Sharjah24: Just a year after completing her undergraduate studies at American University of Sharjah (AUS), Egyptian architect Aya Rahmy's concept design for the Al Janah pavilion in Sharjah, developed by Arada, has received a prestigious award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

During the 2018–2019 academic year, Rahmy and 13 of her peers from the AUS College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) worked under the supervision of Associate Professor Jason Carlow to conceptualize, design and fabricate the pavilion, as part of a joint initiative between the university and the Sharjah-based developer. While all 14 students submitted initial design proposals, it was Rahmy’s that was ultimately selected for further development by a student design team and eventual construction by Arada. 

Rahmy and Associate Professor Carlow accepted the Commendation Award in the Open International Category from the AIA International Region at a ceremony in Dubai last week.

“To have received such a significant award is very encouraging to me and my fellow CAAD students. This really paves the way for our future in this industry,” said Rahmy.

The Al Janah Pavilion was officially opened in June 2021 and serves as a contemplative and iconic gathering space dedicated to the memory of Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi. 

"It was amazing to be able to present the pavilion to the Arada chairman Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, but equally as special to show it to our own families. The realization that something we designed is built and out there for everyone to see and enjoy—that we can now walk inside our rendering—that was a magical moment,” said Rahmy.

After an internship in which she completed the pavilion, Rahmy’s proven success led her to be employed as a junior architect with Arada, where she now works with a team of designers in the developer’s concept division. 

The young designer said her AUS experience prepared her well for success in the professional arena.

“I’m a competitive person, so the fact that the architecture program was a competitive program to get into made it more appealing to me. We had to practice a lot of discipline and hard work to get through the program. At the time, perhaps I didn’t understand why, but once I started working professionally I really appreciated that I was already used to being held to such a high standard,” she said.

Initially enrolling as an English language and literature major in the AUS College of Arts and Sciences, Rahmy made a last-minute decision to change her major to architecture, enrolling in CAAD’s one-year Foundations Program, which is a prerequisite for all CAAD students. 

“Before I started at AUS, I had so many preconceptions about what architecture was. My first class of foundation studies showed me just how creative the field is, integrating the fundamentals of art and design. The best part was being able to practice with different design methods and materials in the CAAD Labs,” she said.

The CAAD Labs are the region’s most comprehensive and well-equipped design education facilities and include materials labs with a woodshop, metal shop, ceramics studio and casting lab; fabrication labs with laser cutting, 3D printing, CNC cutting and industrial robotics; and media labs with audio and video production, photography, printmaking and a media equipment center. At the very center of CAAD’s “culture of making,” these facilities offer students and faculty the opportunity to explore and experiment in their practice of cross-disciplinary design and enable the production of full-scale designs on campus at AUS.

As a graduate of AUS, Rahmy values the relationships she has built with her own class members and the connections she has with CAAD’s impressive alumni body.

“We stay in touch and share job opportunities. I’m also continuing to enter design competitions, partnering with some of my fellow CAAD alumni to put our work out there and challenge ourselves ,” she said. 

For more information about the College of Architecture, Art and Design at American University of Sharjah, visit www.aus.edu/caad.