
In this series of interviews, we meet the finalists shortlisted for the 2024 Women in Architecture and Construction Award. These women have made outstanding contributions to architecture and the built environment across the Near East and North Africa. The award features two categories: Rising Star and Woman of Outstanding Achievement.
This interview features Hana Alamuddin, Principal of Almimariya Architects, who has over 25 years of experience in sustainable architecture, urban design, and landscape projects. After completing her studies in the UK and the US, Hana returned to Lebanon to contribute to post-war reconstruction efforts, focusing on heritage preservation and environmental sustainability. Her award-winning projects reflect a commitment to cultural identity and placemaking, and she continues to inspire future architects through her teaching at the American University of Beirut.
Here, Hana reflects on her journey in architecture, from her role in Lebanon’s post-war rebuilding efforts to her ongoing commitment to integrating cultural heritage with sustainable development across the Arab world.
Could you give us a brief introduction about yourself and your work?
I was good at Math and loved the Arts, so I considered Architecture as a career option. Then, a cousin lent me Hassan Fathy’s book Architecture for the Poor, and I was hooked. This book changed my understanding of architecture. I started my studies at the American University of Beirut but relocated to the UK due to the escalating civil war in Lebanon.
After obtaining my professional degree in Architecture, I applied to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Aga Khan Programme had set up a new Master’s degree focusing on designing for Islamic Societies. I saw this program as my ticket back home, as I was very disconnected from my culture by then.
I returned to Lebanon in 1993 and started my own firm, Almimariya Architects and Designers for Sustainable Development, in 1999. Throughout my journey, my sense of belonging to the Arab world and my identity strengthened me. Therefore, my main concern is sustainable development with an emphasis on heritage and identity. I balance my work between private projects and work for NGOs that support heritage conservation, green buildings and social equity.
Tell us more about your current role and key responsibilities.
I just finished renovating the 1931 Art Deco family building in Beirut and introduced a solar energy system. The project was challenging due to its urban context and the need to preserve the unique character of the building. My other focus is on research and reconstruction policies. I have been in contact with the Ministry of Works concerning issues of recycling debris as, from my experience as part of the reconstruction unit at AUB in 2006, there is a legal issue in terms of ownership that needs to be resolved.
I am also writing a paper on sustainable housing reconstruction, trying to share my experiences in reconstruction projects. I am also co-teaching a design studio on architecture and the environment at the School of Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut.
You returned to Lebanon in 1993 to contribute to the country’s rebuilding. How did the post-war context shape your approach to architecture and urban design, and what lessons from that period continue to influence your practice today?
What I learned from Lebanon’s post-war reconstruction is that rebuilding is not just about structures—it’s about healing communities, reconnecting people, and respecting a place’s heritage and identity. Approaching reconstruction holistically by engaging stakeholders and prioritizing urban spaces and landscapes became central to my philosophy.
In post-war Lebanon, the weakness of governing institutions led to the establishment of alternative bodies like the Council of Development and Reconstruction, which oversaw the controversial Solidere project. Solidere took a real estate driven approach to reconstructing downtown Beirut, focusing on profit over the city’s and its people’s needs. Original property owners were unfairly compensated with company shares, and the project isolated the area from the rest of the city with motorways, missing a significant opportunity to reconnect Beirut’s divided neighbourhoods.
This purely financial approach left the area underpopulated and deprived Beirut of a chance for natural reconciliation and social healing. These failures reinforced my belief in taking a more human-centred, culturally sensitive approach to rebuild, where architecture serves as a tool for nation-building and social reconnection.
Your advocacy for cultural heritage and place-making is central to your work. Can you share a specific project where you successfully integrated cultural identity with sustainable development and how you balanced these elements?
The Abey Public School project was an exciting experience. Abey was a mixed community of Christians and Druze before the 1975 Civil War. However, during the war, there was serious conflict between the two communities. Therefore, when asked to design the public school for the village, I saw an opportunity to celebrate the shared heritage of the communities in the project. Schools are vital to building societies and communities. They bring children together who build lifelong friendships and gather families, building bridges between the communities. In addition, I designed the school with easy access to the public areas to provide opportunities to host community activities after hours for the families. The siting and orientation of the buildings were related to the ecological and environmental conditions of the site, while the construction materials were procured locally.
Sustainability is a key focus in Almimariya. How do you ensure that your projects across the Arab world meet the region’s cultural and environmental needs?
Our region is rich and varied in climate, environment, history, and culture. Therefore, there are no standard solutions. Research was a central part of all my projects. I started by collaborating with the clients to formulate what was needed, understand the climate, formulate a climate-responsive design, and investigate local materials and labour to reduce the projects’ impact on the environment and benefit the local craftsmen.
Your work spans post-war reconstruction, heritage preservation, and urban design. How do you balance the demands of these fields, and what values tie them together in your work?
Post-war reconstruction is not simply about rebuilding structures but about rebuilding lives and restoring a sense of community. Heritage preservation and urban design become integral to this process when framed as tools for reconnecting people with their identity and history.
A key example is my work with the late planner Habib Debs on the Salimah project, where we preserved the village’s built heritage. The community realised their stone houses were a testament to their long history, strengthening their connection to the place. In 2003, APSAD (Association for the Protection of Sites and Ancient Dwellings in Lebanon) partnered with the French NGO Patrimoine Sans Frontières (PSF) to designate Salimah as a project site for Lebanese and French architecture students. During workshops in 2002, students identified seventeen water fountains as important meeting points for the residents, and we launched a project to rehabilitate four of these fountains, providing spaces for daily community interaction.
The combination of heritage preservation and urban design gave the residents a renewed sense of belonging and helped maintain the village’s unique character. This holistic approach to reconstruction—connecting people with their history and providing opportunities for reconnection through urban spaces—guided my work in the 2021 post-blast study of Beirut with a team from AUB for UNESCO.
We adopted the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach, which considers the social and economic aspects of the urban context of historic buildings. This methodology encompasses ensembles of buildings, urban spaces, and green areas such as gardens, looking at the conservation of structures not only for their architectural features but also for their social and economic significance. The goal was to rebuild not just structures, but places that people relate to, fostering a deeper connection between the community and its environment.
By balancing these fields, I ensure that my projects honor the past while shaping spaces that encourage social interaction and community resilience.
Heritage preservation and fostering a sense of belonging are key themes in your designs. How do you ensure that your projects, especially in rapidly urbanising areas, protect heritage while fostering community identity?
The challenge we face in protecting heritage in urban environments is mainly economic. As cities grow, the demand for floor space increases, and the value of real estate rises. This often leads to the demolition of low-rise heritage buildings to make way for high-rise developments. However, protecting heritage is not just about preserving buildings; it’s about safeguarding the community’s identity and the urban fabric that connects people to their history.
To address this challenge, legal frameworks are crucial, as is framing heritage as an economic asset. This requires collaboration with governing bodies and community stakeholders. For example, in 1996, our APSAD team worked to preserve heritage buildings in the Peri-center of Beirut. We conducted visual surveys and engaged with the local community to understand the significance of the buildings. We then designated conservation areas and proposed compensating property owners with transferable development rights, allowing for high-rises in areas that could accommodate them. Although the plan was initially ignored due to pressure from developers, over time, the remaining heritage buildings proved to have high economic value, attracting commercial activity because of their unique character.
The 2020 port blast showed the resilience of these heritage areas, as the city’s youth rallied to support affected communities. Their attachment to the area’s urban scale and vibrant life, created by heritage structures, highlighted how much these places contribute to the identity of the city. This sense of belonging was fostered not just by the physical buildings but also by the economic activities and rent laws that protected long-term renters, allowing for diversity and affordability.
Ultimately, protecting heritage in rapidly urbanizing areas requires a legal and economic framework that supports both the physical structures and the communities they represent. By addressing economic challenges head-on and collaborating with stakeholders, we can preserve the identity of these spaces for future generations.
Your firm, Almimariya, operates across different cultural and environmental contexts. What unique challenges and opportunities do you encounter when integrating sustainability into these diverse projects?
The main challenge here in Lebanon is the economy. With political instability, investments in the country have a short-term approach. Therefore, developers have no interest in technologies that save money long term. This is what pushed the Lebanon Green Building Council, to run public awareness campaigns, to educate the end user so they ask for these green measures from developers. Also at the institutional level, when we worked on the Abey Public School, the budget was very tight. We, never the less, designed the systems of the infrastructure to take on green technologies for example the rain water system was designed to be centralized so rain water collection tanks could be installed at a later date. In addition, roof space was allocated for the installation of solar panels in the future.

Can you share a challenge you overcame in your career that, looking back, highlights your persistence and determination?
In 1976, as the civil war in Lebanon escalated, my parents transferred my sister and me to the UK. Unfortunately, the education system there didn’t recognize my sophomore status at AUB and required me to return to high school to take A-Levels. When I visited the RIBA to explain, I was met with the dismissive response, ‘Yes, yes, we know all about you Lebanese refugees.’ This was a shocking wake-up call, making me realize that as long as I was outside the Arab world, I would always be seen as a refugee.
Determined to return home, I went back to high school, sat for the A-Levels, and eventually re-entered university. It took 16 years, but I persevered and made my way back.
What advice would you give architecture students or young professionals starting their careers?
My main advice is to ask, listen, and learn. No project is the result of the effort of one single person. Engage the team, starting with the clients and moving on to the other professionals and artisans. Involving them not only gives you the best advice but also shows respect, which will lead to the best results.
Looking back on your career and the work you’ve done, what do you hope your lasting impact will be, both within your field and on the communities you’ve served?
My main goal was to build in context. By context, I mean not just the physical environment but the social and cultural milieu of the project. My strong sense of identity and belonging has given me a lot of strength throughout my journey.
We are lucky to have such a rich history of civilisations and communities coexisting in peace. More importantly, the sense of belonging and attachment to place is the only way to ensure that future generations take care of their place, their environment, and our planet.
I hope to have instilled that sense of responsibility towards the environment and society in my students, provided spaces of comfort, and celebrated the natural environment for my clients.
Meet our other finalists: Amal Abuelhawa, Eman Shafiq Mohamed Assi, Rozhen Kamal Mohammed-Amin, Sumaya Dabbagh, Hala Asslan, Lebriz Atan Karaatli, Rania Kaadan, Shatha Safi, Ula Merie.
Meet Our Finalists series is a compilation of interviews with those who have been shortlisted for our awards. Hana Alamuddin is a finalist for the Women in Architecture and Construction Award, which recognises women who have made outstanding contributions to architecture and the built environment across the Near East and North Africa.