ABOUT US
Cross Works (XW) is built on the foundation of experience gained across decades of work in practice from it's MD and it's valued collaborators.
Our collective is made up of professionals and unique specialists who have come together to provide efficient, client-focussed solutions to real world problems.
HAKAN AGCA
FOUNDER / MANAGING DIRECTOR
Hakan is a chartered architect (RIBA) and an expert city planner / urban designer, who has spent nearly 20 years in practice. Prior to founding Cross Works, Hakan reached senior management levels and led global sectors in large multi-national design firms, and became a specialist in the design and leadership of highly complex large-scale projects and giga-projects around the world.
With this broad remit of experience, Hakan founded Cross Works with the objective to be more agile and responsive to client needs; to be able to select and curate the best-in-class collaborators with whom to create project specific teams & collectives; and to be able to choose the projects that will have genuine positive impact in the future. His design projects throughout his career have had a broad geographical remit spanning the UK, Europe, MENA, South and Central Asia and beyond, with clients in both the public and private sectors. In terms of scale, his projects have ranged from detailed architectural interventions and building projects, through to super-scale city and regional masterplans.
At the larger scale, Hakan has led multi-disciplinary design teams on projects as diverse as the Commercial Strategy for the Heathrow Airport Expansion through to new city masterplans in the municipalities of Istanbul (Turkey), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Cairo (Egypt), AlUla (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and within various other giga-projects across the Middle-East and Central Asia. He has had the fortune of working for a number of Heads of State on projects of national significance and leading large design consortia, but equally enjoys working at the small to mid-scale on architectural schemes and detailed urban design proposals. Such projects have been diverse and far-reaching, including schematic design stages on mixed-use commercial buildings in Delhi, high-end residences in Shanghai; innovation hubs in Riyadh; through to airport terminals in NEOM, and many more.
Prior to founding Cross Works, Hakan had already built, trained and led design teams at firms including Benoy, Gillespies and HOK; from winning and executing projects to establishing company / sector IP and branding. At Benoy for example, he formed a new sector for Masterplanning & Urban Design (and a new R&D sub-sector called Urban Analytics), and actively broke new ground for the firm in terms of project scope and location, as well as increasing company capabilities. It is this culture that runs through Cross Works; one of curiosity, innovation and reaching for the highest of standards, whilst providing true value and creativity to Clients and their assets.
Hakan is the primary point of contact at Cross Works and spearheads the business and indeed the design and technology teams, alongside his senior staff.
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JIAYING YANG
SENIOR URBAN DESIGNER
Jiaying is a highly talented Senior Urban Designer at Cross Works, with a specialism in large-scale city design and mixed-use development schemes. She is academically trained as an urban designer; and has spent close to a decade developing her design skills with advanced software capabilities.
She is experienced in managing multiple masterplan & design projects at once; and has the ability to get under the skin of a project brief and its objectives. She reads a site with rigour to optimise the design proposals, utilising her knowledge, experience and advanced computational skills. In her previous role as a senior urban designer at Benoy, she led the team to deliver high-profile projects for prestigious clients across the globe.
Jiaying is also an expert in utilising generative / procedural masterplanning tools, which enables the team to generate multiple options for large sites and city-scale projects. She is an excellent mentor, an advocate of sustainable design, and is also LEED qualified. Jiaying has worked on projects across the global, from the Middle East, Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, and the far east.
DOMINIC BOWYER
GIS SPECIALIST
Dom is the Cross Works' GIS Lead, with a wide range of technical skills in geographic information systems and coding / programming all of which make him ideally equipped in providing Urban Analytics on any project, to which the design team can respond. Dom has worked across a variety of scales and contexts at Cross Works, providing both the analytical foundation to large-scale masterplans in particular, as well as providing recommendations as to the optimisation of design proposals, and the creation of digital twins.
Since graduating from Lancaster University with a degree in Economics and Geography, Dominic has established a deep knowledge of GIS and spatial econometrics. His skills and knowledge are instrumental to Cross Works masterplanning work, and in the digital output of the firms work.
He believes that the integration of Computer-Aided Design with GIS technology to process spatial data represents a necessary unity between art and functionality, paving the way for designers to undertake ambitious projects that can fully deliver their creative visions.
NAUZET LOPEZ
SENIOR ARCHITECT / COMPUTATIONAL DESIGNER
Nauzet has worked on a number of international projects across a variety of scales and disciplines, from masterplanning through to construction detailing, and is inspired by projects that create unique and compelling narratives. He specializes in computational design and data-driven approaches, which he uses to design socially and environmentally sustainable buildings and masterplans, especially in historical contexts. He utilizes technology on a daily basis to both analyse and optimise the firm's design proposals.
He has excellent team working, leadership and management skills, owing to leading teams in his current role at XW and in his previous roles, at Foster + Partners, and Grimshaw prior to that. He is confident in coordinating the inputs of consultants and understanding client feedback in the delivery of successful projects. He is enthusiastic about research, policies, and public engagement, and believes that effective communication is the key to building successful partnerships with clients, stakeholders, and team members. He is committed to pushing the boundaries of design, using his expertise in creating innovative and impactful solutions that improve the lives of their users and inhabitants.
PAULA SAAVEDRA ROSAS
SENIOR URBAN DESIGNER & ARCHITECT
Paula is an ARB qualified architect, and also Cross Works' Senior Urban Designer with a passion for large-scale buildings, urban quarters and cities. Paula has been leading teams at Cross Works on projects across the middle east, Africa and central Asia for the last 2 years.
Her background stems from a Master’s degree in Architecture and Building Engineering, followed by a work experience in architecture and urbanism, collaborating with Steven Chilton Architects & MIRO Architetti on international projects of a variety of scales. Ranging from interior design to façade design, and urban planning research (working with the “Planning & Regeneration” team of the Department of Architecture at the University of Bologna in Italy), she is truly cross-disciplinary.
During her experience in Bologna she was part of the management group of a cross-regional European project focused on boosting low-carbon multi-modal mobility for more sustainable cities. Paula has also worked on the creation of territorial cognitive frameworks for two Italian Municipalities, which was the basis for the development of their new Urban Plans.
XINGYE FAN
ARCHITECTURAL / URBAN DESIGNER
Xingye is an exceptional and highly efficient designer, who attained his degree from the University of Westminster and his Master’s in Architecture from Kingston University. He has worked in both China and the UK, which has provided him with an excellent foundation and diverse set of skills to develop his architectural career; equipped with a unique combination of artistic talent and technical expertise. At Cross Works he has worked on projects in 3 continents, and 5 countries.
Having studied in the UK for an extended period of time, Xingye has gained a good understanding of both Western and Eastern culture and their respective built environment contexts. His project experience in China has given him a particular interest in community-focussed and residential spaces within cities, whilst his architectural design experience across Eurasia has allowed him to explore various concepts behind the aesthetics of form and materiality.
Xingye believes that delicate design enriches the environment and should be accessible and beneficial to all. He is passionate about the craft of building and seeks to find beauty within the detail of architecture.
YOYO ZHANG
SENIOR URBAN DESIGNER
Shuyou is a highly experienced Senior Urban Designer, who enjoys the creative process in carefully designing vibrant and mixed-use urban districts, creating spaces for people to work, live and play.
She is a highly adaptable and diligent designer with a Masters in Architecture and a PhD in Architecture and Urbanism from Sheffield University.
Prior to joining Cross Works, she worked as a Senior Urban Designer at Gillespies, BIG, Benoy and BDP, so has extensive experience working on globally recognised large scale projects, for prestigious clients in the UK, China, Egypt and elsewhere.
Shuyou is a truly cross-disciplinary designer, utilising her architectural expertise and knowledge on masterplans and city-wide / regional planning schemes. She is an exceptional team leader and mentor and is a highly creative problem solver.
YASH BEDSE
SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Yash is a highly skilled full stack engineer with a passion for creating scalable web and mobile applications. With an MSc in Advanced Computer Sciences (with Merit) from Oxford Brookes University, and a BA in Computer Engineering from SPPU, India, Yash is a highly competent developer. His dissertation was on Big Data Analysis for network traffic categorization and slicing, which gave him a passion for cities and urban human movement.
Holding extensive experience working with React, JavaScript / TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Node.js, PHP, HTML and CSS he thrives when he has the opportunity to apply his skills and knowledge on new challenges that require innovation, and 'never-been-done-before' approaches, to build cutting-edge solutions from the ground up.
Yash has a strong understanding of software development principles and practices, and is capable of deliver high-quality code and robust solutions. A proactive and diligent problem-solver, he is an active innovator in the office; and has a great ability to analyze and resolve complex technical challenges.
CRISTIAN TOC
MOTION GRAPHIC DESIGNER / UI UX
Cristian is the firm's Graphic Designer, and oversees the social media output, and general outward communications of the business. He is also adept at using GIS, to assist on our large-scale work, and is prolific in his video / motion graphics production to get across the key messages and driving concepts of a project in minimal time. A seasoned professional in the digital media industry with expertise in overseeing and managing various digital media projects, he has been charged with ensuring the successful production of a broad range of digital assets, including websites, social media campaigns, and filming productions.
Cristian expertise in video production have gone as far as the planning, filming, and editing of videos for a diverse range of projects, with clients including the Australian Government, and business in the cybersecurity and food / confectionery industry amongst others. He is meticulous in his work and takes pride in ensuring the success of each project he is involved in, from start to finish.
BINGHUA LI
ARCHITECTURAL / URBAN DESIGNER
Binghua is an urban designer at Cross Works, who graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. During her undergraduate studies and work, she was involved in some urban design projects and became interested in the subject. She then pursued a Master's degree in Architecture and Urbanism at the Manchester School of Architecture.
During her studies at MSA, she delved into urbanism topics such as smart cities, urban heritage, sustainable development, and the impact of culture and economy on urban development. She believes that urban design needs to take into account population, environment and climate factors while preserving the original ‘characteristics’ of the city, such as culture and heritage, in order to enhance the comfort and spiritual enrichment of residents. She is passionate about architecture and urban design, focusing on the process of collecting and analysing data and information about the site and its surroundings, and specializing in flow, function and concept design.
LIRON TOLEDO
SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Liron is a talented software engineer and meta-verse enthusiast. He has been fascinated by software development since an early age, and is a key part of Cross Works technology-focussed projects. He graduated with a computer science degree from the leading university in Africa; the University of Cape Town. During his time there he developed numerous programming and technical skills, including but not limited to, Java, Python, C++, Unity, etc. Prior to joining Cross Works, Liron worked as a 3D web developer, specifically working on virtual events software, which ran inside web browsers. Through this project, he further honed his front-end and 3D development skills using languages and frameworks such as React, JavaScript and Three.js.
He believes that there are plenty of opportunities to use technology to aid the design and construction phases of development projects. He works alongside our cities and GIS experts to develop tools and digital prototypes, which are utilised in our day-to-day workflows, and is instrumental in Cross Works' software development efforts.
MICHELLE YANG
URBAN DESIGNER
Michelle Yang is a licensed architect from Taiwan with years of experience in parametric architecture, interior design, and master planning. Currently based in London, Michelle is ambitious to contribute her skills and expertise in the UK. Michelle is passionate about designing and showing excellent results in each project, especially valuing people's feelings about space, designing each space from a human's perspective, manipulating people's movement and perception in the space.
Prior to joining XW, Michelle worked at AECOM and other firms including GUALLART, DNA, JJPand WHOLE Architects. During this period, she had the opportunity to work on diverse architectural designs and masterplan proposals in Spain, China, Singapore, and Taiwan. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) and she's fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. As a registered architect, she actively contributed to projects, including LEED Green building certification, landscape design awards, and urban design reviews.
