raed arnaout-sard architects & planners

FOUNDER

“Cities are living narratives—continuously shaped by the enduring dialogue among people, place, memory, dreams, and time.” Raed Arnaout

““Architecture often celebrates iconic buildings. Yet the true measure of the built environment lies not in its landmarks, but in the ordinary places where everyday life unfolds. These are the places where people build relationships, create memories, pursue dreams, and shape their future. Cities are living narratives—continuously shaped by the enduring dialogue among people, place, memory, dreams, and time.” Raed Arnaout

Raed Arnaout
رائد أرناووط
Founder | Architect | Urbanist | Strategic Advisor

Raed Arnaout is an architect, urbanist, strategic advisor, and author with more than three decades of professional experience across the Middle East and North Africa. With a Master’s degree in Design Theory, Raed has worked with private-sector organizations on a wide range of architecture, urbanism, and development initiatives, from individual buildings and institutional facilities to large-scale urban developments, strategic studies, and city-making projects. Throughout his career, he has led multidisciplinary teams, managed complex projects, provided design and technical leadership, and served as an advisor and client representative on major developments across the region. His experience spans urban planning, urban design, city branding, mixed-use developments, high-rise buildings, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, cultural projects, and strategic development initiatives.

As a designer and thinker, Raed has collaborated with some of the Arab world’s most influential architects, including Dr. Abdel Halim Ibrahim and Dr. Rasem Badran, and has participated in more than thirty architectural and urban design competitions. He has contributed to the delivery of more than seventy projects across the MENA region, working with leading regional and international firms.
Beyond professional practice, Raed has maintained a long-standing engagement with academia, reflecting his belief in making a difference by giving back to his community through serving as an industrial professor, a graduation project guide, a lecturer in contemporary design theory, and an external jury member at several universities, such as the German Jordanian University and HTU University. Raed is also a scholar of contemporary Arab architecture and urbanism. His research focuses on cultural identity, self-representation, and the influence of Orientalism on the built environment.

In 2009, he published his first book, Orientalism in Arab Architecture (Arabic), which was longlisted for the Sheik Zayed Book Award. In 2023, he published his second book, London 1851 – Dubai 2021: The Questectural Identity and Orientalism, which expands his research into urbanization, world expositions, and the evolution of contemporary Arab architecture and urbanism. His articles have appeared in professional journals, magazines, and newspapers, and he has spoken at architecture, urbanism, and planning conferences. He has also contributed to public discourse on architecture and culture for Arab Architectural identity through media appearances and research initiatives.