations.

She is an expert advisor to the European Heritage Green Paper and a member of the CHARTER advisory board. She co-authored the report “Skills, Training and Knowledge-transfer in the Traditional and Emerging Heritage” from the Structured Dialogue with the European Commission. Additionally, she serves as an expert assessor for the European Urban Initiative – Innovative Actions – New European Bauhaus projects, vice-chair for the Creative Europe programme, and a European Heritage Awards jury member.

Victor Boye Julebæk, Ph.D., is an accomplished architect and academic who combines a deep theoretical foundation with practical experience. He studied architecture at both the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, grounding his approach in the rigorous architectural traditions of Denmark and Switzerland.

He serves as an associate professor at the Royal Danish Academy and is head of the Master’s Programme for Cultural Heritage, Transformation, and Conservation. In his teaching, research and practice, there is a focus on both the theoretical and the hands-on, applied perspectives of the conservation and transformation of architectural heritage with an emphasis on material practices, cultures, and ecologies.

Marine Mizandari has co-chaired the National Trust of Georgia since 2017. With 30 years of professional experience, her career spans scientific research, senior management, and heritage project implementation across Georgia and Europe.

She served as Deputy Minister of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia (2012–2014) and has advised the government on strategic heritage policies. Marine combines scientific expertise with policy experience to strengthen cultural heritage management and public engagement, supporting initiatives that preserve and promote Georgia’s heritage.

Flora Bacquelaine Vidal de Llobatera holds a PhD in Humanities, Heritage and Cultural Studies. Her work integrates cultural management, project evaluation, university teaching and research in cultural studies. She coordinated the Culture and Tourism Commissions of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Euroregió Pirineus-Mediterrània until 2024.

She currently contributes to the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya’s research project “Franco’s Regionalism from Catalonia: Centripetal Practices and Discourses” (PID2021-125227NB-I00) and serves as a collaborating lecturer in the Master’s Degree in Cultural Management at UOC-UdG. Flora’s career bridges academic research and practical cultural policy, supporting initiatives that promote heritage awareness and public engagement.

Rūta Leitanaitė is a Lithuanian architect, cultural policy expert, curator and lecturer with over 16 years of experience in architecture and cultural heritage. She is Creative Director and Board Member of the Architects Association of Lithuania (AAL) and, since 2023, Chair of the National Council for Architecture of Lithuania, advising the Ministry of Culture on architectural quality, heritage protection and cultural policy.

She is a member of the European Commission’s expert sub-group Safeguarding Heritage in Ukraine, contributing to strategies for securing and documenting heritage assets, guiding quality reconstruction, and preserving cultural identity in post-conflict recovery. From 2021 to 2023, she served on the Executive Board of the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) and continues to chair its Task Force Solidarity with Ukraine, coordinating the Creative Europe project UREHERIT: Architects for Heritage in Ukraine. She has also led initiatives under the New European Bauhaus, including Holistic Renovation of Modernist Housing and NEB LAB Public Infrastructure for Ukraine.

An Independent Expert for the EU Mies van der Rohe Award since 2011, Rūta has extensive experience evaluating architectural and heritage projects. She also promotes public engagement with cultural heritage as host of the national radio programme We Need an Architect.