Date & Place of birth

23
– October – 1978, East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A

Nationality

Egyptian
– American – British

The founder and
principal of Dar Arafa Architecture, Cairo, Egypt. In 2001 he earned a B.Sc. in
architecture, urban design and planning, from the Faculty of Engineering, Ain
Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. He then joined the internationally renowned
architectural practice based in Los Angeles; Naga Studio Architecture + Urbanism,
where he participated in a number of projects such as the World Trade Center
Memorial competition in Manhattan, the Oqyana man-made islands in Dubai and The
New Masterplan for the Giza Pyramids Plateau in Egypt, all under the mentorship
of the international l master of architecture Tarek Naga.

In 2006 he
established his own practice, Dar Arafa Architecture, where he designed and
built his first solo project; Dar Arafa Residence, which was nominated for the
Aga Khan Award in its 11th cycle in 2010, as well as the Bibliotheca
Alexandrina award for architecture known as the Hassan Fathy Award in 2009. 

In 2015 he
earned a Post-graduate degree in the Conservation of Historical Buildings, from
the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, UK. His thesis
was entitled: “The Mosque in Britain: British Heritage?”

Waleed continues to research, design and build
with an aim in mind; understanding the essence of the architecture of Islam. He
is hoping that one day he may be able to revive it and relink his practice to
its forgotten chain of transmission. He believes that Islam can inspire new
approaches to architecture offering the world ways out of its spiritual,
intellectual and creative deadlock. His approach is based on finding ways to
continuing the discontinued architectural past of countries with an established
legacy in the architecture of Islam, such as and especially Egypt. But equally,
looking into how to bring forth new architecture(s) of Islam in completely new
contexts, which have their own time-honored architectural traditions,
nonetheless have no precedent in producing architecture of Islam in particular,
such as that of Britain and/or the Occident at large.

Education

• May
  2015

Post-graduate
Diploma in Conservation of Historic Buildings, The Architectural Association
School of Architecture, London, UK, Thesis title: “The Mosque in Britain:
British Heritage?”

• May
  2001

Bachelor
of Science in Architecture, Urban Design and Planning, Faculty of Engineering,
Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Professional Affiliations

SEE
(Syndicate of Egyptian Engineers (& Architects)), Registered Architect,
Egypt

1. Dar Arafa Architecture, Cairo, Egypt

 December
2006 – Current Job Title – Founder and Principal Architect

2. Fe-noon Ahmed Moustafa (UK) Ltd.

 December
2009 – May 2010 Job Title – Senior Architect

3. Naga Studio Architecture + Urbanism, L.A, U.S.A

 December
2001 – July 2007 Job Title – Architect

Awards

• Aga
  Khan Award for Architecture 2010 (11th cycle) – Nominee
• Hasan Fathy Award 2009 (organized by the
  Bibliotheca Alexandrina) – Shortlisted (1/30) 

Projects

1. Dar Arafa Architecture, Cairo, Egypt

Job
Title – Founder and Principal Architect

• 2016 – Pending construction

 1. Residential – LOP Residence, design
(un-built), (Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls), Client: Mr.
Ahmed Moustafa, Ikingi Maryyutt, Alexandria, Egypt.

• August 2016 – December 2017 (Expected)

2.
Religious – Basuna Mosque, design and build, (Hybrid structure, Skeletal
concrete + Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls), Client:
Undisclosed, Basuna, al-Maraghah, Suhaj, Egypt.

• April. 2014 – April 2016

3.
Residential – DI Residence, design & construction, (skeletal concrete),
Client: Mr. OM, Orabi, alObour, Egypt.

• November. 2014 – January 2016

4.
Residential – KZ Residence, design & construction, (Traditional Egyptian
brick-work load-bearing walls) , Client: Mr. KZ, Orabi, al-Obour, Egypt.

• April 2014 – February 2015.

5.
Residential – Roof House II, remodelling, design & construction,
(Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls) Client: Mr. HA, New Cairo,
Egypt.

• July 2012 – December 2013

6.
Residential – Dar al-Latteef Residence, design & construction, (Traditional
Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls), Client: Mr. Abd al-Latteef Abd
al-Mon’im, New Cairo, Egypt.

• November 2010 – May 2011

7.
Residential – Roof House I, remodelling, design & construction,
(Traditional Egyptian brick-work load-bearing walls) Client: Mr. AS, New Cairo,
Egypt.

• September 2007 – April 2008

8.
Public – Conservation labs of Dar-al Kutub (National Library & Archives of
Egypt), remodeling & refurbishment, Client: Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation
(TIF), Nile Cornice Cairo, Egypt.

• June 2007 – February 2008

9.
Mixed Use – Headquarters and accommodation for conservators, remodelling &
construction, Client: TIF, al-Sayyidah Zainab, Cairo, Egypt.

• April 2004 – November 2007

10.
Residential – Dar Arafa a Multi-unit house, design & construction, Client:
Dr. Arafa A. Hassan, New Cairo, Egypt. Nominated for the Aga Khan Award for
Architecture 2010 (11th cycle) http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=16855

2. Fe-noon Ahmed Moustafa (UK) Ltd.

Job Title – Senior Architect

• Dec. 2009 – May 2010

11.
Makkah Library – Concept design, in collaboration with Snøhetta (Oslo), Makkah,
Saudi Arabia, Client: Holy Makkah Municipality.

12.
Mixed Use – Lord of Periodicity (mosque, residence, art-studio and gallery),
design (un-built), Client: Mr. A. M. Hassan, Alexandria, Egypt.

13.
Cultural Institute – IOP – Concept design, in collaboration with ARUP (AGU),
Abu Dhabi, UAE, Client: Undisclosed

3. Naga Studio Architecture + Urbanism

Job
Title – Architect

• December 2006 – July 2007

14.
Giza Pyramids Plateau (World Heritage Site) – Master Plan & Site
Management, Client: Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), Cairo. Egypt.

• October 2006

15.
HIKARI TOBARI – an architectural installation, “100% Design Tokyo 2006”, Tokyo
Tobari CO LTD, Tokyo, Japan

• April – July 2006

16.
OQYANA – architectural concept design, land formation & reclamation for the
Dubai man-made islands residential/recreational project, Client: EFAD Holdings,
offshore of Dubai, U.A.E

• January – April 2006

17.
VOS – architectural concept design for the Madinaty Visitors, Orientation,
& Sales Center, TMG (Ta¬laat Mustafa Group), New Cairo, Egypt

• May – June 2003

18.
WTCM – New York’s World Trade Center Memorial international competition, New
York, U.S.A http://www.wtcsitememorial.org/ent/entI=409268.html

• February – May 2003

19.
EQWA – East of Qattamya Heights Housing Project invited competition, New Cairo,
Egypt (Honorable Mention)

• December 2001 – April 2002

20.
Requiem – Multi-Media architectural installation, design & construction,
New art gallery in the New Falaki building, American University in Cairo, down
town Cairo, Egypt http://clik.to/requiem

Lectures & workshops

• August 2017

“Egyptian
Architecture? A question asked through the practice of Dar Arafa Architecture”,
lecture, CAD Masters, Cairo, Egypt.

• April 2017

“Egyptian
Architecture? A question asked through the practice of Dar Arafa Architecture”,
Fieldtrip and lecture, School of Architecture, Arab Academy for Science,
Technology & Maritime Transport, Cairo, Egypt.

• March 2016

“Traditional
Brickwork at Dar al-Latteef Residence”, Fieldtrip and lecture, School of Architecture,
French University in Egypt.

• April 2014

“Traditional
Brickwork at Dar al-Latteef Residence”, Fieldtrip and lecture, School of
Architecture, Canadian International College, Egypt.

• December 2013

“Ecological,
Traditional, Egyptian Architecture?”, ECO-Architecture Winter School organized
by SI- Städtebau Institut, Universität Stuttgart.

• November 2013

“Traditional
Brickwork at Dar al-Latteef Residence”, Fieldtrip and lecture, School of
Architecture, German University in Cairo, Egypt.

• August 2007

“Architecture:
Time & Space”, as part of the “Civlizational Awareness” program, organized
by the Faculty of Political & Economic Studies, Cairo University, Cairo,
Egypt

• June 2007

“An
Introduction to Architecture”, a lecture and field trip organized by the “Sustainable
Development Summer School”, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung & World Bank in
collaboration with the Faculty of Political & Economic Studies, Cairo
University, Cairo, Egypt

• April 2007

“Architecture
and the Muslim Community Today”, a lecture for trainee fatwa-deputies at the
Egyptian Dar al-Eftaa’, organized by Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Ali Gom’aa,
Cairo, Egypt

• January 2007

“Architecture and the Architect”, an
interactive presentation and discussion for 7th and 8th graders, organized by
Hayah International Schools, New Cairo, Egypt 

Writing & Translation

• October 2017

Arabic
to English translation of “The Manifest Truth: A refutation of those that
manipulate Islam”, author: Usama alAzhari

English
to Arabic translation of “The Encyclopedia Britannica Concise”, (Architectural
section) commissioned by al– Shorouk al Dawliyyah, Cairo, Egypt