Gesine Thomson – Keynote Speaker

Gesine Thomson is an internationally recognised Architect, Creative Planner and Life Adventurer specializing in the Creative Process and Sustainable Commercial Growth.

She focuses on the Human Element of Design and is known for her deep respect of local cultures. She integrates her projects seamlessly into the surrounding social fabric. Gesine creates large-scale communities and iconic structures, working across cultures in demanding circumstances.

She has worked on projects as varied as Buddhist monasteries, global seed banks, sky-scrapers and city designs; in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Korea, China, Japan and India as well as in war-zones and conflict areas. Gesine has been a champion sailor and captain of several transatlantic racing teams.

Her recent body of work was showcased in “Architecture for Life – the Sixth Sense”, an exhibition about Gesine’s innovative process and creative ideas, at the Newington Cropsey Foundation in New York.

Gesine lectures extensively around the world on communities, life motivation and the creative process.

At the heart of all of Gesine’s architectural and community planning projects is a deep appreciation for the roots of each individual culture and community. Her work reaches into the heritage of each local region to uncover its origins and awaken a sense of belonging and purpose. This enables a harmonious existence for people within the social and natural environment.

“I strive in all my designs to reach people – to speak to people. I believe in this century architecture has a higher calling – finding a way to balance the demands of population growth, reclaiming and nurturing nature, as well as efficiently addressing the economic realities of each project.”

“I integrate wisdom of the past with cutting edge technology – but most of all I use common sense. The base of all my work is love of nature and people.”

Gesine sits on the board of Enactus, a 70,000 strong student entrepreneur organization that empowers young leaders acting for social innovation. She is a member of the First Nations Wisdom Council in the United States and has taught the European Masterclass on Sustainable Community Design, taking 20 of the most talented students from the European Union and teaching them new ways of seeing, and bold design principles.

One of Gesine’s signature projects, Saddlehorn was voted “One of the 10 Best New Projects in America” by Fairway Living magazine and was selected as the top planned sustainable community in America by the President of the World Green Building Council (WGBC). Its schoolhouse and marina were the first buildings in the western United States to receive LEED Platinum certification for sustainability.

Gesine is the architect and founder of the World Consciousness Center.