Interview with Tarek Ibrahim

Creating a new space, and seeing it evolving from a simple idea into a real space is what makes me motivated. My motivation comes from the satisfaction and happiness of my clients after the project finishes and they get a new, different and unique experience in design.

At university I started industrial engineering major, after a full year I decided to shift to architecture after discovering the beauty of creativity in creating spaces.

I mainly design Villas, and I have always loved creating Villas in-addition to complicated projects that are full of factors and designers can find them very challenging. I would also like to design spaces that tells the story of the society and evolves with society's developments and needs.

The most important thing is to be passionate about design. By being passionate they can become original, by becoming original they will be a copy of themselves where they can express their ideas by their own methodology and way.

The capability of transmitting the clients and social needs into a space holding his own theory, what makes him even greater is when he/she is capable to apply his/her theory through concepts without repeating him/herself , with his own language and methodology.

The design is good is when it answers the needs and give a better quality of living. The design is really good when it has a concept and everything in the design is related to the concept, i.e. when the design tells a story and have an exceptional experience.

Good design means, higher standard in living, advanced life quality, higher productivity, healthier environment, and different experience. if your building a house you want healthier and higher standard of living, if your building commercial or offices building you need efficient environment and higher productivity and space that increase the quality of working for the workers to give you better productivity. These are some examples why everyone should invest in good design.

I would like to design factories, and the reason behind that is to be capable to rise the quality of work and too prove that increasing the quality of living and to be more efficient is not related to the amount of money spent on the building. If I would have time I would like to study and design the old center of my own town Baakleen, for the reason that I see lots of potentials that people are not investing neither in design or spaces or public squares, as well as how to insert the international language, needs and businesses in an old center that is more than 400 years old.

My dream project is every project I design, to be able to deliver a space that will interact with the users for a life time. But I always question my self How I would realize a hospitable and how to create space that will relief the patients from their pain, and rise their spirits?

Well the is secret is a secret but I will tell you the main ingredients, architecture is not makeup and looks, while creating architecture your creating a space that can be a life changing for human kind. The space that you create is a story that will represent the owners/community life with your own language.

Well there are so many legends and masters in design that I always keep up my eyes on, and I wish to be like them one day. But I will make the long story short I like the sensitivity of the Spanish, Portuguese schools blended with the approach of the Dutch school.

I really appreciate the bold yet sensitive designs. I like when the project represent a new story to live or experience. I like thermal baths by Peter Zumthor, I like the theory of Rem koolhass and how he approaches his designs, I like Alberto Campo Baeza works the surprises you get when approaching his buildings example Granada bank. Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura projects are another example of what architecture means to me.

For me every design is as one of my babies, all are great, but I believe the greatest is yet to come. What makes the design great is the story hidden in its space.