Design philosophy

We believe in applying a stringent design process to develop architecture of integrity, based on the Brutalist idiom of ‘ethics not aesthetics’.

Established in 1997, the practice seeks a unique architectural solution for each and every project, void of any stylistic or branding preoccupation, and that aspires to the continuously fresh and relevant ‘l’esprit nouveau’ of the Modern Movement.

Culture

Based out of Beirut, we constantly find ourselves influenced by our unique context and location between the East and West. With a team of about ten dedicated professionals, we aim to produce original, inspiring, and finely crafted products for each of our projects.

The Practice works extensively with other professionals within the construction industry fostering a collaborative environment of intellectual discourse best serving our projects and clientele.

People

Fouad Samara

Principal

B.Sc. (Hons), B.Arch (Hons), ARB

Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), UK

Member of the Order of Engineers &

Architects (OEA), Beirut

Fouad Samara graduated from the University of Bath in 1995, winning in 1993 the architecture department’s principal academic award, the Sir Basil Spence Prize for his Degree Project.

In 1994, Fouad presented a paper, Toujour Vers Une Architecture, on Alison and Peter Smithson’s work at the A+PS Symposium; and went on to co-author Modernism Without Rhetoric, published by Academy Editions in 1997, which was the first book to include a collection of critical writings on the work of the influential duo.

Having worked in Montreal and London, he established Fouad Samara Architects in 1997 with the aim of contributing to the cultural renaissance the city of Beirut was witnessing after the end of the civil war.

Lara Alam

Associate

Masters in Interior Architecture (M.Arch)

Having completed her Masters degree in interior architecture from the Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA) in 2003, Lara Alam worked independently on several projects in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia before joining Fouad Samara Architects in 2006 where she has been instrumental in the development and success of the practice, becoming an associate in 2011.

Lara has worked on a variety of projects, that include commercial, residential, and institutional, always achieving a combined level of sophistication and simplicity in her work.In addition to her leading and mentoring on design and production within Fouad Samara Architects, Lara is key in the management of the practice and the successful delivery of the work.

Jad Abi Fadel

Associate

B.Arch, Masters in Urban Planning

Jad Abi Fadel graduated from the Lebanese School of Architecture in 2004, and in 2008 got a Master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the Institute of Urban Planning of the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts IUA, in collaboration with the French Institute of Urban Planning - Paris VIII. In 2005, he was awarded the first prize at the urban planning competition “Les Ateliers” - the international workshop of planning and urban design – held in France, under the theme: Development and Identity of a Metropolitan Territory with High Scientific Competitiveness.

Jad joined Fouad Samara Architects in 2009, becoming an associate in 2011, and has been instrumental in the design of projects that have embodied the practice’s core values.