Meet visionaries set to shape the Archello Awards 2025 jury. Archello is thrilled to welcome four powerhouse architects—Jette Cathrin Hopp, Manuela Gatto, Manuelle Gautrand, and Melodie Leung—whose bold creativity and deep expertise will bring fresh, seasoned perspectives to the awards panel.
Jette Cathrin Hopp is Director for Acquisition and new projects within the management group at Snøhetta, where she has played a crucial role in leading major international project developments and competitions. Fluent in Norwegian, German, and Danish, her multilingual upbringing has been an asset in managing complex projects both in Norway and internationally.
Hopp actively contributes to architectural discourse by lecturing at architectural symposia, conferences, and international institutions. Her experience includes roles as a team leader for the museum in the King Abdul Aziz Center for Knowledge and Culture in Dharhan, Saudi Arabia, and as a project leader for large-scale hotel and resort development in Hvar, Croatia. Hopp has lead international projects with a strong focus on sustainability, including the Astana Expo 2017 “Future Energy” in Kazakhstan, and Lingkong Soho in Shanghai, China. In Norway, she has been involved in environmental projects like Powerhouse One in Trondheim and the Powerhouse Kjørbo in Sandvika, the world’s first rehabilitated energy-positive building.
Manuela Gatto is a Director at Zaha Hadid Architects. She oversees award-winning architecture, managing design, technical teams, and project delivery. Fluent in five languages, she helps lead one of the studio’s primary clusters. Gatto graduated with honors in architecture from the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia (IUAV) in 1998 and earned her Master of Architecture with distinction in 2002 from the Architectural Association’s Design Research Laboratory in London. Co-author of Negotiate My Boundary! - Mass Customization and Responsive Environments, Gatto explores architecture’s response to evolving social and cultural dynamics.
Gatto has taught at IUAV and the Architectural Association and lectured globally, including at the University of Hong Kong, La Sapienza in Rome, and Technion in Haifa. Her notable projects include the Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion, Zorrozaurre Masterplan in Bilbao, Sky SOHO in Shanghai, and BMW Central Building in Leipzig. She co-directed the Sberbank Technopark in Moscow and led designs for Leeza SOHO in Beijing, featuring the world’s tallest atrium, and the Danjiang Bridge in Taipei, set to be the world’s longest asymmetric cable-stayed bridge. Currently, Gatto directs projects such as the Dnipro Metro stations in Ukraine, the Mercury Hotel and Residential Towers in Malta, and several major developments in China. As a senior masterplan specialist, she also leads large-scale urban regeneration initiatives, applying her versatile expertise to diverse architectural scales and typologies.
Manuelle Gautrand is the founder of Paris-based firm Manuelle Gautrand Architecture. As principal architect and director, Gautrand leads a tight-knit team—each architect-project manager taking full ownership of their commissions—while partner Marc Blaising oversees financial and administrative management since 1992. The studio’s portfolio spans public and private clients in France and abroad, with highlights including a breadth of built work such as the housing development Edison Light and Les Nouvelles Galeries in Annecy. Gautrand was also featured on the Archello Podcast discussing her selective approach to design—you can listen here.
Melodie Leung is a Director at Zaha Hadid Architects. Her experience is focused on projects with a community centred and experiential design approach, effective place making and collaborative solutions from concept through to completion. Leung completed her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002 and her Masters of Architecture at the Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation and Planning at Columbia University, New York. She has been involved in teaching design studios at the Architectural Association, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Columbia University and Pratt University in New York.
Leung has led the design and delivery on projects ranging in scale from the urban realm, architecture, interiors, product designs, exhibitions, research and creative direction in the performing arts. Her project portfolio includes the interior design concepts for Guangzhou Infinitus Plaza, 'The Henderson' in Hong Kong and 'The Magazine' at the Serpentine North Gallery, as well as the 'Walkable London' proposal for pedestrianized boulevards across the city, alongside significant monographic exhibitions on ZHA's works at the Guggenheim, NYC, and MAM Shanghai, and notable products within the Zaha Hadid Design Collection. Her latest completed project as Project Director is 'The Kensington', a first-ever sculptural billboard situated within the Royal Borough of Kensington, Chelsea which enhances the public realm.
