I graduated from the AAST - Arab Academy for Science and Technology - architecture department in 2008. I worked in a design studio - ABIAT - right after graduation, then worked for RMC, a much larger multidisciplinary…
01Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
I graduated from the AAST - Arab Academy for Science and Technology - architecture department in 2008.
I worked in a design studio - ABIAT - right after graduation, then worked for RMC, a much larger multidisciplinary architecture firm. I gained much experience and exposure while working for these two incredible firms.
I then started my studio RAW - Rawasem Architecture Workshop - in 2015. And now we're an architectural firm of 25 architects and engineers.
02What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
I believe architecture is the art of creating shelters for human beings, and I have always wanted to do something good for humanity.
03Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
I chose to be a designer.
04What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
I design residential, administration, spiritual and so many types of buildings.
I would love to design more private residences.
05What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
Passion, passion, and passion!
Also loving nature as much as getting inspired by it.
06What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
Originality.
And I believe originality comes from the surrounding nature, background, and culture.
07What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
A good story, and the creativity of solving all aspects of the story.
08What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
Imagine a universe that is poorly designed! This is how essential investing in good design is!
09What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
Always turn to your roots, your surroundings, to nature.
Let those be the motive and inspiration.
10Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
Renzo Piano
Hassan Fathy
Norman Foster
David Chipperfield
11How do you define design, what is design for you?
Design is solving several problems each creatively.
បទសម្ភាសន៍អ្នករចនា
19 សំណួរ
I'm an architecture school graduate, I graduated from the RIBA accredited Arab Academy for science and technology university.
01Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
I'm an architecture school graduate, I graduated from the RIBA accredited Arab Academy for science and technology university. I've always adored shapes and forming stuff with it as well as music and all that is related to art and building. I've always wanted to be involved in anything related to art and music. Collecting pieces together.
02Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
RAW -Rawasem Architecture Workshop- is an architecture design workshop founded by myself in 2015. It was created initially -and still- to experiment with different design methods according to every single project where every project designed by RAW is as unique as its case. RAW believes that every project has a key to approach.
03What is "design" for you?
Design is simply a group of problems that need to be solved respectively in an innovative way.
04What kinds of works do you like designing most?
I believe private residences are my personal favorite projects as it directly touches and affects people's lives hopefully in a good way.
05What was the first thing you designed for a company?
An apartment building.
06What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
I like using as natural materials as I could, like stone and wood.
07When do you feel the most creative?
When surrounded by nature.
08Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
The cultural aspect.
09What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
Hyped, and sometimes anxious.
10What makes a design successful?
When its existence has a better impact than before.
11When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
Functional, cultural, and aesthetic aspects.
12From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
It's a huge responsibility. An architect shapes the environment where people live in or around.
13How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
I think the design field is responding very well to the changes that are taking place, whether politically, environmentally or economically. The future of design is leaning more on technology and VR.
14Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
I'm mostly inspired by nature. It's the mother of all inspirations, and this answers the second question
15How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
Form follows function, form follows the concept. This approach is what makes a good design, to stick to your idea, and your purpose of design all the way to the final product.
16Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
I live in Egypt. My country's rich history through all the eras definitely affected my way of thinking regarding the design process and how I see things in general. The significant concepts and advanced technology in the pharaonic period and the efficiency of design in Islamic architecture, as well as the Coptic architecture, is what shaped my design mentality.
The pros of design in Egypt are the heritage and the moderate weather, but the cons are mainly the bureaucracy and the lack of awareness of arts in general.
17Can you talk a little about your design process?
My designs basically start with good listening skills, a fair amount of research, identifying the challenges, and working on each collectively and separately.
There has to be an idea to follow through all the stages of design. An idea that responds directly to the brief and the challenges created by the nature of the project and it's context.
18Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
As a team of course. I believe there isn't such thing called a solo architect. It's always a group of talented architects.
A' Design Award គឺជាពានរង្វាន់រចនាល្អអន្តរជាតិដែលវាយតម្លៃដោយគណៈកម្មការ។ ចូលរួមក្នុង A' Design Award ដើម្បីទទួលបានឱកាសក្នុងការទទួលស្គាល់ដោយគុណសម្បត្តិ ទទួលបានកិត្តិនាម កិត្តិយស និងការផ្សព្វផ្សាយសម្រាប់ការងាររបស់អ្នក។ ដាក់ស្នាដៃរបស់អ្នកសម្រាប់ A' Design Award ហើយប្រកួតប្រជែងដើម្បីឈ្នះ A' Design Prize ដ៏គោរពរាប់អាន។