Architectural Navigation in Political Landscapes

ARCHIDES Public Lecture Series

Online Lecture by Makram El Kadi

Tuesday, December 22, 5:00 pm – Beirut Time

Stream on Microsoft Teams Live

Abstract

L.E.FT partner Makram el Kadi will discuss the firm’s work and research pertaining to the architectural navigation of political and religious identities in Lebanon and the Middle East at large, starting from their early work in geo-political speculation to more current built and under-construction work.

Biography

Born in Beirut in 1974, Makram el Kadi received his Bachelor of Architecture (B-Arch) degree from the American University of Beirut in 1997 and his Masters of Architecture (M-Arch) from Parsons School of Design in 1999.

After working at the offices of Fumihiko Maki in Japan, he joined Steven Holl Architects where for 5 years he was project architect on numerous international projects, among them the World Trade Center proposal with Richard Meier, Peter Eisenman and Charles Gwathmey, and the winning entry to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County competition, as well as the Beirut Marina, and the award winning Amir Shakib Arslan Mosque in Moukhtara.

Mr. el Kadi taught architecture studios at the Columbia University School of Architecture Planning and Preservation GSAPP (2004-2005, 2014-2016), Cornell University (2006), MIT (2012) and Yale University (2007-2011) where he was the Louis Kahn Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture.

Mr. el Kadi has lectured extensively in major schools, institutions and museums, including the Guggenheim Museum in 2010, part of the 24-Hour Event on the Concept of Time, Yale, GSAPP and Harvard University.

Mr. el Kadi is recipient of the 2002 Young Architects Forum Award, and the 2010 Emerging Voices Award from the Architectural League of New York for top emerging architects in the United States, and the firm was the 2009 Finalist in the Young Architects Program of MoMA, and the 2010 Design Vanguard from the Architectural Record Magazine for top firms in the United States and a Finalist for the 2010 Iakov Chernikhov Prize for the top 10 firms in the world.

Mr el Kadi is often a guest critic at major US universities, including Harvard, Columbia and Yale. He currently teaches design studio at the American University of Beirut.