About

Architect · Urban Designer · Between Space and Memory

Background

I grew up in Beirut, relocated to Europe in 2021, and have since lived and practiced across France, the Netherlands, and Italy. Moving through seven homes in four years shaped how I understand space: not as an immutable container, but as an ongoing negotiation between memory, geography, and collective life.

My work spans diverse operational scales and contexts: from detailed execution drawings and timber coordination at a carpentry workshop in Lorraine, to international competition design at MVRDV in Rotterdam, and territorial resilience strategies for our Europan 18 Runner-Up project in Barcelona. I operate with equal rigor in 3D modeling, technical detailing, and critical research.

In March 2026, I graduated with Honors from Politecnico di Milano with the Master’s thesis The Architecture of the Unresolved: Perpetually Under Destruction, developed on-site in Khiam, southern Lebanon.

For me, architecture is not an exercise in formal neutrality; it is an active instrument of memory, cultural continuity, and spatial justice.

Download CV (PDF)

CV 2026 · Architecture & Urban Design

Sara Abi Merched

Experience

Freelance Architect — Independent

January 2023 – Present

Ongoing freelance architectural collaborations across Lebanon and France: collaborating with LOCAL (Paris), Lebanese architect Ramzi Sabbagh, and other projects directly with clients. Focus on concept design, 3D models, and execution drawings for architectural and communication purposes.

Concept design · 3D modeling · Execution drawings · Communication visuals

Collaborating Architect — Europan 18 — Pasquali e Guillome Architetto

April 2025 – June 2025

Contributed to the Europan 18 competition entry “Volver a la Frontera / Barrio” (Barcelona, La Font del Gos). Runner-Up. Responsible for urban-scale 3D modeling and territorial visualization: developed the three-dimensional model of the site, represented layered environmental strategies, and produced visual material to communicate the project’s conceptual and spatial approach.

Rhino · QGIS · Adobe Suite · Territorial 3D modeling · Urban visualization

Intern Architect — MVRDV

March 2023 – July 2023

Contributed to concept development and ecological studies for major competition projects including the Tumo Project (Yerevan, Armenia; winner, under construction) and the Besa Museum of Tirana proposal. Supported 3D modeling, visual expression, physical model fabrication, and preliminary budgeting.

Rhino · Enscape · Concept development · Ecological studies · 3D modeling · Physical models

Designer Architect — Menuiserie Baldini

September 2022 – January 2023

Designed and executed a new carpentry warehouse in Maxéville, Lorraine. Produced complete 3D redraw of the existing facility (machinery, structural elements, and circulation), then developed interior and exterior drawings, sections, and final execution documents. Coordinated with ventilation, aeration, heating, and lighting specialists. Participated in the design of the wooden roof structure and warehouse entrance.

AutoCAD · Rhino · Execution drawings · 3D modeling · Construction coordination

Intern Architect — DW5

June 2021 – August 2021

Worked on elevation studies and façade design for the renovation of the “Skyline” project in Beirut.

AutoCAD · Elevation studies · Renovation design

Education

Master of Architecture and Urban Design, with Honors

Politecnico di Milano , Milan, Italy · 2023–2026 · Honors

School of Architecture, Urban Planning and Construction Engineering (AUIC). Projects across urban design in Maputo, student housing in Milan, and urban planning in Algeciras. Thesis: The Architecture of the Unresolved. Perpetually Under Destruction (Khiam, Lebanon). Supervisors: Prof. Domenico Chizzoniti, Prof. Christian Gaenshirt.

Master of Architecture DEA

ENSA-Nancy, École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Nancy , Nancy, France · 2021–2022 · GPA 3.5/4

First year of European Master's studies, with a focus on architectural theory and design. Member of the Echiquier Nancéien chess club and the ENSAN photography club.

Bachelor of Architecture

ALBA, Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts , Beirut, Lebanon · 2017–2021 · GPA 3.7/4

Foundation in architecture, with projects spanning experimental and contextual design. Final year included the group project The Abject of Reality, developed in the immediate aftermath of the August 2020 Port of Beirut explosion.

Skills

Software

  • AutoCAD — Advanced
  • Rhino — Advanced
  • Adobe Suite — Advanced
  • Enscape — Advanced
  • Revit — Intermediate
  • QGIS — Intermediate
  • V-Ray — Basic
  • Grasshopper — Basic

Languages

  • Arabic (Native)
  • English (C1)
  • French (C1)
  • Italian (B1)