THE STUDIO
Representative of the current Lebanese architectural avant-garde, Karim Nader Studio has addresses and representatives in Paris, Beirut and Dubai. The current portfolio includes hotels, office towers, houses and commercial spaces in Lebanon, France, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Ivory Coast. The main offices are located in Saifi, in the heart of the Beiruti art scene. The studio collaborates with architects, engineers and contractors of affiliated firms to produce work of quality and craft. From office towers, hotels, residential developments, resorts, to villas or interior design projects, passing by furniture or object design, all projects are given the same attention and passion. The quality of the design and its execution is the result of more than 20 year of experience where personal ties were built with designers, contractors, suppliers, craftspeople and fabricators.
THE FOUNDER
Photograph by Marwan Harmouche.
Karim Nader is an architect whose work is silent, but never still. Contextually and textually engaged, he practices design fervently and conscientiously, believing that architecture moves through nature as much as nature moves through architecture.
Nader graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture with distinction from the American University of Beirut in 1999. He was the first prize winner of the Azar Award as well as the third prize winner of the Aareen Award for excellence in architecture. In 2003, he received his Master of Architecture from Rice University (Houston, Texas, USA).
After independent professional beginnings, Nader collaborated with Blankpage from 2008 until 2016 as founding member. In 2011, he was awarded both the SEF 355 office complex in Sin el Fil, commissioned by Express International, and Triade, a multi-use project commissioned by MEDPROPERTIES and M-Tower S.A.L. In 2012, the FFA Real Estate selected the firm amongst 12 others as the laureate of the Ahlam Country Club competition. In 2015, he won the Badalodge competition, a 20,000sqm eco-resort in Bamako, Mali, organized by Omnium Capital. That same year, Amchit Residence was nominated for the Archmarathon Award.
In 2016, Karim Nader decided to return to independent practice and founded Karim Nader Studio, customizing work “from the landscape to the doorknob.” He has built works, most notably Amchit Residence and Villa Kali, which have been widely published in and recognized by the international press. El Khalil Beach House (Villa Kali), delivered in the summer of 2016, is a major 2,000m2, 10-bedroom fully commissioned seaside mansion – from the architectural scale to interior, furniture design and selection. “The four-year effort was truly moving. It involved collaborations with numerous designers and contractors which sincerely inspired the renewal of the possibility of architecture as a total work of art.”
In June 2018, Nader was selected to participate in Art of Dining producing the Nocturne Majlis, a multi-sensorial dining experience that celebrates the essence of oriental space in the dark shades of modern urbanity and contemporary neurosis. His latest projects include Nineteen84, an office by day, light installation by night, Immeuble de l’Union, the undergoing awaited renovation of the 1952 masterpiece by Lucien Cavro and Antoun Tabet. Karim Nader Studio is also currently collaborating with Dalal Steel and Megaprefab to produce prefabricated low-cost and ecological experiments. In 2019, the studio has been shortlisted for the NPAK international competition and has been selected as the third prize winner of the Hay Jameel Cinema Competition. In 2020, the studio has been commissioned the ongoing repair of 10 Schools with the Swiss government in the middle of devastated Beirut while the Glass House and the villa On the Rocks reach completion.
Celebrating 20 years of thinking and building architecture, “For a Novel Architecture, ciné-roman 2000-2020,” published in Italy by LetteraVentidue is the first retrospective book produced in the form of a visual and textual narrative. The book was awarded Le Geste d’Or in Paris in December 2021.
Nader has taught at the American University of Beirut since 2000, and at the Lebanese American University from 2014 until 2016. From foundation to final project, Nader has conducted numerous design studios and experimental electives, most notably the “Manifesto”, a spiritual and creative workshop that concludes in theatrical expression. “My educational interests include architectural representation and process. I always make sure to emphasize the role of the architectural designer as a passionate, engaged and responsible individual that truly attempts to understand the humbling act of building.” Since 2021, he has been teaching at the Politecnico di Milano the “Landscape Of[f] Limits” Workshop; his 2021 atelier, entitled The Invisible Piacenza was a homage to Calvino and the city as palimpsest.
FEATURED PROJECTS
ONGOING PROJECTS
Immeuble de l'Union, Mixed-Use
La Tour, Mixed-Use
The Orchard, House
La Maison Ivoire - Abidjan, House
Case Study in Bakish, House
Chalet 4H, House
Ski In, House
The Silent House - Dubai, House
Taste of Cherry, Mixed-Use
Over the Clouds, Entertainment
Loft 1970 - Kiev, Apartment
Daman 26 Dreams - Dubai, Apartment
BUILT PROJECTS
The Light Box, Commercial
Sursock 14ème, Apartment
The Glass House, House
On the Rocks, House
10 Schools Repair, Education
Villa Kali, House + Interior
Banque du Liban CMA, Offices
On the Horizon, House
Tahan Villa, House
The House of Small, Installation
Mawad - The Art of Matter, Commercial
Clos du Phoenix, Industrial
Naqoura Public School, Education
Nineteen84, Offices + Scenography
The Nocturne Majlis, Scenography
La Montre, Commercial
The Playoffice, Entertainment
Chiah 765, Offices
GAF & CO. Showroom, Commercial
Kore Showroom, Commercial
Pharmacie du Quartier, Commercial
Gemini House, Apartment
Lana, Apartment
Saifi Penthouse, Apartment
Beit Salwa, House
Pier 7, Entertainment
Riachy Residence, Apartment
A Sioufi Memoir, Apartment
34, Quai Louis Blériot - Paris, Apartment
House in Roumieh, House
Anthony, Apartment
Retour à Beyrouth, Apartment
The Black Vault, Design
KJ Bitar, Apartment
SJ at the Park, Apartment
Boulevard de La Cité, Entertainment
Léa and Rami, Apartment
AWARDS
1998 Azar Award, 1999 Areen Award, 2010 SFF 355 Office Complex Competition - First Prize, 2011 Triade Competition - First Prize, 2012 Ahlam Country Club Competition - First Prize, 2012 Gemstones Competition - Shortlisted, 2013 Badaloge Competition - First Prize, 2014 Archmarathon Award - Nomination: Amchit Residence, 2015 Via Mare Competition - Shortlisted, 2017 Salt Lands Competition - Shortlisted, 2019 Hay Jameel Cinema Competition - 3rd Prize, NPAK Competition- Shortlisted, 2020 Around an Acacia Competition- Shortlisted, 2020 Aurora Winery Competition- 2nd Prize, 2021 Le Geste D’or, 2023 Terra 8 Competition- 2nd Prize, 2022 AD100, 2023 AD100.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
COLLABORATORS
Ivana Nestorovic, Dominique Shemali, Lea Ramadan, Soumer Al-Kamand, Anthony Barakat, Project Management. Dalia Bohsali, Senior Interior Design. Samer Aouad, Alexis Haibe, Architecture. Giulia Cazzaniga, Landscape and Territory.
Past: Roula Akiki Assaf, Mounira El Halabi, George Naba, Sabine Chaaya, Ryam Idriss, Lama Rafeh, Alaa Chaar, Hazar Slim, Reem Obeid, Gaëlle Fahd, Adrian Ebert, Elie Riachi, Bassel Sleem, Alaa Chaar, Nicholas Doghlass, Sarin Vosgerichian, Nadine Abdelsalam, Yasmina Baladi, Issam Raad, Elie Christian Naameh, Charbel abou Chacra, Andrew Georges, Christy Layous, Elias el Hage, Karina el Hage, Nicolas Araman, Iyad abou Ghaida, Sarah Bayeh, Samer Bou Rjeily, Ahmad Yehya, Racha Doughman, Mario Khoury, Karim Nasser, Karen Madi, Jihad Lotfi, Christina Zakhem, Omar Faress Darwishe, Basheer Hejal, Anna Hadati, Tia abou Khalil, Clara Obeid.
Beirut
Nassar Building, 5th floor, 169 Arz street, Beirut, Lebanon — T: +961 1 57 06 57, M: +961 3 773 484
Paris
5 Elisa Lemmonier street, 75012, Paris France
Dubai
Dubai Silicon Oasis, DSO-FZO-24793, Dubai, United Arab Emirates — M: +971 1 50 660 2177
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