IE School of Architecture and Design's Dana Alfayez on NOMAD, Participatory Approaches, and Destinations That Spark Creativity
By Julia Gamolina
An architect and entrepreneur, Dana began working for OMB Architects not long after graduating from university. However, it was her ambition to create her own business that led her to IE School of Architecture & Design to take part in the Master in Business for Architecture which enabled her to found NOMAD, a platform which helps brands, entrepreneurs and designers find and book brick-and-mortar spaces for their short-term presence in the offline market, making renting a shop as easy as booking an Airbnb.
JG: Why did you decide to study architecture?
DA: Living in a house with many books and magazines, I found myself attracted to architecture magazines my mum used to buy when my parents were building our house. I would spend hours flipping the pages and dreaming of my own house. This didn’t stop here; I noticed myself reading and understanding floorplans and trying to sketch and transmit the images in my head to a 2D representation of my ideas. With no one in my circle who has studied architecture, I had to do my own due diligence to understand what architecture studies entail and this is when I fell in love with it and made the decision to pursue it.
Dana during her website lauch.
Why did you choose IE, and what were your favorite projects and initiatives you worked on?
After getting my B.S. in Architecture from the German Jordanian University, I began working at OMB Architects & Interior Designers in Amman, Jordan. Although I gained invaluable experience, I decided I wanted to pursue my own venture. This led me to Madrid, Spain where I took part in the Master in Business for Architecture and Design. I chose this program because it bridges the gap between architecture and the business and entrepreneurial world.
It was during this program that I began my venture lab, NOMAD, the first easily accessible marketplace for temporary spaces in Jordan and the Middle East. Focusing on the retail real estate sector, NOMAD is a platform which helps brands, entrepreneurs and designers find and book brick-and-mortar spaces for their short-term presence in the offline market, making premium retail spaces accessible to anyone and any brand. This project turned into my full-time focus.
When you were previously searching for internships and jobs, what were you looking for?
I’ve always been in the search of a small-medium architectural office where I can be an active member, where my voice is heard and my point of view is respected.
“What’s most important to me is that cities use participatory approaches to shape our built environment in a way that sparks creativity and elevates the wellbeing of its inhabitants.”
What are you up to now, having graduated from IE?
NOMAD is the fruit of my studies at IE University. I’m currently in my second year of establishing NOMAD moving the business forward and working hard to sustain this company and develop it further to reach the desired vision.
What’s important to you? What inspires you?
I am passionate about creating destinations and spaces that foster interaction, innovation and creativity. What’s most important to me is that cities use participatory approaches to shape our built environment in a way that sparks creativity and elevates the wellbeing of its inhabitants.
My city Amman also inspired me, with all of its potential. Amman is my fuel for creating destinations that foster interaction and creation. There’s a lot that we as architects and forward thinkers can do for our cities and I strongly believe that we should be at the forefront of the decision-making process.
What do you hope to do in your career in general?
In a male-dominated field, I hope to contribute to challenging and changing the status quo of women’s roles in the real estate sector and architecture in the MENA region specifically. I’m hopeful that my role at NOMAD will inspire other talented and skilled female architects to shift to the business side of architecture and explore its potential.
Who do you look up to?
I’ve been influenced by many people around me in many aspects and different phases of my life. In each phase of my life, I encountered inspiring women and men who left inside me certain things that have shaped the person I am today. However, with an absence of a defined role model, I would say my future best self is the guiding light and who I look up to.
In terms of women in architecture, I’m inspired by strong women like Farshid Moussavi, Amanda Levete who paved their own way to establish world’s top architecture firms.
What advice would you give to those in high school now, choosing their field of study?
I would recommend they explore a career in any field they wish to pursue since there’s a huge difference in the general dynamics of the practice and theory.
Also, I’d like to advise them to expose themselves to the outside world and be open to opportunities even if it’s not in their field of study because it is often the unusual combinations that bleed into each other to result in a more resilient individual that is ready for the real world.