Waleed Arafa
| Contact Type | Architects (individuals) |
| Category | Other |
| Telephone | +20 100 700 0635 |
| waleed@dararafa.com | |
| Website | www.dararafa.com |
Date & Place of birth
23 - October - 1978, East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A
Nationality
Egyptian - American – British
The founder and principal of Dar Arafa Architecture, Cairo, Egypt. In 2001 he earned a B.Sc. in architecture, urban design and planning, from the Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. He then joined the internationally renowned architectural practice based in Los Angeles; Naga Studio Architecture + Urbanism, where he participated in a number of projects such as the World Trade Center Memorial competition in Manhattan, the Oqyana man-made islands in Dubai and The New Masterplan for the Giza Pyramids Plateau in Egypt, all under the mentorship of the international l master of architecture Tarek Naga.
In 2006 he established his own practice, Dar Arafa Architecture, where he designed and built his first solo project; Dar Arafa Residence, which was nominated for the Aga Khan Award in its 11th cycle in 2010, as well as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina award for architecture known as the Hassan Fathy Award in 2009.
In 2015 he earned a Post-graduate degree in the Conservation of Historical Buildings, from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, UK. His thesis was entitled: “The Mosque in Britain: British Heritage?”
Waleed continues to research, design and build with an aim in mind; understanding the essence of the architecture of Islam. He is hoping that one day he may be able to revive it and relink his practice to its forgotten chain of transmission. He believes that Islam can inspire new approaches to architecture offering the world ways out of its spiritual, intellectual and creative deadlock. His approach is based on finding ways to continuing the discontinued architectural past of countries with an established legacy in the architecture of Islam, such as and especially Egypt. But equally, looking into how to bring forth new architecture(s) of Islam in completely new contexts, which have their own time-honored architectural traditions, nonetheless have no precedent in producing architecture of Islam in particular, such as that of Britain and/or the Occident at large.
Education
- May
2015
Post-graduate Diploma in Conservation of Historic Buildings, The Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, UK, Thesis title: “The Mosque in Britain: British Heritage?”
- May
2001
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Urban Design and Planning, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Professional Affiliations
SEE (Syndicate of Egyptian Engineers (& Architects)), Registered Architect, Egypt
1. Dar Arafa Architecture, Cairo, Egypt
December 2006 – Current Job Title - Founder and Principal Architect
2. Fe-noon Ahmed Moustafa (UK) Ltd.
December 2009 – May 2010 Job Title - Senior Architect
3. Naga Studio Architecture + Urbanism, L.A, U.S.A
December 2001 - July 2007 Job Title – Architect
Awards
- Aga
Khan Award for Architecture 2010 (11th cycle) - Nominee
- Hasan Fathy Award 2009 (organized by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina) - Shortlisted (1/30)
Projects
1. Dar Arafa Architecture, Cairo, Egypt
Job Title - Founder and Principal Architect
- 2016 – Pending construction
1. Residential – LOP Residence, design (un-built), (Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls), Client: Mr. Ahmed Moustafa, Ikingi Maryyutt, Alexandria, Egypt.
- August 2016 – December 2017 (Expected)
2. Religious – Basuna Mosque, design and build, (Hybrid structure, Skeletal concrete + Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls), Client: Undisclosed, Basuna, al-Maraghah, Suhaj, Egypt.
- April. 2014 – April 2016
3. Residential – DI Residence, design & construction, (skeletal concrete), Client: Mr. OM, Orabi, alObour, Egypt.
- November. 2014 – January 2016
4. Residential – KZ Residence, design & construction, (Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls) , Client: Mr. KZ, Orabi, al-Obour, Egypt.
- April 2014 – February 2015.
5. Residential – Roof House II, remodelling, design & construction, (Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls) Client: Mr. HA, New Cairo, Egypt.
- July 2012 – December 2013
6. Residential – Dar al-Latteef Residence, design & construction, (Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls), Client: Mr. Abd al-Latteef Abd al-Mon’im, New Cairo, Egypt.
- November 2010 – May 2011
7. Residential – Roof House I, remodelling, design & construction, (Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls) Client: Mr. AS, New Cairo, Egypt.
- September 2007 – April 2008
8. Public - Conservation labs of Dar-al Kutub (National Library & Archives of Egypt), remodeling & refurbishment, Client: Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation (TIF), Nile Cornice Cairo, Egypt.
- June 2007 – February 2008
9. Mixed Use – Headquarters and accommodation for conservators, remodelling & construction, Client: TIF, al-Sayyidah Zainab, Cairo, Egypt.
- April 2004 – November 2007
10. Residential – Dar Arafa a Multi-unit house, design & construction, Client: Dr. Arafa A. Hassan, New Cairo, Egypt. Nominated for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010 (11th cycle) http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=16855
2. Fe-noon Ahmed Moustafa (UK) Ltd.
Job Title - Senior Architect
- Dec. 2009 – May 2010
11. Makkah Library - Concept design, in collaboration with Snøhetta (Oslo), Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Client: Holy Makkah Municipality.
12. Mixed Use - Lord of Periodicity (mosque, residence, art-studio and gallery), design (un-built), Client: Mr. A. M. Hassan, Alexandria, Egypt.
13. Cultural Institute - IOP - Concept design, in collaboration with ARUP (AGU), Abu Dhabi, UAE, Client: Undisclosed
3. Naga Studio Architecture + Urbanism
Job Title – Architect
- December 2006 - July 2007
14. Giza Pyramids Plateau (World Heritage Site) – Master Plan & Site Management, Client: Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), Cairo. Egypt.
- October 2006
15. HIKARI TOBARI - an architectural installation, “100% Design Tokyo 2006”, Tokyo Tobari CO LTD, Tokyo, Japan
- April - July 2006
16. OQYANA - architectural concept design, land formation & reclamation for the Dubai man-made islands residential/recreational project, Client: EFAD Holdings, offshore of Dubai, U.A.E
- January - April 2006
17. VOS - architectural concept design for the Madinaty Visitors, Orientation, & Sales Center, TMG (Ta¬laat Mustafa Group), New Cairo, Egypt
- May – June 2003
18. WTCM - New York’s World Trade Center Memorial international competition, New York, U.S.A http://www.wtcsitememorial.org/ent/entI=409268.html
- February – May 2003
19. EQWA - East of Qattamya Heights Housing Project invited competition, New Cairo, Egypt (Honorable Mention)
- December 2001 - April 2002
20. Requiem - Multi-Media architectural installation, design & construction, New art gallery in the New Falaki building, American University in Cairo, down town Cairo, Egypt http://clik.to/requiem
Lectures & workshops
- August 2017
“Egyptian Architecture? A question asked through the practice of Dar Arafa Architecture”, lecture, CAD Masters, Cairo, Egypt.
- April 2017
“Egyptian Architecture? A question asked through the practice of Dar Arafa Architecture”, Fieldtrip and lecture, School of Architecture, Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, Cairo, Egypt.
- March 2016
“Traditional Brickwork at Dar al-Latteef Residence”, Fieldtrip and lecture, School of Architecture, French University in Egypt.
- April 2014
“Traditional Brickwork at Dar al-Latteef Residence”, Fieldtrip and lecture, School of Architecture, Canadian International College, Egypt.
- December 2013
“Ecological, Traditional, Egyptian Architecture?”, ECO-Architecture Winter School organized by SI- Städtebau Institut, Universität Stuttgart.
- November 2013
“Traditional Brickwork at Dar al-Latteef Residence”, Fieldtrip and lecture, School of Architecture, German University in Cairo, Egypt.
- August 2007
“Architecture: Time & Space”, as part of the “Civlizational Awareness” program, organized by the Faculty of Political & Economic Studies, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- June 2007
“An Introduction to Architecture”, a lecture and field trip organized by the “Sustainable Development Summer School”, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung & World Bank in collaboration with the Faculty of Political & Economic Studies, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
- April 2007
“Architecture and the Muslim Community Today”, a lecture for trainee fatwa-deputies at the Egyptian Dar al-Eftaa’, organized by Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Ali Gom’aa, Cairo, Egypt
- January 2007
Writing & Translation
- October 2017
Arabic to English translation of “The Manifest Truth: A refutation of those that manipulate Islam”, author: Usama alAzhari
English to Arabic translation of “The Encyclopedia Britannica Concise”, (Architectural section) commissioned by al– Shorouk al Dawliyyah, Cairo, Egypt