Interviews with Tarek Ibrahim

The History of the existing building, its approach and the surrounding pushed me to design a bold yet sensitive design, I want my design to respect the old building and for future generations not to be honest to the design language that each building was built in.

My main focus was to propose a new school for extensions in our society. Taking into consideration the beauty and the characteristics of the old buildings, yet to identify the old from the new, and I think I was able to achieve a modern extension holding the genes of its ancestors.

In My own opinion every person from his own career has to make the quality of living for human being a better place, this reputable prestigious Award is very important to prove that you are doing so. After this Award I will just keep exploring and experimenting in Architecture to make spaces and stories in architecture that will make a higher standard for living and leave history for our coming generations as what our ancestors did..

After knowing the owners way of life and their thoughts, and after visiting the site the factors and concept the concept was almost there. So it was like a Matter of Month of understanding the clients and the plot.

Yes it was commissioned, and I saw a great opportunity to apply my concept of extensions.

Every designer has a particular story with his history and to become part of the history is the greatest achievement a men can do. So what about adding value to history or a story it is a dream coming true.

yes, The Spanish school of though in Architecture and dealing with heritage is my influence.

It is Bold yet Sensitive

I came out with name of the villa from the Intention I wanted to appeal in the design.

The most Unique aspect of the design is the power of boldness in design yet sensitivity in the approach to the past, and how can a building hold its heritage identity hidden in an international language.

The question of engineering and weather the old building consisting of stone will hold the weight of concrete above it during the process of building.

I thought that the outcome deserves to be evaluated on an international level.

I have studied In mount Lebanon Village Called Baakleen, in its one of the oldest schools in Mount Lebanon, where I was able to evolve my hobbies from sports to acting on stage. As well as to develop the ability to observe ,analyze and interpret. I was able to use these three steps as a system to develop a space and come up with an out of the box concepts.

Creating a new space, and seeing it evolving from a simple idea into a real space is what makes me motivated. My motivation comes from the satisfaction and happiness of my clients after the project finishes and they get a new, different and unique experience in design.

At university I started industrial engineering major, after a full year I decided to shift to architecture after discovering the beauty of creativity in creating spaces.

I mainly design Villas, and I have always loved creating Villas in-addition to complicated projects that are full of factors and designers can find them very challenging. I would also like to design spaces that tells the story of the society and evolves with society's developments and needs.

The most important thing is to be passionate about design. By being passionate they can become original, by becoming original they will be a copy of themselves where they can express their ideas by their own methodology and way.

The capability of transmitting the clients and social needs into a space holding his own theory, what makes him even greater is when he/she is capable to apply his/her theory through concepts without repeating him/herself , with his own language and methodology.

The design is good is when it answers the needs and give a better quality of living. The design is really good when it has a concept and everything in the design is related to the concept, i.e. when the design tells a story and have an exceptional experience.

Good design means, higher standard in living, advanced life quality, higher productivity, healthier environment, and different experience. if your building a house you want healthier and higher standard of living, if your building commercial or offices building you need efficient environment and higher productivity and space that increase the quality of working for the workers to give you better productivity. These are some examples why everyone should invest in good design.

I would like to design factories, and the reason behind that is to be capable to rise the quality of work and too prove that increasing the quality of living and to be more efficient is not related to the amount of money spent on the building. If I would have time I would like to study and design the old center of my own town Baakleen, for the reason that I see lots of potentials that people are not investing neither in design or spaces or public squares, as well as how to insert the international language, needs and businesses in an old center that is more than 400 years old.

My dream project is every project I design, to be able to deliver a space that will interact with the users for a life time. But I always question my self How I would realize a hospitable and how to create space that will relief the patients from their pain, and rise their spirits?

Well the is secret is a secret but I will tell you the main ingredients, architecture is not makeup and looks, while creating architecture your creating a space that can be a life changing for human kind. The space that you create is a story that will represent the owners/community life with your own language.

Well there are so many legends and masters in design that I always keep up my eyes on, and I wish to be like them one day. But I will make the long story short I like the sensitivity of the Spanish, Portuguese schools blended with the approach of the Dutch school.

I really appreciate the bold yet sensitive designs. I like when the project represent a new story to live or experience. I like thermal baths by Peter Zumthor, I like the theory of Rem koolhass and how he approaches his designs, I like Alberto Campo Baeza works the surprises you get when approaching his buildings example Granada bank. Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura projects are another example of what architecture means to me.

For me every design is as one of my babies, all are great, but I believe the greatest is yet to come. What makes the design great is the story hidden in its space.