Faculty Profile: Karim Nader

Professor Karim Nader

Karim Nader, associate professor in the Department of Architecture and Design, started teaching in 2004. An AUB architecture graduate himself, he received his BA in 1999. "As a student, I felt that there was something open-minded, rich, and really deep here. . . My teachers taught me to push myself to the end and reach my full potential, and this is what I do to my students now."

In 2001, Nader taught basic design courses to first-year students. One year later, he left Lebanon to earn his master's at Rice University in Houston, Texas. In 2003, he then headed back to Lebanon and to AUB, where he taught courses in 2004 and worked for a year as a freelance architect. He remained connected to AUB through his work as a research assistant.

"Architecture has to do with designing the spaces in which we live. Anything not given by nature is something we design and deals in all scales. We design cities and we design little pieces of furniture," Nader told AUBulletin Today.

Nader says he has a growing passion for architecture and believes he is well-suited to its artistic, as well as its mathematical dimensions. "I chose architecture when I was six years old. I liked drawing buildings. I decided this would be my life. . ." He describes himself as "a scientific person who can express himself."

To Nader, architecture is not only designing buildings, but also pertains to music, opera, and other arts. He gives a class that is titled Manifesto, in which students express themselves on stage and study the work of architects, poets, playwrights, musicians, and others.

Executing projects made by the students mainly happens through AUB, which gives them the opportunity to actually make use of public spaces in a better, more efficient way. The recently formed Public Art Committee at the department gives the students the opportunity of decorating specific sites in the University. The purpose of the committee is to improve any space with a public dimension, be it through furniture, lighting, decorating the walls, or in other ways.

Nader says AUB is the best example of a united student body. "The students come from different contexts and live together in harmony." He added that AUB has a fantastic campus, which contributes a great deal. "Nature, the silence, and the environment are very conducive to learning. I appreciate the fact that there is a sense of freedom for both student and teacher. . . Anyone can grow to become what they want, and this reflects itself in the diversity in the projects undertaken."