2025 Awards Judges

Brian Eckersley is a structural engineer and co-founded Eckersley O’Callaghan in 2004. They have since grown to become one of the foremost design-led structural and facade engineering consultancy practices with nine offices around the world, and many innovative and award-winning projects.

Brian is a passionate advocate for good design and the importance of good engineering in architecture and he has taught at many architecture schools.

Claudia is a chartered building engineer with more than 20 years of international experience in façade design and consulting for a wide range of building types and in various continents. She joined Thornton Tomasetti in 2013 with experience in all stages of project development  from the initial feasibility studies to testing and site monitoring or defect analysis. She enjoys working with the whole range of materials and systems that are now available in Façades, from timber to stone to double skins. Claudia is responsible for overall design quality review, technical mentoring and knowledge sharing within her London team. Claudia is passionate about architecture and the growth of Façade engineering as a discipline, and misses no opportunity to Talk Façades to anyone willing to listen. 

Ed Forwood MICE, MIStructE, MSFE is a Structural and Façade Engineer and former Director with Arup.  In addition to acting as a judge for the last three years at the annual SFE facade awards competition Ed supports the Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT) where he has been both an active member of their Sustainability committee and the Chair of their Circularity Working Group.  Ed was one of the contributory authors to the first edition of the IStructE publication “Structural Aspects of Cladding”.  Ed is a passionate advocate for digital transformation and is particularly focussed on how it can lead to improvements in procurement, embodied carbon optimisation, maintenance and re-use of facades.  Ed is currently an independent consultant, supporting Multiplex in their digital transformation with particular focus on minimising the embodied carbon of façade systems and simplifying the resolution of movement and tolerance challenges at the interface of main structure and the detailed design of façade systems.

Gerd Hönicke is a chartered façade engineer with 40+ years of international experience in project delivery across Europe and the USA. Known for his logical and creative problem-solving, he excels in complex bespoke projects. Gerd brings clarity, energy, and a collaborative spirit to every challenge, making him a trusted partner for developers, architects and cost consultants seeking innovative solutions and a fun, methodical approach.

John founded EFAS in 2024 after an 11-year tenure with Lendlease as Global Head of Façades. Through EFAS he offers strategic façade advice to businesses, government agencies, and trade bodies across the globe. He has 40 years’ experience in the façade industry and has had the privilege to be involved in many prestigious facade projects around the world. John particularly likes volunteering some of his time to the CWCT, SFE and some guest lecturing on the MSc Façade Engineering course.

Loreana Padron is Head of Sustainability and Associate Director at ECD Architects. She is an RIBA Chartered Architect with a Master’s in Sustainable Design and Passivhaus Designer Certification. Loreana has a deep interest in façade performance, reduced whole-life carbon, circular design as well as post-occupancy evaluation. Her work bridges technical expertise and practical implementation to deliver resilient, low-carbon buildings that enhance occupant wellbeing and tackle the climate crisis.

Mark is chartered engineer with over a decade of experience in building physics and façade engineering. Mark started his career in building design as a building science engineer in Canada, working on building condition assessments, façade remediation projects, and new-build construction, responsible for façade condition investigations, remedial designs and project oversight. Mark later moved to London where he joined the WSP façade engineering team, applying his technical expertise and lessons learnt from Canada to the London skyline.

More recently, Mark joined the team of industry experts at CWCT where his more academic and first-principles approach to façade engineering is utilised to help develop and inform new guidance and his experience could be passed on to the Masters of Façade Engineer students as part of the lecturing team.

Neesha Gopal joined Foster + Partners as a Façade Specialist for the Technical Design Group in July 2023 and became a Partner in 2024. She is a chartered Architect, studying at Nottingham, Brighton and Kingston Universities. Following several years as a project and site based architect, she specialised in Façade Engineering joining Whitbybird in 2003. Her career has included Façade Team Director of Ramboll UK and Regional Director for Meinhardt Façade Technology, UK and Europe. Before joining F+P, Neesha was Head of Façades for Europe at Lendlease. Neesha has also chartered as a Project Manager and has an MSc in Façade Engineering with distinction from Bath University.

Neesha is active within the industry, as a member of the Technical Committee for CWCT and committee member for the Society of Façade Engineering. As an advocate for Women in Construction, she is active in judging several awards for different facets of the Built Environment.

Simone is Head of Façade Engineering at AKT II, with global experience delivering complex projects, stadia and cultural venues. Known for design excellence and multidisciplinary collaboration, Simone brings deep expertise in façade building physics, structural detailing, and parametric design—ensuring creative, high-performance solutions remain central to contemporary façade innovation. 

Teresa has 15 years specialist façade industry experience, and she is part of the senior façade technical team in Sir Robert Mc Alpine since 2019. As technical lead for major and industrial projects, her role involves providing technical advice from pre-construction to completion, evaluating suitable construction scenarios and procurement strategies according to program and cost plan. Over the years, Teresa has delivered complex projects ranging from the structural design to high-performance cladding and glass systems where she enjoyed complex problem solving and an interdisciplinary approach between planning, architecture and construction.

Teresa is a chartered building engineer in Italy and in UK. In 2022, she completed a Master in Construction Law and Dispute resolution at Kings College in London.