About – ArchiLAB

Detail-oriented
Tailored Design

Our
Philosophy

Our design philosophy is based on the idea that good design is not just beautiful aesthetics that are eye-pleasing but ultimately skin deep, but rather a response to a deep human need. Therefore, we never lose sight of the fact that design is there to serve its users, thus first & foremost is its utilitarian purpose not just its purely aesthetic features. Design is a creative process of problem-solving based on a set of parameters that differ with each project, thus at ArchiLAB there is no one-size-fits-all approach, but rather each project presents a new opportunity + challenges us to push our creative limits forward.

Principles

We do not have a ‘house’ style and look at every project afresh; creating attractive places to inhabit that are richly detailed & diverse in character, not just responding to, but rather celebrating the context, climate, culture, customs & heritage of their setting, reinforcing a sense of identity + place.

Approach

ArchiLAB’s approach to design is based on a commitment to contemporary ideas & detailing within a framework of street patterns, scale & proportions, with an emphasis focused on sourcing the finest materials & delivering a meticulously detailed product.

Recognising that buildings have a substantial life expectancy, passing fashions are rejected in the search for a timeless quality.

Process

At ArchiLAB, we believe that the process of design is a continuous state of collaboration between our clients & us, ensuring that our clients are always informed about how their project is coming along, and thus are able to take an active role in shaping their projects.

We find that this approach reinforces the clients, sense of ownership of the design & builds a stronger bond between the places we create & the people that they serve.

Design Development

ArchiLAB’s designs tend to have a single key sketch that encapsulates our main design idea, based on our interpretation of the Client’s brief and the various other project particulars. This sketch is then developed throughout the span of the project & detailed further & further until the final product is achieved.

To the left are a few examples of our projects comparing the key sketch with the final product.

Sustainability

We take the climate crisis very seriously & therefore we are very passionate about the preservation of the natural environment. Being part of an international industry that contributes 40% of Carbon emissions we understand our responsibility to do everything within our means to ensure that our projects have the most minimal carbon footprint possible. As a result, sustainability is a key tenet of all our projects from the pre-concept stage to completion & not a stuck-on afterthought forced unto an already-finished building.

Capability

We are as good as our people, is what we, ArchiLAB, & our sister practices believe, having a talented staff of 40 architects, engineers & designers in 3 different continents, working on some of the most exciting projects worldwide. Research is at the heart of what we do striving to always be on the cutting edge of technology in both the design & construction of our buildings. Thus we have always been early adopters of incorporating BIM, VR & AR, Computational Design, AI, as well as 3D printing in architectural practice.

Our
Founder

As the Principal of ArchiLAB, Ibrahim is responsible for the practice’s strategic focus & business goals as well as his original passion for the art of design He is directly involved with quality initiatives including design excellence, sustainability, & technical delivery; he oversees firm growth, diversification & development; as well as defining its business objectives for performance, collaborative operations and staff development.

Ibrahim holds an MSc & a BAc architecture from Cairo University and an MA from the American University in Cairo.