East Architecture Studio

East Architecture Studio Founded in 2015, EAST Architecture Studio is a collective practice committed to architectural design and experimental research.

BACKGROUND

Founded in 2015, EAST Architecture Studio is a collective practice committed to architectural design and experimental research. The firm’s systematic design approach questions a wide range of cultural, urban, ecological and material knowledge that stimulate the significance and creativity of a project. We seek design solutions that optimize the use of sustainable energies, natural reso

urces and human comfort to yield high performance buildings and urban environments. We aim at delivering a product that is polyvalent and inventive, while contextual. We believe that architecture has a social, economic and historical responsibility that we use as a trigger for innovation. We are committed to be constantly aware of upcoming changes and challenges in an ever evolving environment, and to synthesize the information around us in its most essential components. FOUNDERS

Nicolas Fayad

Lebanese national Nicolas Fayad completed his bachelor in Architecture at the American University of Beirut in 2008 before earning a Masters in Architecture with distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 2010. Fayad’s academic path was furthered by professional experiences in international offices such as Ateliers Jean Nouvel in Paris, and Morphosis Architects in New York City. His work has been exhibited at Harvard, the Venice Biennale, the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Culture and published in Wallpaper Magazine, Architecture Record and l’Officiel. He was recently recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the ‘30 Under 30’ in the Art and Design category. Charles Kettaneh

Lebanese-American born Charles Kettaneh joined the Department of Architecture at the American University of Beirut in 2003 before moving to New York City where he earned his bachelor in Architecture with honors from Pratt Institute in 2009. Kettaneh is the recipient of the Outsdanding Merit Award offered by Pratt Institute, and his thesis work was selected and presented at the Pratt Awards. His work was also published in the Pratt ‘In Process’ publication throughout his degree. His professional path includes experiences in international design offices across the USA such as Nelson, RSVP Studio and Perkins Eastman before joining Raed Abillama Architects in Lebanon.

We are thrilled to share that EAST Architecture Studio has been selected as a finalist for the Grand Prix of the Prix du...
10/07/2026

We are thrilled to share that EAST Architecture Studio has been selected as a finalist for the Grand Prix of the Prix du Design IMA 2026 with AlMusalla | On Weaving.

Presented as the winning project of the AlMusalla Prize AlMusalla Prize by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation Diriyah Biennale Foundation AlMusalla reimagines the Islamic prayer space through modularity, craft, reuse, and regional weaving traditions.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Arab World Institute Institut du monde arabe for this unique recognition, and to the Diriyah Biennale Foundation for the vision and support behind the AlMusalla Prize.

With deep thanks to our collaborators AKT II AKT II and Rayyane Tabet for shaping this project with us.

The Arab World Institute would like to extend its warmest thanks to for its support, as well as to Horizon AlUla and Design Space AlUla | مساحة العلا للتصميم

This Design Award is organized in partnership with Paris Design Week Trame Paris and Manufactures nationales and in media partnership with AD Middle East ELLE Décoration France and Canvas Magazine

Congratulations to all the finalists !

We are glad to share that AlMusalla has been selected as a finalist in the Small Scale & Installation category for  Buil...
13/02/2026

We are glad to share that AlMusalla has been selected as a finalist in the Small Scale & Installation category for Building of the Year 2026 !
Conceived as a contemporary interpretation of spiritual space, AlMusalla explores the interplay of light, geometry, and materiality to create an environment rooted in reflection, gathering, and collective presence. A project shaped by cultural meaning and human experience, it stands as a quiet yet powerful architectural gesture.
Support us by casting your vote via the link in bio.
Photos Courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation
Photographer


11/02/2026

We’re honored to share that EAST Architecture Studio has been appointed as scenographers of the Lebanese Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia Arte 2026.
Working alongside artist Nabil Nahas, curator Nada Ghandour, and the Lebanese Visual Art Association, we are shaping the spatial experience of ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’, an immersive installation unfolding over 45 meters at the Arsenale.
The pavilion becomes a navigable frieze and an experience to be inhabited. Drawing on geometry, cosmology, and layered cultural references, the scenography supports a journey through unity and contradiction, rootedness and transcendence, echoing Lebanon’s plural and evolving identity.
We are proud to contribute to Lebanon’s presence on the international art stage and grateful for the trust placed in us through this collaboration.
Arsenale, Venice
May 9 to November 22, 2026


From a place of gathering and reflection to a contemporary architectural landmark, AlMusalla reinterprets spiritual spac...
05/02/2026

From a place of gathering and reflection to a contemporary architectural landmark, AlMusalla reinterprets spiritual space through light, geometry, and materiality. A project grounded in cultural meaning and crafted for collective experience. Nominated for Building of the Year, cast your vote and be part of this recognition via the link in bio.



Photos by

Thrilled to be included in this year’s AD100 Middle East honourees list, a celebration of the designers, architects and ...
04/12/2025

Thrilled to be included in this year’s AD100 Middle East honourees list, a celebration of the designers, architects and creative voices shaping the future of our region.
Grateful to be recognised among such inspiring talents who continue to reinterpret heritage, push materiality, and imagine new possibilities for our built environment.
With appreciation to the team for this distinction and to everyone who continues to support our vision.
Photographers in order of appearance .photographs
Photos 1, 3, 5 and 7 are the courtesy of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation

A cross section through our Capsule Retreat reveals its intimate relationship with the land, organized from the inside o...
30/11/2025

A cross section through our Capsule Retreat reveals its intimate relationship with the land, organized from the inside out, compact, and intentional.
Photograph by .photographs

As we conclude our participation in two remarkable moments for AlMusalla, we reflect on its journey and the conversation...
23/11/2025

As we conclude our participation in two remarkable moments for AlMusalla, we reflect on its journey and the conversations it has helped spark.
In Venice, a fragment of our musalla found a temporary home within ‘Rooted Transience’ at the historic Abbazia di San Gregorio, a site layered with movement, memory, and spiritual resonance. There, it entered into dialogue with ideas of place, impermanence, and the architectures that carry us.
Meanwhile, the musalla itself traveled from Jeddah to Bukhara to take part in the Bukhara Biennale, continuing its exploration of how ritual spaces migrate, adapt, and connect across geographies. To see it situated within the rich cultural fabric of Bukhara has been profoundly meaningful.
With the closing of both exhibitions, we extend our thanks to the curators, collaborators, and visitors who engaged with the work along the way. These encounters, rooted, transient, and everywhere in between, are what give the musalla its life.



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Dora Highway
Beirut
1107-2020

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