Recorded: March 10, 2010
L.E.FT is a New York City-based architecture collective comprised of architects Makram El Kadi, Ziad Jamaleddine and Naji Moujaes. Established in 2001, L.E.FT is “dedicated to examining the intersections of cultural and political productions as they relate to the built environment…A focus on unconventional interpretations of architecture is posited as a design onset, redefining the relationship between the architectural object and both its context and its users from a social as well as an aesthetic perspective.” Among the several projects covered in this podcast are the in-construction Beirut Exhibition Center; Art Gallery, Beirut, the Baabdat Residence, Baabdat, Lebanon; and the speculative projects Offshore Urbanism in Lebanon and Terminal City in Dubai.
The firm has been recognized internationally with numerous awards, publications, and exhibitions. The firm was selected in 2002 for participation in the Architectural League’s Young Architects Forum, and as a 2009 finalist for the MoMA/PS1 Young Architects Program. Makram El Kadi received his B.Arch from the American University of Beirut and his M.Arch from Parsons The New School for Design. He currently teaches at Yale University. Ziad Jameleddine received his B.Arch from the American University of Beirut and his M.Arch from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Naji Moujaes received his B.Arch from the American University of Beirut and his M.Arch from SCI-Arc. The partners combine their architectural practice with research projects they conduct in the form of studios at several universities in the U.S.
The Architectural League’s annual Emerging Voices Award spotlights North American individuals and firms with distinct design “voices” that have the potential to influence the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. The work of each Emerging Voice represents the best of its kind, and addresses larger issues within architecture, landscape, and the built environment.
