Co-founder @ VANINA | 2007-present

Assistant Professor @ DIDI | 2021-present

Senior Lecturer @ AUB | 2013-2021

Education

  • Columbia University, GSAPP - Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design | Honors | 2011-2012

  • AA, Architecture Association - Parametric Design Studio | Istanbul Visiting School | 2011

  • American University of Beirut - Bachelor of Architecture | Art History Minor | Dean’s Honor List | 2006-2011

  • College ND de Jamhour - French Baccalaureate in Mathematics | High Distinction | 2006

Teaching & academic research

  • Game Changers: Catalytic Devices for Systemic Change – DIDI | Multimedia Design Studio | Assistant Professor | 2023

  • Design Futures – DIDI | Foundation Lecture Course | Assistant Professor | 2022-2023

  • Digital Makers – DIDI | Multimedia Design Workshop Course | Assistant Professor | 2022-2023

  • Material (In)Formation – DIDI | Foundation Workshop Course | Assistant Professor | 2022

  • Design Futures – DIDI | Foundation Lecture Course | Assistant Professor | 2022

  • Exploring Design – DIDI | Foundation Design Studio | Adjunct Faculty | 2021

  • Project Design Space – DIDI | Bon Education, Adek Rize | Consultant | 2021-2023

  • Braiding the Future – DIDI | Carlo Ratti Associati & Maker Faire Rome | Summer Workshop | Adjunct Faculty | 2021

  • Responsive Skins, Material (In)formation – DIDI | Foundation Workshop Module | Adjunct Faculty | 2021

  • How To Design Almost Anything – DIDI | Foundation Design Studio | Adjunct Faculty | 2021

  • Beirut Shifting Grounds – Venice Biennale of Architecture & AUB - Co-habitat Exhibition | Researcher | 2021

  • Arch Design III Studio, ‘Tout est dans la rue’ – AUB | 2nd yr Architecture Design Studio | Senior Lecturer | 2021

  • Act – AUB | 3rd & 4th yr Architecture Design Studio | Urban Installation Design & Making | Senior Lecturer | 2020

  • New Territories – AUB | Professional Elective | Parametric Design & Digital Fabrication | Senior Lecturer | 2018-2019

  • Unconventional Toolpaths – AUB | Grasshopper for CNC milling | Workshop by Andrea Graziano | Coordinator | 2019

  • Digital Tools – AUB | Core Representation Course | 3D Modeling, Fabrication, Visualization | Senior Lecturer | 2019

  • Basic Design – AUB | Design Studio - 1st yr Architecture & Graphic Design | Senior Lecturer | 2019

  • Silence – AUB | 3rd & 4th yr Architecture Design Studio | Urban Installation Design & Making | Instructor | 2016

  • New Territories – AUB | Parametric Design Modules & Tutorials in Rhino+Grasshopper | Guest Instructor | 2015

  • Arch Des III Studio – AUB | 2nd yr Architecture Design Studio | Burj Hammoud | Instructor | 2015

  • Arch Des II Studio – AUB | 2nd yr Architecture Design Studio | Lessons from Biomimicry | Instructor | 2014

  • Computational Craft Workshops – AUB | Parametric Design & Digital Fabrication Seminars | Guest Instructor | 2013

  • ArD-Tech Lab – AUB | Assisting Preparation Work for the Digital Fabrication Lab of ArD | Research Assistant | 2013

  • Design For Disease, in Search for Hyper-specialization – GSAPP, Columbia University | Research Fellowship | 2012-2013

Projects

Fashion Design, Craftsmanship & Material Innovation

VANINA - Co-founder & Designer - Sustainable Fashion, Social Entrepreneurship | 2007-present

Jewelry, Bags, Shoes, Apparel - Design, Fabrication, Marketing, and International Distribution

  • Les Eternelles: Material transformation technique from single-use plastic to durable marble-like textures | 2021

  • Delicatesse: Non-recyclable food packets into luxury through handwoven origami, with Net-A-Porter | 2019

  • Leaves: Regenerative water-based 3D printing using used papers, in partnership with MCOR, MTP &APP | 2015

  • Plastile: A new textile-like material made out of non-biodegradable plastic bags, in partnership with NK | 2014

  • Conserved: Capacity building through handcraft and upcycling, in partnership with NGOs Arcenciel and Sawa | 2014

  • Still Life: Offering a luxurious afterlife to non-biodegradable plastic bags, in partnership with Swarovski ME | 2013

Digital Design, Programming, Mapping & Data Science

  • Shape Your City - Interactive installation and web-app for the co-creation of the future of Dubai | 2021

  • Beirut Shifting Grounds - Computational mapping of grassroot deployment and actor-relational networks | 2021

  • Emerge Beirut - Design & Coding of Emerge Beirut Digital Platform - GIS mapping & data structure | 2020-present

  • Vanina - Identity, Website Design, Online Shop, Online Showroom, POS & ERP | 2012-present

Architecture, Landscape & Urban Design

  • Artie’s Lodge, The Edge of The World - Conceptual Design & Architectural Consultancy | 2023

  • Zero Waste Kitchens - Architectural Design & Construction Management | 2019

  • Vanina Flagship Store - Restoration, Interior Design, Construction Management | 2017

  • Badoo, Nomadic Furniture - Design & Prototyping | 2016-present

  • Revealing Dalieh - Landscape & Urban Design - Competition Entry, Honorable Mention | 2015

  • Vanina Retail House One - Interior, Furniture Design, Manufacturing | 2014

  • Tactile Fields, Fylanges - Interactive Architectural Installation - Figment, NY - Columbia University, GSAPP | 2012

  • Chicago Navy Pier - Freelance Architect - nArchitects, NY | 2012

  • MOMA Foreclosed - Freelance Architect - Work AC, NY | 2011

  • Hôpital Necker - Architectural Intern - Architecture Studio, France | 2009

  • Simone Kosremelli, Beirut - Construction Documents & Construction Management | Massaya Winery, Faqra | 2010

  • Loft Investments, Beirut - ‘Blossom House’ Project | First Prize Winner | 2010-2011

  • Architecture Studio, Paris - Concept & Schematic Design | Necker Hospital, Paris, France | 2009

  • Blank Page Architects, Beirut - Freelance work | ‘House of Art and Culture’ Competition | 2009

  • Majal Sustainable Design, Beirut - ‘Urban Forest’ Project | Second Prize Winner | 2009

  • EPS_Sabbagh Architects, Beirut - Revit Internship | Residential Projects & Social Housing Complex | 2008


Talks, conferences, and exhibitions

  • ‘Enabling Sustainable Innovation in Fashion through Crafted Material Remediation’ - Sustainable Innovation 2023 - Co-Author & Presenter | 2023

  • ‘Promoting Citizen Engagement in Sustainable Planning through Interaction Design and Digital Gamification’ - Shape your City - DIGICOM - 6th International Conference on Design and Digital Communication | Co-Author & Presenter | 2022

  • ‘Networks of Impact: Enabling social and environmental innovation through cross-disciplinary design’ - Panel - GITEX Global | Moderator | 2022

  • ‘Design Through Code: Exploring Web-development as Data Visualization Tool’ - 2CO: Communicating Complexity Conference, Alghero, Italy | Author & Presenter | 2022

  • From Waste to Luxury - Fashion as Catalyst for Sustainable Development - Global Fashion Conference 2022 | Author & Presenter | 2022

  • ‘Data-driven Decision-making for Resilient Communities and Infrastructure Planning’ - KDD 2022 - 3rd Workshop at the ACM SIGKDD - MIT Media Lab | Co-author & Panelist | 2022

  • ‘Co-Planning the City’ - 6th International Conference Urban e-Planning - University of Lisbon | Co-Author & Panelist | 2022

  • ‘LSE Industry Talks: Spatial Data Science’ - London School of Economics - Department of Geography & Environment | Guest Lecturer | 2022

  • ‘Can Fashion Make a Statement in Sustainability?’ - Expo 2020 Dubai - India Pavilion | Panelist | 2022

  • ‘The Immuno-Responsive City’ - MIT - Department of Architecture & Design | Guest Lecturer | 2021

  • ‘Shape Your City’ - Exhibition - Dubai Design Week 2021 - Architecture Exhibition | Co-Curator | 2021

  • ‘One Grain At A Time’ - Robotic Arm Performance - DIDI Exhibit at Dubai Design Week 2021 | Co-Designer | 2021

  • ‘Beirut Shifting Grounds’ - Venice Biennale of Architecture - Co-habitat Exhibition | Co-Exhibitor | 2021

  • ‘Pulsing Grounds’ - Spatial Methods for Urban Sustainability Conference | Co-Author & Panelist | 2021

  • ‘Transient Maps’ - Micro Devices Seminar - American University of Beirut | Guest Lecturer | 2021

  • ‘Design Your Path’ - Plus Design Program, Anera & Thaki | Guest Lecturer | 2021

  • ‘An Open Studio’ - Alumni Conversations - Columbia University, GSAPP | Presenter & Panelist | 2021

  • ‘Vanina Showroom’ - Paris Fashion Weeks | Exhibitors | 2009-present

  • ‘Designing Change: A Social Entrepreneur’s Journey’ - Ma’an - The Exchange - Abu Dhabi | Speaker | 2020

  • ‘Crowd-Sourcing Change - Activism in the Digital Age’ - AUB | Guest Lecturer | 2020

  • ‘Sustainable Fashion Today’ - LAU Fashion School - Beirut | Panelist | 2019

  • ‘Bridging the Urban Rural Divide’ - World Economic Forum - Davos | Panelist | 2017

  • ‘Digital Craft’ - IAAC Global Summer School - AUB - Beirut | Guest Lecturer | 2017

  • ‘Shape Mena’ 2017 Conference - Global Shapers | Organizing Team & Content Comity Member | 2017

  • ‘Fashion is a Tool’ - Talk 20 - AUB - Beirut | Speaker | 2014

Awards

  • Social Entrepreneurship Grant | Vanina - Alfanar | 2021

  • Honor Award for Excellence in Design | Columbia University, GSAPP | 2012

  • William Kinne Fellows Prize for Study and Travel Abroad | Columbia University, GSAPP | 2012

  • Lucille Smyser Lowenfish Memorial Prize | Columbia University, GSAPP | 2012

  • Dean’s Honor List | American University of Beirut| 2007-2011

  • Loft Investments Competition, First Prize | 2011

  • Majal Sustainable Design Competition, Second Prize | 2009

  • Prize of Excellence in Mathematics | College Notre Dame de Jamhour | 2006

Community

  • ‘Emerge Beirut’ - Social Start-up | Co-Founder | 2020-present

  • ‘Muwatin Lebnene’ - Citizen Initiative | Co-founder & Organizing Committee | 2019-2020

  • ‘Global Shapers’ - World Economic Forum - Beirut Hub | Member & Vice Curator | 2013-2019

  • ‘The Camelia Project’, Vanina with ‘Voix de la Femme’ NGO | Women Empowerment through Handcraft | 2017-present

  • The ‘Conserved’ Project, Vanina with ‘Arcenciel’ & ‘Sawa’ NGOs | Co-Founder & Designer | 2014-2017

  • ‘Cease-Fire’ Project, Vanina with ‘The Permanent Peace Movement’ NGO | Co-Founder & Designer | 2013

  • ‘Le Petit Prince’ Initiative, Vanina - Children Social Aid Annual Program | Co-founder & Designer | 2007-2016

Software

  • CAD software & Parametric Design | AutoCAD, Rhinoceros3D, Grasshopper, Autodesk Revit, MatrixGold, VRay.

  • Digital Fabrication | CAM software: Robotic Fabrication - CNC Routers - 3D Printers - Laser cutters.

  • 3D design, analysis & scripting | Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, Rhinoscript, 3D Studio Max, Revit Autodesk, BIM, AutoCAD, Ecotect, Solidworks, MatrixGold, VRay.

  • Geospatial Mapping & Data Analysis | QGIS, ArcGIS, Mapbox Studio, Mapbox GL JS, Turf.js, Google Map API, Leaflet.

  • Graphic Design Software | Adobe Series (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, FinalCutPro, AfterEffects)

  • Creative Coding & Data Visualization | P5.js, D3.js, Three.js

  • Web-Development | HTML, CSS, Javascript, Bootstrap, jQuery, Firebase, WebRTC.