AUS announces recipient of inaugural Emaar CAAD Labs Fellowship

Award-winning AUS architecture graduate Ibrahim Ibrahim has been announced as the inaugural recipient of the Emaar CAAD Labs Fellowship by the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah (AUS).

The Emaar CAAD Labs Fellowship is made possible through the generosity of Emaar Properties, the global developer, and provides an exceptional graduate of CAAD the opportunity to spend one academic year advancing their work in the context of CAAD Labs and benefitting through engagement with faculty and students. 

Newly appointed recipient Ibrahim Ibrahim is a Lebanese architect who was born and raised in the UAE. During his senior year at AUS, Ibrahim received the Sheikh Khalifa Scholarship, as well as the Dean’s award for highest academic achievement, and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Architecture from CAAD—the region’s most prestigious architecture and design institution.

Recognized within the professional community as an up and coming young architect in the Middle East, Ibrahim has already built an impressive portfolio working with architecture firms in Los Angeles, Madrid and Dubai, and was awarded first place in the architecture category of the Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award in 2017.

As the Emaar CAAD Labs Fellow, Ibrahim is dedicating at least 30 hours a week to the development of his proposed project for the entire academic year (a period of nine months), which will ultimately culminate in a public lecture and an exhibition of the work at the end of the Spring 2019 semester.

In addition, Ibrahim also provides workshops to share his expertise with undergraduate architecture and design students undertaking the same program from which he recently graduated. 

“I am very excited to be back at AUS where I can contribute to its focus and ongoing research on reconsidering the future of our built environment,” Ibrahim said.

The Emaar CAAD Labs Fellowship allows Ibrahim to pursue his interests in experimenting with structure and form to explore new ways of experiencing space in architectural design.

“Other areas that interest me for my future research stem from my goal of developing improved spaces that move parallel with today's advancement in technology. I’m interested in creating complex experiential spaces through computer-aided techniques and cutting-edge technologies,” said Ibrahim.

Besides the physical outcome of the fellowship, Ibrahim is confident that the fellowship will be the guiding ground for him to set his own practice in the near future. 

“I am excited to share and continue to explore a working research methodology and collaborate with local industries to produce work that is relevant to our region,” he said.

Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director of Emaar Properties, said: “The Emaar CAAD Labs Fellowship aims to nurture the next generation of talent in design and architecture. It highlights our commitment to building a talent pool of young and dynamic professionals, who will help in shaping the next generation of smart city developments that add to the pride of our nation.”

During his fellowship, Ibrahim is supervised by Ammar Kalo, Assistant Professor and Director of CAAD Labs, who is also a designer and architect.

“Ibrahim is an excellent designer and he’s already familiar with our labs, so my job as his mentor is to take a step back and give him the space to work on his project, as well as to provide critical and technical feedback. Ibrahim is the ideal candidate for fellowship, and I’m excited to see what he’ll produce over the coming months,” said Kalo.