My 7 favourite buildings: Dubai architect Tarik Zaharna

Tarik Zaharna has a degree from The Bartlett School of Architecture in London and worked in Germany and America before founding T.ZED Architects in Dubai in 2015.

The buildings that inspired me to become an architect…

“Buildings have always influenced the way I feel. Just as successful architecture is a series of curated moments and details, I view buildings as a series of investigations. Buildings such as the Salk Institute by Louis Kahn is a good reference point, as well as Rem Koolhaas’ Maison Bordeaux and Oscar Niemeyer’s Casa das Canoas.

The buildings that had the biggest emotional impact on me…

Architecture should be a deeply personal experience, and I have found that certain spaces within specific buildings have resonated with me. The Foundation Cartier Garden in Paris provided a moment of solace in an otherwise busy city. The Kunsthal in Rotterdam is exciting. Outside of Europe, Marcel Breuer’s Whitney Museum and Philip Johnson’s Glass House continue to be successful.

The architect who inspired me…

I discovered Oscar Niemeyer’s work during my early years of architectural education while researching the role of an architect in shaping a city. Niemeyer had the right balance between utopian visions for Brasilia on a citywide scale, while personalising the process by linking architecture to forms similar to those found on a human body.