A Professor Who Inspires Future Architects to Ask the Right Questions
A Q&A with Moh’d Bilbeisi, licensed architect, illustrator, artist and professor.
As I considered potential subjects for my first A/E/C Stories post, I immediately thought of Mohammed Bilbeisi, a professor of architecture at Oklahoma State University. I originally discovered Moh’d (as he prefers to be called) while searching for “top architecture professors” last spring. At the time, my son was considering the School of Architecture at OSU; he’s now a freshman in the program and eager to study with Prof. Bilbeisi.
Moh’d graciously agreed to a phone interview—prior to knowing my son will be one of his future students—and answered several questions about his career and philosophy of architecture. Here are highlights from our conversation.
KM: How did you become interested in architecture?
MB: My love of old-world architecture came from my father, who earned his engineering degree from Oklahoma State University. As he travelled for his job, he shared with me the world’s greatest architectural examples, like the Pantheon and Notre Dame Cathedral.
KM: Your family is from Jordan; what brought you to the U.S.?
MB: I moved to the U.S. when I was 16 years old to follow in my father’s footsteps as a student at Oklahoma State…although I studied architecture rather than engineering.
KM: Now you’re a professor in the OSU School of Architecture. What is your teaching style?
MB: Yes, I have taught at OSU for 20 years, and have seen many changes. Today, 90 percent of an architect’s work is done on a computer. Although computers are important—they allow us to see and do things that were not possible before—I have always taught my students to think and express themselves using their hands and their pencils. I try to humanize the curriculum and de-mystify it by teaching the process of being creative…not just how to produce a computer-aided drawing.
KM: You are also an artist and often use watercolors to enhance your architectural drawings; why?
MB: I believe that drawing something you see—as opposed to taking a photograph—slows down the experience and allows you to see the details. Adding watercolors humanizes the drawings, especially the computer-generated ones, making them less cold. View his sketches and watercolor prints.
KM: Your thoughts about architecture are different than many other architects; please explain.
MB: I subscribe to the philosophy of the Egyptian architect and author Hassan Fathy, who believed that great architectural design wasn’t meant only for the rich. He believed, as I do, that architects work for the good of society; that we can and should be reformers. Fathy is known for “sustainable (viable) architecture created along lines that work with the surroundings, using local resources and catering to the needs of its inhabitants.”
KM: Is this why you believe architecture can be used to make the world a better place?
MB: Yes. If you’re designing a public housing project, what is the best way to ensure that the people who live there will take care of the place? By getting them involved and listening to their needs, which leads them to take ownership and thereby help maintain the building.
KM: Some architects believe their job is to solve a problem through the design of a building; you disagree.
MB: Yes, I do disagree. I don’t believe there are problems; only questions. It is our job as architects to ask the right questions and then find the right answers to them.
KM: You’ve also said that hand drawing gives the architect an opportunity to reflect; why is this important?
MB: ‘Sketching to think,’ as I call it, allows the student or professional an opportunity to reflect on the reason for the structure vs. just being enamored with producing a product. I believe this is good for the architect, for others in the community, and ultimately for the world. View and purchase Prof. Bilbeisi’s book, Graphic Journaling.
Beyond his role as Eminent Professor of Architecture at the Oklahoma State University School of Architecture, Moh’d Bilbeisi is the only person to have won both the Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition (KRob) and the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI) Annual International Competition of Architectural Illustration.
A/E/C Stories is an ongoing series of posts featuring individuals who excel in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. Nominate someone.
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