Vanessa Garma Perez
“As an agricultural engineer specialising in landscaping, my career has been guided by three pillars: protection of nature, respect of heritage and social cohesion. My final-year project bore on restoration of one of the oldest gardens on the island of Tenerife to its natural, historical state. After that, I ran an organic market-gardening farm using conservation agriculture, and then worked as a garden designer and trainer in organic farming, including with the WWOOF movement. Today, as director of the ESAT Pierre-Borel (Supported Employment Facility), I assist disabled people through the differentiated management of green spaces and creation of biodiversity-friendly gardens. At the same time, I'm piloting a project on conservation and management of a listed woodland, with the aim of restoring soil health and enriching biodiversity, while experimenting with innovative techniques. My pathway is nourished by a growing sensitivity to the art and poetry of living things, which I strive to convey in each of my creations.”
Cyril Guillemain is a landscape gardener, biologist by training and ecosystem engineer. He has built a career at the crossroads of life sciences, engineering and economics. He is a graduate of the Universities of Tours, Toulouse and Metz, as well as the National Graduate School of Chemistry and Physics of Bordeaux (ENSCPB), Centrale Paris and the Graduate School of Economic and Commercial Sciences (ESSEC). In 2018, after several years devoted to the study of the electricity industry’s environmental impact, he founded Petite Nature in Paris, a company devoted to the layout and ecological maintenance of urban landscaped areas. Today, he assists Parisian companies in the management and development of their natural spaces, with preservation and reinforcement of biodiversity in urban environments as a priority. Socially and environmentally committed, he is also a board member of an association for integration of the long-term unemployed, and works actively to promote a local, circular economy.
Sara Estarriol Sander Jackson
“For me, design is above all a way of understanding the world and acting on it. Beyond its commercial aspect, I believe deeply in its ability to create meaning, connect people and provide sensitive answers to contemporary issues. So, I see myself as a designer in the broadest sense: someone who observes, analyses and envisages solutions that deliver value. At 24, my career is still in its early days, but is strongly inspired by my family heritage. My grandparents were involved in social and environmental projects and several generations of women artists have nurtured my aesthetic sensibility. My grandfather, who was a garden designer, also passed on to me a vision of green spaces as places of wellbeing and connection. This approach is reflected in my work, in particular in my final Master's project, which was devoted to adapting the 'city farm' concept to other countries with a view to recreating the bond between inhabitants and nature. The project received an honourable mention at the Pelikanor awards. I’m currently working at a firm on projects recognised by DI-CA and the CLAP Awards, with the desire to put design at the service of a more human, collaborative future that respects our environment”
Carlos Gil Perez is a civil engineer. His career has focused on the design and construction of water management facilities, including watercourse protection, urban development and sewerage systems, notably in the Canary Islands, a region particularly exposed to water-related issues. Graduating in 2008, his final-year project involved creation of a hydraulic structure designed to reduce water velocity. Since then, he has worked on numerous public engineering projects, carrying out calculations and dimensioning of structures, mainly in concrete and steel. These experiences have increased his interest in environmental site management. Hence, he has also carried out environmental supervision missions, applying European regulations in order to limit works’ impact on the natural environment. In the same vein, he joined an international project making sustainability and integration of plant life central to urban planning. A lifelong nature and hiking enthusiast, he is particularly sensitive to the role of vegetation in quality of life and balance of cities.
