Mujassam Watan Urban Sculpture Challenge #8 – Salwa Road Site – Honorable mention Winners: Malaz Hassan Aniss and Arij Ayman Abou Saab

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the Honorable mention winners of our Mujassam Watan Urban Sculpture Challenge #8 competition - Salwa Road Site – Malaz Hassan Aniss and Arij Ayman Abou Saab from United Arab Emirates!

Malaz Hassan Aniss and Arij Ayman Abou Saab from United Arab Emirates

Please tell us about your company (when it was founded, where it is based, how many employees, etc) Alternatively, if you do not have a company, please give us some insights on your own professional/academia background.

We are a team of two architects, Malaz Aniss and Arij Abou Saab, both Syrian architects born and raised in the United Arab Emirates and currently based in Abu Dhabi. While we do not operate as a formally established architectural company, we collaborated as an independent architectural team, bringing together our shared regional background and professional experience. Both of us are licensed architects in Abu Dhabi, with academic and professional backgrounds spanning the UAE and the wider region. Malaz Aniss graduated from Abu Dhabi University with a degree in Architectural Engineering and currently works within a leading architectural practice in Abu Dhabi. Her architectural journey began at an early age through her passion for art and drawing, which later developed into an interest in architecture, design, and the relationship between people and place. Arij Abou Saab graduated from Al Ahliyya Amman University in Jordan with a Bachelor of Architecture and has professional experience in the UAE as an Architect and BIM Specialist. With a strong passion for interior design and materials exploration, she is interested in how spaces can be shaped through the thoughtful combination of form, texture, light, and materiality

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?

The team was specially formed for this competition. We met through an architectural event and later decided to work together for this opportunity. Although this is our first project as a team, both of us have experience working on different types and scales of projects. Collectively, we have contributed to projects around the world, ranging from residential towers and developments in the region to smaller-scale architectural projects and design work. For this competition, we are bringing together our individual experience and perspectives to develop the project as a team.

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

For this type of project, we wanted to take a creative yet environmentally responsive approach. Having both grown up in the UAE, within a context that shares many environmental and cultural qualities with Saudi Arabia, we have witnessed the region’s rapid transformation while also seeing the importance of preserving its culture, identity, and the knowledge built through generations. We see architecture as more than a place or a product; it is a narrative that tells a story through space, material, and experience. Our aim is to create something contemporary and forward-looking while remaining rooted in the identity, environment, and people of the region

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

We participate in architecture competitions because they give us the freedom to wear our wings and fly beyond the limitations of conventional submissions. It is a great way to explore ideas without the usual constraints of practice, while also testing our abilities, challenge our thinking, and design for different purposes, contexts, and scales.

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

Just give it a shot! You have nothing to lose, and you might surprise yourself with what you can come up with when there are no limits. Architecture competitions are a great excuse to experiment, have fun, think differently, and sometimes create something you never thought you could.