Architect Fajer al Qattan Interview

Interview: Architect Fajer al Qattan Keep an eye out for the name Fajer al Qattan in the field of architecture. Fajer al Qattan is the lead architect for the firm Prepline and speaks with admiration of his boss Essa Behbehani. “I’ve never seen someone captivate a room full of people while talking about very dry stuff. He’s super smart and super motivated to do well,” says Al-Qattan. But the same could be said of Al-Qattan as well.

The first person in his family to get a master’s degree, Al-Qattan is proud to have gotten a degree in a field that sparked his passion. He hopes to someday open up his own architectural firm, ideally with for-profit and not-for-profit departments, and help institutions in developing nations creates sustainable designs. When asked to encapsulate in words what it means to be an architect, he says, “I guess I make business owners’ dreams come to life. Restaurants, salons, shops,” and anything else they can conceive.

His own dream of obtaining a degree and entering the field, he says, took “so much blood sweat and tears,” to achieve but was worth it. When asked what sparked his interest in design, given that the majority of his family members are in the engineering or medical field, Al-Qattan credits his design and technology teacher Jason Bell who made things “just click,” in terms of helping his students discover hidden talents.

His aunt Farida al Herz similarly encouraged him to strive for excellence, regardless of what career path he chose. Today, Al-Qattan says that he is motivated when he sees the “face of the client after they see the end product: their eyes light up. No matter how smooth or rough the process is,” this sight makes it all worth it. When asked what advice he would give to aspiring.