AIA Middle East members with President Li Ren in Petra during the Year-End Conference
As 2025 comes to a close, AIA Middle East reflects on a year shaped by expanded programming, meaningful conversations, and strengthened connections across the region. Under the leadership of President Li Ren, the Chapter focused on building an inclusive and active platform that supports young professionals alongside long-standing members, while continue to raise the Middle East’s presence within the international architectural community.
With the region’s architectural sector continuing to grow, AIA Middle East has become an increasingly important space for professional development, leadership, and exchange. Thanks to the dedication of the board, volunteers, and partners, the Chapter delivered one of its most active years to date, grounded in collaboration, shared learning, and opportunity. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made it possible.
Throughout 2025, AIA Middle East supported emerging talent and design leadership through a wide range of events and partnerships. Highlights included collaboration with the American University in the Emirates and ZWSOFT for the Future Designers Awards, empowering students to shape the future of design, and the third edition of Architects of Tomorrow at Cityscape Bahrain, where architecture students presented bold ideas using only the power of public speaking.
The Chapter also advanced architectural dialogue through lectures and conferences, including an engaging talk by Ping Jiang, FAIA, on reimagining environmental identity, co-hosted with the American University in Dubai, and the 2025 AIA Middle East Year-End Conference in Amman, Jordan.
The two-day 2025 AIA ME Year-End conference became both a professional and cultural highlight, exploring regenerative design through the lens of regional heritage and craftsmanship. Architectural tours to Salt City, Mount Nebo, and Petra deepened the experience, reinforcing the strong connection between place, history, and contemporary practice.
Design excellence was further celebrated through the 2025 AIA Middle East Design Awards, held during the Year-End Conference. The awards recognized student projects that demonstrated innovation, strong contextual awareness, and thoughtful environmental strategies, reflecting the Chapter’s ongoing commitment to nurturing the next generation of architects.
AIA Middle East also strengthened regional and global exchange by moderating knowledge-sharing panels at Downtown Design Dubai during Dubai Design Week. Conversations explored themes such as designing with nature and the future of urban mobility in line with UAE Vision 2030, highlighting the Chapter’s role as a bridge between practice, academia, and industry.
Looking ahead to 2026, AIA Middle East is preparing for an exciting new chapter, with Abu Dhabi set to host of the AIA International Conference, a landmark moment for the region. As the Chapter continues to grow, AIA Middle East remains committed to creating the conditions for its members to rise together, fostering leadership, collaboration, and architectural excellence across the Middle East and beyond.
