Architecture isn’t merely about thinking about structures. It expresses philosophies and later on stands witness to time. There are many famous architects the world over, but let's see some of the Arab architects who contributed, or are still contributing to shaping lives through buildings not only in their homelands but around the world.

Hisham N. Ashkouri

Hisham N. Ashkouri was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. He took his first steps in architecture back in his hometown where he earned a Bachelors of Architecture from the University of Baghdad in 1970. His academic journey didn't stop here though. He moved to the USA where he got his Masters of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973, followed by Masters in Urban Design from Harvard and MIT in 1975. He then got his a PhD in Ergonomics from Tuffs University in 1983.

Now based in Boston and New York, Ashkouri’s noteworthy work can be seen in some of the state’s public facilities as well as private projects. Among his most distinguished projects is the Cold Spring Green in Newton, MA, which consists of four eco-friendly units in two townhouses. He also established the standard specifications for branches of the U.S. Post Office, and contributed to the Pediatrics floors of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Suad Amiry

Palestinian Suad Amiry was born in Damascus and raised as a refugee in Jordan. She grew up between Amman, Damascus, Beirut and Cairo. It wasn’t until 1981 that she got a one month permit to visit Palestine and that’s when she met academic and political activist Salim Tamari, got married and settled down in Ramallah.

Amiry’s architecture journey was a rather unusual one with several twists and turns which started off with graduating from the American University in Beirut (AUB). Afterwards, she briefly taught architecture at Jordan University and then pursued her Masters in Urban Planning at Ann Arbor, University of Michigan. And yet, it wasn't until she went on a two-week journey through Italy that she really started thinking about key issues: “How is it that the Italians protect their cultural heritage, and how is it that we, in the Middle East, keep destroying it? How could they keep all those layers together?"

At that point, she went to Palestine to start her PhD research on village architecture on space, kinship and gender. The more she learned about Palestinian architecture, the more she grew certain of how sad it is for all of it to be torn down and forgotten through history. It was then that she established Riwaq in 1991 to document and understand “what it is we have in Palestine.”

Hani Rashid

Another iconic Arab architect whose contributions are worth shedding light on is Hani Rashid. Born in Cairo, Egypt, Rashid took his first steps in the architecture arena in Canada where he got his Bachelors degree in Architecture from Carleton University in 1983. Soon afterwards in 1985, he earned his Masters of Architecture from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA.

Four years later, Rashid co-founded the New York based firm, Asymptote with Lise Anne Couture. As a cornerstone in the firm, his work never failed to attract attention plus substantial awe. Among his most noted projects is the Yas Viceroy Hotel in Abu Dhabi (2010) which was awarded the Middle East Architect Awards for the Hospitality Project of the Year in 2011, the Travel + Leisure Design Awards for the Best Large Hotel in 2010, and Le Grand Prix de l’Architecture in 2010. Other key projects are ARC Multimedia Theater in Daegu South Korea (2013), the HydraPier Cultural Pavilion in the Netherlands (2004), and 166 Perry Condominiums (2008). Rashid plays an active role in education through his personal studio  in Austria and as a visiting professor at several universities across Europe and USA.

Zaha Hadid

Another example of an inspiring successful story is Zaha Hadid . Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Hadid is now based in London, UK where she works on projects that never cease to take spectators’ breath away. From 1982 till 2013, Hadid was awarded no less than 22 awards, topped by her the highly respected Pritzker Architecture Prize (which is equivalent to the Nobel Prize in architecture) in 2004, making her the first woman to ever receive the prize.

Her iconic projects include the MAXXI, the national museum of the 21 st century in Rome, Italy. The project earned Hadid the Stirling Prize (2010) and the RIBA European Award (2010). Another pivotal project is the BMW Central Building in Leipzig, Germany, which saw Hadid  awarded the German Architecture Prize (2005) as well as the RIBA European Award in the same year. Hadid also spreads her knowledge as a Guest Professor at HFB Hamburg, Ohio State University, Columbia University, Yale School of Architecture and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. She was also a Kenzo Tange Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Sullivan Chair at the University of Illinois School of Architecture in Chicago.

Amale Andraos

From Beirut, Lebanon to New York, USA, and after a rich academic journey, Amale Andraos  recently became the Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture at Columbia University.

Before becoming the Dean, Andraos was an Associate Professor at the same school. Prior to that, her academic track left a mark at the Princeton University School of Architecture, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the University of Pennsylvania Design School and the American University of Beirut.

In addition to her amazing academic prowess, Andraos created her fair share of architectural gems as well, most notably the Edible Schoolyards at P.S. 216 in Brooklyn and P.S. 7 in Harlem, The Children’s Museum of the Arts in Manhattan and the Conference Center of Gabon.