RAYA MATTAR
Photo credits: Tarek Talhamy. Portrait courtesy of Raya Mattar.
Raya Mattar, from Fassouta Village – Palestine, is a 5th-year Architecture student at Ariel University. Raya interns at Riwaq Architecture – in Tarshiha village. With her love of nature, Raya feels being in nature is the best place for her to reflect on her thoughts. Driven by positive energy, Raya always tries to believe in herself while helping others. She is motivated by her goals and dreams and works hard to achieve them. As an aspiring professional, Raya lives by her special quote, "It's going to be hard, but hard does not mean impossible."
Three additional fun facts about Aya
Image courtesy of Raya Mattar.
I am the first granddaughter among 12.
Always inspired by food and how it informs you of people’s cultures.
Traditional weddings last about an average of seven days.
Served as a scout member since she was in the 4th grade.
Fulfilling My Dreams for My Culture
What inspired you to study architecture?
Simple, inspired by my father, who is an architect. In the past, he used to design floor plans and give them to my sister and me to paint them since there were no technological advancements to print at the time. When I was young in school, my favorite part was designing and building physical models. I thought of different yet creative ways to design my physical; sometimes, I would ask my parents for help. I remember one time, I was given a task to build a model of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco; which, was not less than 3 meters. I remember the excitement that filled us when my group and I completed and presented the model to the students and teachers. It was amazing! As we worked on the model for two whole weeks, my interest in architecture continued to grow.
After high school, I completed an online screening test to see what subject suits me best to learn. You guessed it, the first test result was architecture. To me, architecture is a mixture of art history, design, technology, and human relations. When I travel, I am always interested in visiting historic buildings like cathedrals, churches, mosques, and temples. My decision to study architecture was one of the best decisions that I made in my life.
Name a woman architect (preferably Arab or Middle Eastern) who most influenced you as an emerging professional? Why or How did they?
A woman architect who influenced me most is Zaha Hadid. Zaha is one of the prominent architects who have contributed to conceiving unprecedented and innovative architecture. Generations eager for creativity from among architectural students and architects, who admire her designs, find it difficult to determine the underlying reason for her works' uniqueness. Although there is a notable interest in different media for her works, there is no equivalent reaction in the academic field on the systematic analysis for her techniques in designing the architectural form.
Name a favorite project completed by a Woman Architect (preferably Arab or Middle Eastern). Why is it your favorite?
Heydar-Aliyev Cultural Centre in Azerbaijan designed by the famous architect, Zaha Hadid, located in the city of Baku. The Center houses a conference hall, a gallery hall, and a museum. The project is intended to play an integral role in the intellectual life of the city. Located close to the city center, the site plays a pivotal role in the redevelopment of Baku. It's one of my favorite projects because the design establishes a continuous, fluid relationship between its surroundings and the building’s interior. The exterior cladding is designed differently and distinctively; the design and continuity are fluid between the building and the landscape. There is an appropriate selection of materials, allowing powerful plasticity of the building’s design. The concept of the exterior cladding design is: "if the surface is the music, then the seams between the panels are the rhythm." This is, indeed, one of my favorite projects, everything is just perfect!
How does your culture/ethnicity affect your studies and the way you design?
Arabic architecture, such as Islamic, is amazing and outstanding; in terms of design and construction. Studying the history of Islamic architecture, I have learned about different construction methods such as, the arch — its constructional features, building procedure, and the material from which it is built – has always fascinated me. As far as I’m concerned, the arch is one of the special elements in Arabic architecture, and I have always wondered how they managed to build arches back then; especially when they did not have the required tools to perform this type of construction.
From the Greeks until postmodern architecture, one can say that architecture is dynamic and changes based on the period we live in. Unfortunately, Arabic architecture has begun to disappear and, in some places, destroyed. This can no longer happen anymore. We must improve and enhance this type of architecture. As an aspiring architect, I did not have the opportunity to design projects that included design elements inspired by Arabic architecture. As a result, I decided to adopt Arabic architecture in my final project: re-planning and redesigning the village of Tarshiha, located in upper Galilee, Palestine. For years, Tarshiha village has been trying to function as a city, however; without success due to problems in its urban planning. The old neighborhood is characterized by alleys, adjacent apartments, and yards. Throughout the design, I sincerely hope Tarshiha turns into a neighborhood that meets modern urban standards. The design portraysTarshiha as the beating heart of the entire village, without losing its historical elements and values.
Are there any organizations that helped you grow in architecture? How did they help you grow?
Nowadays, we have many tools, such as social media, that help us in our career by providing knowledge and ideas. Social media gives us access to the domain we want. We can ask any questions and different platforms will provide the relevant answers. It gives us ideas from many different works and architects. During the pandemic, even though we had to stay at home, a few Facebook groups have organized meetings, free and open to all, with architects as a networking opportunity. In my opinion, it's one of the best methods to expand knowledge and expose ourselves to new things. I hope when the pandemic is over, we continue a few remote methods because it is convenient and helpful for many.
If you were able to talk to your younger self, what would you say?
I would tell myself these things:
“Raya, I am you from the future. If you want your life to be better and be closer to your dreams and reach the goals you have to listen to me and try to do what I ask you to do! Furthermore, you have to do what feels right to do.
Try to do these things!"
3rd-year project: hospitality center.
"Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4:8
Always put your family first – your father, mother, brother, and sister they are the most important people in our lives.
Study very well, because it's the beginning of success.
Read a lot of books, stories, and articles, because reading always helps us expand our knowledge.
Help others if you are capable.
Do not trust everyone, and be aware of bad people.
Think different and out of the box and be creative.
Seek respect, not attention it lasts longer.
"Love" is the key to life.
Be healthy.
Failure is not the opposite of success; it's part of success.
Work hard, Dream big.
If you get tired learn to rest.
Your quote for every day: "it's a beautiful day to go after your dreams"
Keep it simple.
Stay strong – YOU CAN DO IT!
Stop dreaming, start achieving.
3rd-year project: hospitality center.
What would you want to say to the next generation of aspiring Arab women architects?
"I'm sure that as a woman I can do a very good sky scarper. I don’t think that’s only for men." - Zaha Hadid
In many instances, Zaha Hadid discusses concerns about women’s position in society and its importance. Hadid interprets the importance of a woman and the wonderful power that we have. It says that a woman is half of society, and without her, there is no society.
Urban concept model.
To me fellow women, architecture needs your emotions, your creativity, and your creative thoughts. Architecture is full of challenges that need to be addressed; however, you are capable to learn, grow, and overcome any tough obstacles. concentrate on your dreams; plan and fulfill. Each one of us will face a lot of thorns in every path we take, but we will always be able to get through it with our strength. We will be able to plant flowers instead. Even though it may not seem easy, we will build skyscrapers, and the whole world will see and say "she dreamed, planned, and fulfilled herself and her dreams".
I want to say to all of you, do not ever give up because the world needs you! Love yourself, and then you will be able to give that love to everything you do. That will make all the differences. Be strong and reach the stars.
"I will not name you a woman, I will call you everything" – Mahmoud Darwish
Urban Planning Final Presentation.
In terms of rising concerns and problems (in the architectural profession) over the past year, what is one change that you wish saw would happen and still did not?
Architecture is a wide world; whether it is in your studies or terms of work. Regarding education, it is conducted differently from work, but the way of thinking we learn is the basic rule for success at work. One of the things to deal with is how to design based on laws and regulations. I wish at least one of the projects would require us to consider the building codes.
I would like to learn more about how to draw, make accurate sketches, and architectural drawings. I also wish to have the opportunity to study more than one course in interior design. Moreover, we studied architectural history extensively. I would have preferred to change the testing methods. Being a new intern, colleagues help me understand that the professional world highly differs from educational systems.
Urban planning in 4th year.
