With 40 programmed events and close to 100 contributors, Stockholm Design & Architecture Talks 2020 is securing its position as one of Scandinavia’s leading discussion platforms for design and architecture.
– This is our most dynamic and varied program ever, says Program Manager Ulrika Kjellström Attar.

2020 marks the sixth year of Stockholm Design & Architecture Talks (SDAT). Over five days, the fair’s visitors are invited to listen to talks, debates and interviews with some of the most influential players in the contemporary design industry.

The list of speakers confirmed so far includes a number of prominent names:

Vo Trong Nghia, Vietnamese rising star predicted to be the new Bjarke Ingels. Through the collision of austere modernism and wild plant life, he has managed to create architecture that is green in every sense.
Sevil Peach, London-based architect with huge experience, recently awarded design site Dezeen’s annual interior design prize. Her research-based and empathetic work has seen her celebrated as one of the leading innovators in office design.
Kelly Alvarez Doran, architect and partner at MASS Design Group, a non-profit architectural practice with a mission to make the world a better place. According to Kelly, architecture is never neutral – it either helps or hinders.
Kai-Uwe Bergmann, is a partner at BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group). Bergmann was Bjarke Ingel´s right hand and intellectual sparring partner already during the offices first time in Copenhagen. Today, they are both relocated to New York where, among other things, they have designed ‘The Dry Line’, a system of embankments that will minimize flood risk and give the residents of Manhattan additional meeting places.
Emma Olbers, a designer who has won an award for her environmental work, will be talking with Gregg Buchbinder, CEO of US firm Emeco, whose iconic Navy Chair in recycled aluminum is claimed to be ‘indestructible’.
Giulio Ridolfo, Italian textile designer and color consultant, employed by top brands such as Moroso and Vitra. With color making a comeback in homes and public spaces, his trained eye is in high demand.
Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien – this year’s Guests of Honour and the creators of the impressive exhibition in the Entrance Hall. They run the London-based studio Doshi Levien, which has has an international reputation for combining culture, technology, industrial design and true craftsmanship.

Illustrious designers such as Ilse Crawford, Jaime Hayon, Tom Dixon and Neri & Hu have participated in the past, some of them several times. Everyone praises SDAT’s well-informed discussions and interested audience.

– Our visitors are very active participants, which is something we welcome. Almost all of them work in the industry and are a mine of expert knowledge, says Program Manager Ulrika Kjellström Attar from concept and design studio Atmosfär by Attar.
– The mix is more dynamic than ever. In previous years, the program has had a main theme, but this year we’ve simply chosen speakers who have the most to say about the revolutionary age we are living in. This has allowed us to draw up an even more varied list of speakers.

The 2020 program is still under development, but the ambition of previous years remains – to present thought-provoking analyses of the modern world.
– In-depth discussions on the issues that matter to the industry are important for an exhibition, says Cecilia Nyberg, Project Area Manager for Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair.
– It brings extra life to the event and delivers great added value. Many of our visitors make the fair their place of work for the duration, attending talks, meeting colleagues and learning an incredible amount.