Women in Focus: Lenka Petráková

After an inspiring evening with world-renowned Czech-born architect Eva Jiřičná in September 2023, we are delighted to welcome Lenka Petráková, Associate at Zaha Hadid Architects. Throughout her career, Lenka has explored architecture through engineering, design, and legal frameworks, shaping her holistic approach to the built environment. She condensed 20 years of study into just 13, balancing full-time work and education. This dual perspective has enabled groundbreaking academic projects and informed her professional practice, particularly in leading projects atZaha Hadid Architects. A key milestone was The 8th ContinentⓇ – Ocean Cleaning and Research Station, which reinforced her commitment to sustainable architecture. Her research focuses on evolving design strategies for sustainability, explored in her PhD, and decarbonising construction through legal and procurement strategies at King’s College London. She will discuss the challenges of pushing beyond societal limits on ambition, the importance of a strong support network, and the drive that fuels her continuous pursuit of knowledge and innovation. Lenka will be in conversation with Marko Margeta, an Associate at Bjarke Ingels Group in London, with over 20 years of experience in the AEC and CGI industries, including 11 years specialising in computational design.