Farshid Moussavi

Detail of the façade of Edificio Bambú (literally "Bamboo Building" Carabanchel Social Housing in Madrid).

Farshid Moussavi (born 1965) is a British born architect, educator, and author. She is the founder of Farshid Moussavi Architecture (FMA) and a professor in Practice of Architecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

The work of Moussavi's London-based practice, FMA, is celebrated for projects that integrate an inventive approach to space and materials and a strong social awareness, whether they are a cultural centre such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland or a community centre such as the Ismaili Center in Houston, a social housing project in Montpellier, or an elementary school in Saclay (under development), both in France. Prior to founding FMA, she was co-founder of the London-based Foreign Office Architects or FOA (1993–2011), recognised as one of the world's most creative design firms, integrating architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture in a wide range of projects internationally.

Moussavi was elected a Royal Academician in 2015, and subsequently, Professor of Architecture at the RA Schools in 2017. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for Services to Architecture. In 2022 she was selected as one of the London Mayor's 42 Design Advocates to support his vision for 'Good Growth' and was named in 2025 as one eight Town Architects to support the future development of eight locations in London.

Early life and education Moussavi was born in 1965 in Shiraz, Iran. She immigrated to London in 1979 to attend boarding school. She trained in architecture at the Dundee School of Architecture, University of Dundee, in Scotland, the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London and graduated with a Masters in Architecture (MArch II) from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD).

Career Moussavi first came to prominence with Foreign Office Architects (FOA), the practice she co-founded in 1993 with Alejandro Zaera-Polo. At FOA, Moussavi co-authored the design for the award-winning Yokohama International Ferry Terminal in Japan (which was subject to an international design competition in 1995) and was part of the United Architects team who were finalists in the Ground Zero competition. She also completed a wide range of international projects including the John Lewis complex in Leicester, England, the Meydan retail complex in Istanbul, Turkey, Carabanchel Social Housing in Madrid, and the South-East Coastal Park in Barcelona, Spain.

In June 2011, after splitting with Zaera-Polo, Moussavi re-established her own London-based practice, Farshid Moussavi Architecture (FMA). 2017 – Residential Complex, La Défense-Nanterre, Paris, France 2017 – Folie Divine residential tower, Montpellier, France 2017 – Design and installation for an exhibition on Architectural Drawings at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London, UK 2016 – Victoria Beckham Flagship Store, London, England 2012 – Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA 2012 – Installation for Common Ground at 13th Venice Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy

Foreign Office Architects 2010 – Ravensbourne Design and Communication College, London, UK 2007 – Carabanchel Social Housing, Madrid, Spain 2000 – 2008 – John Lewis department store and Cineplex and pedestrian bridges, Leicester, England 2004 – South-East Coastal Park and Auditoriums, Barcelona, Spain 2002 – British Pavilion at the 8th Venice Architecture Biennale Next. Venice, Italy 2004 Lion Award for Topography Foreign Office Architects 9th Venice Architecture Biennale 2011 RIBA Award in the education and community category Foreign Office Architects Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Ravensbourne campus 2018 Order of the British Empire (OBE) award Farshid Moussavi Order of the British Empire Awarded for service and diversity in the architecture profession 2021 UCL Honorary Fellowship Farshid Moussavi UCL (University College London) In recognition of distinguished career in Architecture and contribution to widening participation in architectural education and practice 2021 Prix des Femmes Architectes - Prix International 2021 Farshid Moussavi ARVHA (Association pour le Recherche et l'Habitat) in France Outstanding contribution to architecture internationally 2022 Jane Drew Prize Farshid Moussavi The Architects' Journal Awarded for showing innovation, diversity and inclusiveness in architecture 2022 Honorary Fellow Farshid Moussavi Ravensbourne University, London 2023 Regional Award Farshid Moussavi Architecture RIBA South-East House in Hove, Sussex, UK 2025 Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize Farshid Moussavi The American Academy of Arts and Letters For a significant contribution to architecture as an art

Publications

Books

Articles

Moussavi, Farshid (2012). “30 St. Mary Axe”. Harvard Design Magazine, Volume 35, USA. Moussavi, Farshid (2012) An Archeological Approach, Instigations: Engaging Architecture, Landscape, and the city (2012) GSD075, Edited by Mohsen Mostafavi and Peter Christensen in cooperation with Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

2018 Project Interrupted: Lectures by British Housing Architects, The Architecture Foundation, UK. Moussavi, Farshid (2022). The Function of Ornament in the Ismaili Center Houston in The Clamor of Ornament: Exchange, Power, and Joy from the Fifteenth Century to the Present. Published by The Drawing Center, NY.