Architecture Competition Melbourne Affordable Housing Challenge Honorable mention – Tarek Abou Dib

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to one of our Honorable mention winner for our “Melbourne Affordable Housing Challenge” competition – Tarek Abou Dib from Australia!

Tarek Abou Dib from Australia

+AAD is a young design studio focused on creating responsive architectural solutions, guided by a strong belief that good design is the result of integrating the set of difficult circumstances of a project and utilizing their potential to create outstanding and innovative solutions. Tarek Abou Dib is a Lebanese/Australian architect, based in Sydney. He has a B.Arch. and is currently pursuing his M.Arch. at UNSW.

Brief information about the projects that you/your company have been involved with. For instance, what scale have you focused on/preferred, any significant projects where the company/ individuals have been involved?

We actively look for and participate in projects and proposals that explore, recognize, and form relationships between ideas and reality, as a method of improving the connections between people and the products they use. The results contribute to our mission of producing user-centric designs that are adaptive, resilient, and forward-thinking.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

As architects, architecture means more to the people we work with (our clients) and the people we work for (our audience) – neglect that, you start to build dystopias.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Architectural competitions are a breeding ground for new ideas and new talent; they smash preconceptions, break down barriers, and produce award-winning designs. I participate in architectural competitions to immerse into a creative process, guided by a set of difficult challenges, and to bring to life a solution and response that did not exist before.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture competitions?

Architectural design competitions help to open up the field of participants, generating public interest in the project and supporting innovation. Test your ideas, learn, then grow.