Farshid Moussavi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Farshid Moussavi
Born	1965 (age 59–60) Shiraz, Iran
Nationality	British
Alma mater	Harvard University Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London Dundee University
Occupation	Architect
Practice	Farshid Moussavi Architecture Previously Foreign Office Architects
Buildings	Ōsanbashi, International Passenger Terminal, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio

Farshid Moussavi at the Tate Gallery

The famous Yokohama International Passenger Terminal in Japan.

A close-up of the Edificio Bambú (or "Bamboo Building") in Madrid, which is a social housing project.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland.

The Folie Divine building in Montpellier.

The Ismaili Center Houston.

An art installation exploring how buildings make us feel, shown at the 13th Venice Biennale.

Farshid Moussavi OBE RA (born in 1965) is a well-known architect, teacher, and author. She was born in Iran but is now British.

Farshid Moussavi started her own architecture firm called Farshid Moussavi Architecture (FMA). She also teaches architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Her firm, FMA, is based in London. It is known for designing buildings that are creative and also care about people and communities. These projects include art museums, community centers, and even schools.

Before starting FMA, she helped create another famous firm called Foreign Office Architects (FOA). This firm was known for combining architecture, city planning, and landscape design.

In 2015, Farshid Moussavi became a Royal Academician, which is a special honor for artists and architects in the UK. In 2018, she received an award called the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her great work in architecture.

Early Life and Education

Farshid Moussavi was born in Shiraz, Iran, in 1965. In 1979, when she was 14, she moved to London to go to boarding school. She studied architecture at the University of Dundee and the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London. She then earned a master's degree in architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD).

Farshid Moussavi's Career

Farshid Moussavi first became famous with Foreign Office Architects (FOA). She started this firm in 1993 with another architect, Alejandro Zaera-Polo.

At FOA, she helped design the award-winning Yokohama International Ferry Terminal in Japan. This project won an international design competition in 1995. She also worked on many other projects around the world. These included the John Lewis store in Leicester, England, and social housing in Madrid, Spain.

In 2011, Farshid Moussavi started her own firm, Farshid Moussavi Architecture (FMA), in London. Some of her important projects with FMA include the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland in the USA. She also designed a residential tower in Montpellier, France, and worked on parts of Harrods department store in London.

Currently, FMA is working on several big projects. These include The Ismaili Center Houston in the USA, an elementary school in Paris, and a new store in Shanghai.

How Buildings Make Us Feel

Farshid Moussavi is not just an architect; she also does a lot of research. Since 2005, she has been a professor at Harvard University. Her research looks at how buildings are made and how they make people feel. She explores how architects can design buildings to create unique experiences for people.

She believes that buildings can actively change our daily lives and feelings. She argues that architects should design buildings that offer new and interesting experiences. This is important because it can help people move away from routine and open up new ways of thinking and acting. For her, the beauty of architecture comes from how it provides experiences that wouldn't exist otherwise.

Farshid Moussavi has written several books. Her books explore how different parts of architecture, like design, structure, and style, all work together. She suggests that architecture's creative power comes from connecting these different elements.

Her most recent book, "Architecture and Micropolitics, Four Buildings 2011-2022" (2022), talks about how architecture can create change in everyday life. She believes architects should use unexpected events and personal ideas to make buildings fit into the small, daily happenings of life.

Selected Projects

Farshid Moussavi Architecture

• 2023 – Present: Elementary School, Saclay, Paris, France
• 2023 – Present: Mixed-use block, Montpellier, France
• 2023 – Present: Flagship Store, Shanghai
• 2022 – House, Hove, UK
• 2022 – Fiorucci Pop-up Stores, London, UK
• 2022 – Installation for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London, UK
• 2021 – Harrods World Department, Harrods Department Store, London, UK
• 2021 – Installation for the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy
• 2019 – Present: Ismaili Cultural Center, Houston, USA
• 2019 – Installation for "Is This Tomorrow?" at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK
• 2019 – Design of Magdalene Odundo exhibition at the Hepworth Wakefield, UK
• 2018 – Harrods Toys Department, London, England
• 2017 – Residential Complex, La Défense-Nanterre, Paris, France
• 2017 – Folie Divine residential tower, Montpellier, France
• 2017 – Exhibition design for Architectural Drawings at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London, UK
• 2016 – Victoria Beckham Flagship Store, London, England
• 2012 – Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
• 2012 – Installation for Common Ground at 13th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy

Foreign Office Architects

• 2010 – Ravensbourne Design and Communication College, London, UK
• 2007 – Carabanchel Social Housing, Madrid, Spain
• 2000 – 2008 – John Lewis department store and Cineplex, Leicester, England
• 2004 – South-East Coastal Park and Auditoriums, Barcelona, Spain
• 2002 – British Pavilion at the 8th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy
• 2002 – Yokohama International Port Terminal, Yokohama, Japan
• 2002 – Spanish Pavilion at the International Expo in Aichi
• 2002 – Auditorium, Torrevieja, Spain
• 2002 – Police Station, La Villajoyosa, Spain

Awards and Honors

Farshid Moussavi and her former firm, Foreign Office Architects (FOA), have received many awards.

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See also

In Spanish: Farshid Moussavi para niños