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September 11, 202509/09/25 – AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee Meeting with Reem Makkawi
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On September 9 , 2025, the AIANY Emerging New York Architects was pleased to host its monthly committee meeting, featuring Reem Makkawi on “Architecture Beyond Buildings: Craft, Code, and Cultural Futures,” at the Center for Architecture.
It was our welcome the distinguished speaker, Reem Makkawi, design principal of ArtsMatch, founder of FurnitureMatch. Reem reflected on her journey between design firms, corporate, and independent practice, with experiences spanning from Rafael Viñoly Architects, Perkins & Will, and Anderson Anderson Architecture, to concert halls, cultural campuses, AI-driven workflows, her social impact platforms, and her vision for the future practice of architects and designers.
Reem lights up the room with her passion, and she shared how she stays motivated, what makes her stand out, when she decided to start her own practice, and the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurship.
Meanwhile, the Center for Architecture is a perfect place for our emerging professionals to connect and share ideas—we had great outcomes, and were glad to see more members engage with our community.
Special thanks to Karen Rose Cover, Associate Director of Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation (GSAPP) Career Services, for promoting the meeting to the GSAPP community.
This event was moderated by Hao-Yeh Lu, Co-Chair of AIANY Emerging New York Architects, with photography by Chia-Han Lin and Nika(Mo) Mo, AIA, PMP.
Thanks to everyone who attended, we hope to see you at the next ENYA events!
Emerging New York Architects
The AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) encourages leadership among emerging architects (licensed 10 years or fewer) and allied professionals in the design and construction industry. We engage NYC’s diverse young professional community with an equally diverse slate of programming that focuses on career development, design excellence, and public outreach. Committee meetings are open to the public, and are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm, both virtually and in-person at the Center for Architecture, unless otherwise noted.
