Dan wood amale andraos biography

Amale Andraos (born ) is a New York-based architect.

Andraos is recognized as an architecture thought leader and lectures widely. In her interview, Amale talks about her multi-cultural upbringing, the precarity of practice, and engaging with the climate emergency, advising those just starting their career to combine hard work with freshness and curiosity. JG: Tell me about your foundational years - where did you grow up and what did you like to do as a kid?

My father, who is a painter and architect, practiced architecture for about ten years in Lebanon but once in Saudi, he started a pre-fabricated housing company. My mother, who is also Lebanese, lived in Argentina and then Brazil until the age of eighteen, and still speaks Spanish to her siblings. So, it was always a very multicultural upbringing, speaking French, Arabic and learning English by watching Sesame Street on Aramco television.

But we also travelled a lot, to Lebanon, to see family, as well as to Europe. Endlessly visiting museums and different cities with my parents was the most foundational part of my education, I think.

Amale Andraos is Professor and Dean Emeritus of Columbia GSAPP.

The result of over dozens of meetings and charrettes with the community and other stakeholders, the Adams Street Library delivers over 6, square feet of new public space to the area. In addition to books and resources, patrons have access to gender-inclusive restrooms, flexible meeting rooms and programming space with modern technology.

Photography by Bruce Damonte. Photography by Ramiro Del Carpio. How did you decide to pursue architecture in the first place? Because my father was an architect, and art, architecture, competitions, construction sites were so part of my growing up, I was adamant that I would never become an architect! I would wake up at night and flip through the big brochure of programs offered.