Sama Gaith

Sama Gaith is an architect working as a freelance architect at Edin and Eva in Cape Town, South Africa. She previously worked as a Research and Coordination Officer at the Center for the Study of the Built Environment. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the German Jordanian University and participated in a one-year exchange program in Germany where she studied at Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences. She completed internships in architectural offices in Jordan and Germany.

Isabelle Griffiths

Isabelle Griffiths is an art historian, and a Documentation Assistant at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), where she is particularly involved in the Aga Khan Award for Architecture’s documentation process and archives management. She holds her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the History of Art from the University of Geneva. Before joining AKTC, Isabelle had participated in organizing the ‘Salon Suisse’ at the 2016 Architectural Biennale in Venice.

Taleen Samawi

Taleen Samawi is an architect and a Research and Coordination Officer at the Center for the Study of the Built Environment. She received her bachelor’s degree in Architecture with honors from the German Jordanian University and participated in a one-year exchange program in Germany where she studied at the Peter Behrens School of Art in Dusseldorf. She completed internships in architectural offices in Jordan and Germany. She also has received several awards for her research, design, and academic achievements.

Zaid Wahbeh

Zaid Wahbeh is an architect and a Research and Coordination Officer at the Center for the Study of the Built Environment. He received his bachelor's degree in Architecture from the German Jordanian University and participated in a one-year exchange program in Germany where he studied at Bochum University of Applied Sciences. He also completed internships in architectural offices in Jordan and Germany.

Lara Zureikat

Lara Zureikat is one of the leading designers in the field of landscape architecture in the Middle East and is the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE). She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.) from the University of California at Berkeley and a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) from the University of Notre Dame in the United States. Lara’s work at CSBE has focused on the design of native, water-conserving landscapes. She accordingly designed the first model water-conserving park in Jordan, the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts Park, and led an extensive public resource and publication program promoting the use of drought-tolerant flora in landscape design. Lara has also collaborated with local and international architecture firms on notable institutional and urban projects such as the Palestinian Museum in Bir Zeit, the Amman Master Plan, and the Destination Hotel in al-‘Ula, Saudi Arabia. Lara received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2019 for her work on the Palestinian Museum. In addition, her work has been published in several magazines including Architectural Digest, Architectural Review, Hauser, and Wallpaper*.