Interview with Ibrahim Mohamed Jaidah

I have always been a curious individual, wanting to know how things work and how they are made. My childhood curiosity and keen interest in arts were the main reason I decided to pursue design education and profession.

The decision of becoming an architect was solely my choice.

We design many things; residential, urban planning; hospitality; retail…etc. We do a lot of cooperate buildings and hospitality. We would like to be designing more hotels.

They should work hard, be loyal to what they do and have a vision of what they want to accomplish.

A good designer is one who succeeds in producing few good examples; while a great designer creates an impact even beyond their living time.

A good design blends into its environment and reflects its purpose.

As an investment, a good design is functional and aesthetically appealing that is what makes it hold on to its value throughout the years.

I would design an ecofriendly touristic project in the desert.

A house for myself in the desert oasis.

The design has to go beyond the aesthetics. It should be properly engineered and properly built.

The traditional masons who built our older buildings; from the west, Philip Jonson and Michael Graves.

I am fascinated by older religious buildings; mosques and churches like the Duomo. I like about them how creative these people were to build things in big scale that impacts the visitor regardless of their belief.

My favorite is Al Shaqab. I think what makes special is its scale and proportion and the impact it had on that style of architecture in our country (as it was printed on the 100 Qatari Riyal bill).

You have to listen to other people’s opinion and learn from others. Widen your vision and do not become arrogant.

I would have been a photographer for National Geographic traveling the jungles and the deserts.

Design is to create an object that serves a function that will sometimes go beyond obvious use.

My mother was my greatest support.

I wouldn’t claim that I am a great designer. I would like history judge that. But what helped me to become a successful designer is my great team and wonderful clients who trusted me with their buildings.

The greatest challenge is to find the opportunity.

You should always show your passion towards it.

An important stadium that would reflect the local identity in a contemporary way.

To make an impact for the generation to come.

They expect me to impress and exceed their expectations.

A design should never ignore the culture and the behavior of the people. By respecting that, you achieve the hidden purpose of a building. You give people a sense of belonging.

An important stadium for Fifa World Cup 2022, that would reflect the local identity in a contemporary way.

The themed hospitality projects because it allows you the chance to understand and reflect a culture.

I would like to see more response to the people and their environment and the culture and less imposed structures.

I see it going towards more eco-friendly and sustainability oriented structures; or at least I hope so.

It depends on its complexity.

The first step would be brainstorming session with my team.

It is important to keep in mind that your designs affect others and their lives.

This is the difference between lead designers and those who follow. The designs of the leading designers set the trends, of course.

We live in the 21st century; the design software programs are the backbone of the work of any company.

In architecture we rely a lot on computer generated images to convey our ides, so photoshop and 5Dmax are important. In order to realize our ideas we rely on Revit and BIM.

Colors, materials and ambient reflect moods; therefore, they are extremely important in building establishing the feeling you want the people to get inside the building.

I don’t think I want them to ask more than what they already ask which is: “what inspired you?”

I always think of the designer which produced it and how creative he is.

I very much believe in it. I have wonderful architects working with me. I was also honored to work with internationally recognized architects and companies like Arata Isozaki.

Few of my clients have influenced my perception and design.

I, generally, feel that it’s good to be inspired by a diverse source like architectural magazines more than books that are unifocal.

Through practice.

I believe Leonardo Da Vinci.

It’s humbling. These awards make want to work harder. It makes you feel responsible towards the society.

My favorite color is blue; place is the sea in Marbella; season is the spring season, object is pens; and brand is Mont Blanc.

I could write a book about the funny encounters that happens with client, co-workers and on site.

A great day is a day when you get a new commission or win an award. I motivate myself with positive thinking.

I had the dream to do so; but I can’t really tell if it was obvious or not to others.

It will be an interesting era for design where you design building to be used in outer space.

Be inspired. You have to believe that you can get there.

AEB was established back in 1966 as the first architectural and engineering consultancy in Qatar. I have acquired it in 1991 and the strong team of 6 individuals; the team I took over as the new owner; has helped me expand the company in numbers and take it internationally. Now, we have over 600 employees in 6 countries across Asian continent.

For me, design is a creative act. In the field of architecture, I believe design is using creativity to create a structure that is functional within its environment.

I think what I enjoy the most are themed hospitality buildings.

This project is one of my most favorite and the closest to my heart. It also signifies a great transition in my career.

I started with apartment buildings.

I am fascinated by BIM (Building Integration Modeling) system that allows you to experience structure before even being built.

I feel most creative when I am sailing.

I focus on function and orientation.

I feel absolutely excited whenever we get a chance to do something new.

The best part of being creative is when you see your building being built. It’s your dreams becoming reality.

A design is successful when it excels at serving the purpose that it has been designed for.

My first concern would be the well-being of the inhabitants.

A designer should always help in protecting the environment; and exert every effort to avoid destroying it. A designer is the portal between people and their use of the environment. In his/her designs, they should show society how they could use the surrounding environment without causing harm.

I am hoping that it will continue to evolve towards more sustainable designs and less emissions. My hope is that we move forward towards a more holistic approach.

It was in Korea. I would like to hold the next exhibition when the right opportunity presents itself.

My greatest muse is usually the setting of the location and its surroundings.

My approach is a culturally sensitive one. I believe that designs should have an identity regardless of location or the people I am designing for.

I live in Doha. The cultural heritage of my country affects my designs immensely. I live with the impact of my buildings whether it is good or bad. I have to accept the opinions and the reactions of the people towards my ideas and my designs.

We work closely with companies from all over the world. And it is very exciting because you get to learn different approaches.

A good designer is not only creative, but also realistic in terms of function and budget.

I start with understanding the client requirements; then I look at the site and its strengths environmentally and functionally. Based on these, I start working on the design concept.

I have few paintings and sculptures.

I split my day between my responsibilities as the GCEO of the company and design. The greatest challenge is taking yourself away from the joy of design. It was generally challenging, but after many years of practice, it became part of the norms. Also, I like to take the opportunity to visit the construction sites as it is part of the joy of being an architect is to see these projects evolving. For the majority of my evening, I spend it with friends and family and occasionally enjoying listening to Jazz music.

I always recommend that they explore, read and use the internet to see what the architects and designers are doing around the world which should help them set up a dream of what they would like to do in the future. And what I would really like to tell them is that dreams do come to true. If you are sincere to your work and passionate towards it, you will get what you want.

It is a positive thing to be an architect and a designer. But you should be aware of mistakes when they are done. You should be able to handle these mistakes as we are all practicing and exploring possibilities. It is an extremely important journey because the solutions we give will affect people’s lives. Every new job is a new degree that you need to earn. It’s a challenge that is always fruitful.

Achieve the purpose of what you are designing.

Imagination

In this DNAge of technology we still try to find a balance and express ourselves through hand sketching , so we usually brainstorm and sketch by hand using old fashioned pen and paper. Only then do we turn to Photoshop and 3dMax to generate more realistic representations of our sketches.

I think the research and the mental process is the most difficult part. But in a fraction of a second you get inspired. You try to keep the balance between that mental process and the executing process.

It depends on the complexity of the building.

“What was your inspiration?”

I worked in the government for a short while; I was heading the architectural section. As someone who had only 2-3 years of experience, I felt very fortunate. Since then, I’ve continued to do the most important job I’ve ever had which is to develop a local firm into the biggest in the country.

We work with many different client in the private and public sector. We have produced from government buildings to hotels and shopping malls.

I enjoy working with themed hotels.

To expand in putting back the vernacular language into the architecture of this region.

It’s team work; I was fortunate over the years for having several teams working under my supervision and we get to develop simultaneously different projects.

There is a new resort that we are developing in the Sultanate of Oman which is very Eco and minimalist.

Through my email, website… etc.