Architecture Competition SKYHIVE 2021 Skyscraper Challenge 2nd Prize winner – The City University Of New York

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the 2nd prize winner of our “SKYHIVE 2021 Skyscraper Challenge” competition – Ahmed Helal from United States!

Ahmed Helal from United States

Ahmed Helal is an architecture student at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture in New York City; he is in his last academic year and has a GPA of 3.99. Ahmed has been studying architecture for the past 6 years between Cairo, London, Volos, and New York. He has studied in three different schools of architecture before The Spitzer School in NYC. He attended MSA University in Cairo, Egypt, Greenwich University in London, England, and the University of Thessaly in Volos, Greece. Ahmed has always been involved in pursuing architecture outside the academic sphere; he has participated in various architecture competitions, as well as practiced architecture as an intern. He is currently working at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in the New York office.

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?

I have always appreciated working on small-scale interventions in architecture, as I believe they are quite rewarding in the way the public engages and interacts with them. On the other hand, big civic projects have the potential of being eye-catching and impactful on the scale of the city, and I enjoy being part of that as well.

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

Being an architect is being so many things. It is a recipe of multidisciplinary aspects. I believe one essential, almost crucial, aspect of that recipe is being a good human being. An architect should always put people first and try to provide equal and humane opportunities in his/her design as much as he/she can.

Why do you participate in architecture competitions?

Architecture competitions are great platforms that allow everyone to challenge their ideologies and thoughts on architecture and what architecture can do without the academic or practical constraints can sometimes greatly influence the design.

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

I genuinely believe there shouldn't be any reason for hesitation in that regard. Architecture competitions are quite rewarding and nourishing to the mind, win or not, there is always room for growth in seeing how others address the same challenge that you go through in a different way. It is a great platform for collective ideation.