The Yokohama International Ferry Terminal established a new design language in 1995, marking the early prominence of the practice co-founded by Farshid Moussavi. Born in Shiraz in 1965, the British-Iranian architect has since built a dual career defined by large-scale international commissions and intensive pedagogical research into the relationship between construction and human experience.
Professional Evolution
Moussavi trained at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, the Bartlett, and Harvard Graduate School of Design, where she earned a Master of Architecture. From 1993 to 2011, she directed Foreign Office Architects alongside Alejandro Zaera-Polo, completing projects ranging from the South-East Coastal Park in Barcelona to the John Lewis complex in Leicester. Following the closure of this firm, she launched Farshid Moussavi Architecture in London, shifting focus toward projects like the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland and the Ismaili Center in Houston.
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Her academic career spans major institutions, including serving as Head of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and holding a professorship at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design since 2005. Moussavi has published four books detailing her theoretical stance on architecture, specifically challenging the traditional binary oppositions of form, ornament, and function. Her work emphasizes that built environments possess a unique agency, providing experiences that shape daily life through the deliberate application of novel affects.
Design and Curation
Moussavi advocates for the integration of architecture into broader cultural dialogues. In 2024, she curated the Architecture as an Instruction-Based Art Exhibition at Harvard, followed by her coordination of the 2025 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Titled Dialogues, the event intentionally intertwined architecture with painting and sculpture to challenge disciplinary boundaries. She serves as a London Mayor's Design Advocate and as a Town Architect, supporting urban development strategies across the city.
Fast facts
- Born: 1965, Shiraz, Iran
- Citizenship: United Kingdom and Iran
- Appointed OBE: 2018
- Jane Drew Prize recipient: 2022
- Member of: Royal Academy of Arts
- Employer: Harvard University
Questions readers ask
What is the focus of Moussavi's design practice?
Her practice prioritizes an inventive approach to materials and space, with a strong commitment to social awareness in projects such as social housing and community centers.
How does she define the architect's role in society?
She argues that architects should embrace chance events and micropolitics, using built forms to provide experiences that move individuals away from routine.
Achievements
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Jane Drew Prize
- Trained at Harvard University and Harvard Graduate School of Design
