Interview | Celebrating International Women’s Day

Words by BSBG Media Team, Wednesday 08 March 2023

To celebrate International Women’s Day, and in tribute to all the amazing women doing such outstanding work with Brewer Smith Brewer Group (BSBG), we gathered four of our talented senior female colleagues together to discuss a range of topics - from women in architecture and personal influences, to obstacles, passions and future goals. Roxanne Djaiji, Lead Design Architect; Wisam Gafar, Senior Architect; Hadeel Kassem, Senior Interior Designer, and Annie Zahoor, Project Architect provide the answers to the questions.

BSBG Media Team: When did you first become interested in Architecture/Interior Design, and what led you to choose this as your career path?

Annie Zahoor: “My interest began when I was a little girl. I had a keen eye for cityscapes, and this continued to grow during my teenage years when I conducted my first work experience in an old-school architectural practice, where the senior architect did all designs by hand on a drawing board.”

Wisam Gafar: “I have always expressed myself through creative outlets. When I was younger this was through sports and creative writing. As I got older, it was through my artwork, where I found myself attempting to draw city skylines and iconic buildings. Over time, I just got better and more detailed with giving my own interpretation of the buildings, while the backdrop slowly faded away. My passion for drawing morphed into a passion for architecture and design, and I did what I could from there to make a professional career out of it.”

Hadeel Khassem: “I grew up in a very art-driven environment; my parents both come from creative backgrounds – architecture and French literature, so they were subconsciously planting this creativity within my siblings and I from a very young age, be it visual or literary. My creative interests varied growing up, however, I do owe my final decision to get into interior design to my father and his encouragement.”

BMT: Did you find there were any specific barriers you had to overcome to break into the industry and work for a top international practice?

Roxanne Djaiji: “I believe that if you’re good at what you do you will face no obstacles reaching where you want to be. In other words, let your work do the talking and you’ll be surprised to see how many people are listening.”

AZ: “I take pride in being a woman in the architecture industry. I have had my fair share of challenges to overcome, particularly during my educational years, but I would not call them barriers. Rather, these challenges became opportunities for me to progress better within my career and shaped me into the right person for an international firm.”

WG: “As a graduate in the UK, it was difficult to find work with an international practice that took on the kind of projects, developments and creative endeavours that initially drew me towards architecture. I kicked off my career with a local design firm, however I found that the exposure of the work was limited to projects that were small scale residential or commercial renovations and my thirst for creativity and design wasn’t being fulfilled. As a naïve fresh grad, I was disappointed I wasn’t designing the next iconic landmark, but I now realise that this was an important stepping stone. My desire to work on more complex, large-scale projects led me to Dubai, where it seemed at the time that an infinite stream of mega-scale developments were being envisaged. As everyone here knows, the market is extremely competitive, and I had to push through a lot of applications in vain before I was finally designing what I always dreamed of and contributing to some of the UAE’s most exciting projects.”

Roxanne Djaiji

Associate

"Let your work do the talking and you’ll be surprised to see how many people are listening.”

BMT: A lot of the discussion surrounding women in architecture is that the key is encouraging more women to enter the industry. Currently women account for approximately 29% of people in the global profession. How do you think we can encourage more women to choose architecture?

HK: “I believe it’s a matter of reaching out to young girls and inspiring them. We need to change mindsets and expectations through sharing experiences to a wider audience. If enough young women see examples of other women pursuing a career in architecture and excelling, the misconception of architecture being “a man’s job” will eventually fizzle out.”

WG: “Before I encourage women to choose architecture, I would encourage women to be strong, feel empowered, and choose whatever they feel compelled to do with passion. We can always encourage more women to get involved in architecture and more technical fields, but this should be driven by their desire to do so. A hunger for doing your best, realising your potential and your vision is what I would encourage, as this is the key driver for success.

“That being said, this is still a predominantly male-dominated business. We need to acknowledge the work of other prominent female architects and designers, promote their successes and achievements to inspire young women, and provide guidance, programmes and mentoring where needed to enable women to comfortably and successfully join the industry.”

AZ: “Actually currently in the UK, the percentage of women enrolling for architecture courses is higher than men. Unfortunately, the drop-off of women both mid-study and mid-career is the key issue which creates a gender gap within the industry. To combat the mid-study issue, ARB’s recent announcement of a significant change to the architectural system will be a positive step within the education body that will encourage women to retain their architectural training. As for the career aspect, companies will need to offer a more accessible and inclusive environment for women so we can pursue our passions for the career without sacrificing other responsibilities.”

BMT: Do you find your job fulfilling? What do you most enjoy about your job and the process of design and delivery?

RD: “Throughout our profession we grow to know a little bit about everything. The thing I enjoy most about my job is that each project we work on is unique, and we strive to find the best fit solution for that project. It’s like putting the pieces together to solve a puzzle – challenging, but hugely rewarding once the masterpiece is revealed and the building is resolved. The design must meet the delivery for the project to be complete.”

AZ: “For me, the most enjoyable (and yet stressful at the same time!) part has to be when a design development/technical phase issues that entails a new level of creativity and ends up influencing changes to the initial concept. It’s always interesting to see a project complete and look back through the early design concepts to see the journey of the project and all the unique challenges and issues it may have had that led to the end product.”

WG: There’s something very rewarding about seeing your work translate from paper to reality. We spend months and months of designing and planning, followed by more and more periods of extensive coordination and detailing, all whilst simultaneously juggling and managing stakeholders and stringent deadlines. As much pressure and effort as there is, your hard work is ultimately passed on to the post contract stage for implementation, and you start to see your hours and toil take shape in the form of a development that will permanently form part of the built environment. Seeing the finished product provides all the fulfilment and sense of accomplishment any architect could ask for.”

BMT: Which designers/architects do you most admire and why?

AZ: “Whilst there are many praiseworthy architects to be named from our time, the one who had a particular influence on me would be Gordon Cullen. In his book “The Concise Townscape” he celebrated urban life, analysing the importance of every element of a space - from a lamppost to public spaces. His peculiar analysis of streets and buildings is what reminds me that as architects we do not just create an environment, we also create experiences. Having such an influence over every user is a fascinating power we possess.”

RD: “Frank Lloyd Wright! Wright believed in creating environments that were both functional and humane, focused not only on a building's appearance but how it would connect with and enrich the lives of those inside it. This is exactly what I aim for in every project I am given to work on.”

WG: “Zaha Hadid is a perfect example of a driven feminine visionary whose genius materialised in the form of her amazing designs and projects we all speak about and enjoy every day. She remains a role model for all female designers, architects and artists, and her work ethic and drive should be promoted globally for women interested in joining the industry to take inspiration and feel confident in doing so.”

HK: “While I admire the work of a lot of architects and designers of the past and of our time, I tend to get inspired a lot by other creatives in more diverse fields. There’s a lot more to pull inspiration from, different perspectives and unexpected approaches to creativity and design. To name a few, these creatives include film director Dennis Villeneuve, cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema, and contemporary artist Olafur Eliasson.”

BMT: What are your hopes and ambitions for your own future career?

AZ: “In line with one of my New Year’s resolutions, I have committed to step outside my comfort zone more and take on challenges above my knowledge. Only this way will I be able to develop and progress up to a senior role, which is the next milestone I would like to achieve!”

RD: “To continue to be challenged with more exciting projects. I think we are in the right region for that!”

HK: “There are two things I want to keep doing; creating awesome spaces and learning as much as possible! Along the way, I want to be able to share what I’ve learned with younger talent and foster their passions and ambitions. I think that’ll make everything even more worthwhile than it already is.”

WG: “Down the line, way, way down the line, I would love to have a small practice of my own that specialises in boutique residential and hospitality projects, as this is where my passion currently lies. However, I’ll be the first to admit that five-year plans are subject to change far more often than not, and I reserve my right to provide a different answer to this question no further than a few months from now.”

BMT: Lastly, what are you currently working on?

AZ: “The main project I’m working on at the moment is a masterplan of a large-scale resort in Saudi, whilst managing a couple of other projects on the side that are nearing completion.”

RD: “I’m working on a very exciting and super confidential project in Dubai Harbour. I can’t wait until it’s launched so we can talk more about it…”

WG: “Since joining BSBG in August 2022, I’ve been involved as the Senior Architect on a hotel project for the new development of MiSK City, in Riyadh, KSA. A smart and innovative 4-star property that will serve as both a hotel and serviced apartments and is planned to accommodate leisure, family and business travellers. As straightforward as working on a hotel sounds, the project has been challenging and the client has certainly been keeping us on our toes, however I thoroughly enjoy the aspect of applying new design methodologies and upcoming trends of hospitality whilst overcoming the design obstacles faced during coordination with other sub-consultants.”

HK: “The team and I have been juggling a couple of different fun projects in the UAE and KSA. We’ve got an art-driven 4-star hotel in Riyadh, a young and bold 4-star hotel in Al Ahsa, a couple of high-end residential developments in Dubai and possibly a workplace project in Dubai as well that’s kicking off soon for us. Very exciting!”