AIA International Mentorship Series - Growing with Nature: Resilient Buildings and Cities
When: Tuesday 9 December 2025 @ 09:00 (Eastern US Time)
Where: Online
CES: Estimated 1.0 LU for AIA Members
Speakers:
Mona zu Feldem, Senior Consultant Climate Adaptation and Water at &flux
Stanley Bui, Founder Sigma Studio
Description
Join the AIA International Global Mentorship Program’s December Mentoring session!
This year’s theme is Discovering Value in Your Career. In this session we will learn how nature-based solutions can create resilient, human-centered projects by working with—rather than against—natural systems. This program introduces core NBS principles, practical design strategies, and real-world case studies to help you integrate nature into projects at any scale.
As always sessions are open to all. If you have questions, please contact Michelle Montgomery at emergingprofessionals@aiainternational.org.
Mona zu Feldem is a design thinker with an integrated view on climate adaptation and (spatial) transition challenges. with her background as urban and landscape designer, her strength lies in thinking in systems and connecting different challenges and scales. in her work she is driven to reduce the impact of climate change on people and the planet. she currently works as Senior Consultant Climate Adaptation and Water at &flux. Before joining the &flux team, Mona worked as a designer and researcher on a variety of projects in Europe, Africa, and Asia. She contributed to mapping water and soil systems for provinces and water boards in the Netherlands, researched the spatial impact of long-term strategies for sea level rise, and worked on the future spatial demand for drinking water in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. She also developed a ‘water and soil-driven’ guide for the province of Utrecht and a strategy for Nature-based Solutions for urban water management in Kigali, Rwanda.
Mona holds a Master degree in Urbanism from Delft University of Technology. She received an honourable mention for her graduation project, where she investigated the opportunities for the integration of urban water management and urban development to reduce climate change impacts in unplanned settlements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Tan Bui is an architect and Fulbright Scholar with more than 15 years of international experience which is strategically focused on sustainability and contemporary aesthetics. He has managed a variety of awards winning and high-profile mid-to large scale projects providing innovative solutions to complex challenges, to create highly impactful architecture with a unique vision and skilfully crafted details. Tan graduated from HCMC University of Architecture in 2007 and Master of Architecture in the University of Oregon in 2017 with a full scholarship from the US government.
Currently, Tan is working at and is the founder of Sigma Studio, a Saigon based firm with strategic consultancy and sustainability, integrative and social inclusive oriented architecture. Tan says: In pursuing sustainability, our approach for decarbonization in each project is “Strategy first”, which means to take a step back, evaluating the conditions of the Site, Social Context, Materials & construction methods. These elements become a key driver for the whole design process. “ We believe Sustainability and Decarbonization not only comes from saving energy, environment & resources, but also from aligning the building with the actual usage and context that they belong.” He was selected as a guest speaker at AIA International Spring Conference 2024 for Decarbonization.
