Fouad Samara Architects
Fouad Samara Architects is a boutique architectural practice founded in 1997 and based in Beirut, Lebanon, with offices in Jeddah and London, providing original architectural and interior design services for residential, educational, commercial, and institutional clients across the Middle East, Europe, and the USA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersBeirut, Lebanon
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fouad Samara Architects does
Fouad Samara Architects is a boutique architectural practice founded in 1997 in Beirut, Lebanon, by Fouad Samara following the city's post-civil war cultural renaissance. The firm operates with approximately 10 to 19 professionals across three offices (Beirut headquarters, Jeddah regional office, and a London representative office) and provides original architectural and interior design services to clients in the Middle East, Europe, and the USA. Its portfolio spans residential, educational, commercial, hospitality, and cultural-institutional typologies, with signature projects including Modulofts (a 14-story modular duplex-loft building in Beirut with a proprietary sliding-wall system yielding 16 spatial configurations and over 268 million facade variations), CASID (a courtyard-style cultural center at the University of Balamand that won the 2018 Arab Architects Awards Grand Prize), the B School (a rammed-earth educational facility in the Beqaa Valley), and the RSGT Central Facilities Building in Jeddah.
The firm's core technical approach emphasizes indigenous architecture that draws on traditional Lebanese, Arab, and Mediterranean archetypes reinterpreted through a modernist lens. Key methodologies include modular loft design with reconfigurable sliding-wall systems using steel corbels and multi-layer gasket seals, sustainable construction using 100% renewable rammed earth sourced from project sites, fair-faced concrete (Beton Brut), and facade innovations such as winter-garden balconies, sliding walls, louvers, and trellis screens. The firm applies these techniques across residential villas and duplex lofts, educational and cultural facilities, mixed-use developments, and commercial buildings such as the Markstone Studios hub in Dubai.
The business model is project-based professional services: revenue is generated through architectural and interior design commissions, typically acquired via architectural competitions (with documented 1st-prize wins including JIP Office Park Jeddah 2004, XZ Center Jeddah 2003, and Arab Architects Awards 2018) and direct referrals. The firm segments its clientele across high-end residential developers and homeowners, educational and institutional clients (universities, schools), and commercial and hospitality developers. Marketing is conducted primarily through architectural press (Dezeen, Wallpaper*, Metropolis, Archdaily, designboom), awards programs, a portfolio website, and social media channels. The firm is privately held, founder-owned, and bootstrapped with no disclosed external investment.
Fouad Samara Architects firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fouad Samara Architects
- Legal name
- Fouad Samara Architects
- Website
- https://fouadsamaraarchitects.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fouad Samara Architects is a boutique architectural practice founded in 1997 and based in Beirut, Lebanon, with offices in Jeddah and London, providing original architectural and interior design services for residential, educational, commercial, and institutional clients across the Middle East, Europe, and the USA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fouad Samara Architects industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
Keywords
Where Fouad Samara Architects is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beirut
- HQ country
- Lebanon
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices3 records
Markets served
Fouad Samara Architects business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Architectural Design Services: The firm generates revenue through providing architectural and interior design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use projects. Revenue is project-based, typically won through architectural competitions or direct commissions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fouad Samara Architects product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fouad Samara Architects provides bespoke architectural and interior design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use projects, with offices in Beirut, Jeddah, and London. The firm produces original, contextually rooted architecture that draws from traditional Lebanese/Arab and Mediterranean archetypes, applying innovative techniques such as rammed earth construction, reconfigurable sliding-wall loft systems, and modernist reinterpretations of courtyards and winter-garden balconies. Projects are acquired through architectural competitions and direct client commissions across the Middle East, Europe, and the USA.
Product overview
Fouad Samara Architects is a boutique architectural firm established in 1997, based in Beirut, Lebanon with offices in Jeddah and London. The firm offers original architectural design services across the Middle East, Europe, and the USA. Their portfolio includes residential projects (villas, apartments, chalets), commercial buildings, educational institutions, and public/cultural facilities. Key signature projects include Modulofts (modular duplex lofts with reconfigurable sliding walls), CASID (courtyard-style cultural center at University of Balamand), B School (rammed earth school), and various residential villas. The firm applies a stringent design process aimed at developing architecture of integrity void of stylistic branding, producing indigenous architecture relevant to cultural, social, physical, and economic context.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Modulofts: 16 different spatial configurations per loft, 268,435,456 possible facade variations
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fouad Samara Architects
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Fouad Samara Architects technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Fouad Samara Architects partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT)coreThe firm designed the Central Facilities Building administration complex at the entry point to RSGT in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The development includes a series of red brick walls that snake around the site tying different components together, creating a coherent background for the terminal's entrance activities.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Fouad Samara Architects competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fouad Samara Architects social profiles
Digital presenceFouad Samara Architects financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fouad Samara Architects leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Fouad Samara Architects funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fouad Samara Architects M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fouad Samara Architects
What does Fouad Samara Architects do?
Fouad Samara Architects provides bespoke architectural and interior design services for residential, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use projects, with offices in Beirut, Jeddah, and London. The firm produces original, contextually rooted architecture that draws from traditional Lebanese/Arab and Mediterranean archetypes, applying innovative techniques such as rammed earth construction, reconfigurable sliding-wall loft systems, and modernist reinterpretations of courtyards and winter-garden balconies. Projects are acquired through architectural competitions and direct client commissions across the Middle East, Europe, and the USA.
Is Fouad Samara Architects a public or private company?
Fouad Samara Architects is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Fouad Samara Architects founded?
Fouad Samara Architects was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fouad Samara Architects based?
Fouad Samara Architects is headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, in the Middle East region.
How does Fouad Samara Architects make money?
One revenue line is on record: architectural Design Services.
Does Fouad Samara Architects have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fouad Samara Architects.
What industry is Fouad Samara Architects in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAA, Architectural Design Services, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services. Its NAICS code is 541310.