By Asiya Chowdhury

AIA, LEED AP, Design Leader, Ian Schrager Company, New York

Raya had an exceptional personal journey that has enriched her years at MIT and subsequently her professional years. As a woman architect from Baghdad, she left crumbling and war-ravaged Iraq via Germany to attend MIT in Cambridge, MA.  Along the way she faced the familiar struggles as a solo woman - gender biases, cultural misrepresentation and financial challenges, to name a few. With a laser sharp sense of purpose, great creative talent and belief in women’s power to take control of one’s future, Raya rose above all challenges and established herself as a successful woman architect. Raya’s story is a story of survival and of a woman’s continued struggle to break the gender status quo in the profession of Architecture. At MIT, I have seen her being intensely focused on women’s issues in Architecture and on the politics of marginalization. She had been passionate about women empowerment and has consistently strived to promote woman’s leadership in Architecture. Professionally, her dream has always been to launch her own architectural studio and break the glass ceiling in this male-dominated profession.As her impressive resume shows - her hard work, tenacity and brilliance as a designer has established her as a leader in the design world. She has become a celebrated role model for aspiring young women architects all over the world.

By Suzan Shutan

Professor of Sculpture, Former Director of Public Art, City of New Haven, CT  

As a former Director of a Public Art Program for the City of New Haven, CT and a Professor of Sculpture for over 20 years, I have worked with numerous architects, engineers and artists over the years. Very rarely have I found an architect that is "all in one", that takes into account the most delicate and sensitive issues and offers a restorative perspective that also takes into account the immediate, growing, and long range community base potential. Raya Ani is exactly this kind of architect, which brought me to the attention of her work. She approaches architecture as an artist approaches a sculpture or canvas, thinking of the possibilities of what can become. She uses content and purpose to drive the extent of form into functional and meaningful livable and workable designs. Her interior and exterior architectural designs are always unified and visually pleasing. They merge the ebb and flow of the natural world with the constructed world while undulating geometric space to soften its harsh edges elevating uninspiring, limited or self-contained architectural structures to another level.

By Fiona Bacon,

Writer, Dubai

Raya enjoys ingeniously re-purposing defunct objects while preserving their inherent nature, and employing 3D architectural software to dazzling effect. Several years ago, she found time to create an impeccably stylish dress from the overlapping panels of discarded umbrellas: it triumphed on a New York ‘Fashion Wars’ catwalk.

Disarmingly candid and engaging, Raya is a sought-after lecturer, regularly invited to act as a guest critic at leading architectural schools.

RAW-NYC is Raya’s latest enterprise, founded in 2012. This interdisciplinary practice based in Dubai and New York offers uniquely crafted, energy-efficient buildings, interior spaces, and urban designs with a comprehensive array of architectural and construction services. “It’s a venue for collective thinking, and ongoing research. We’re committed to designing critically and innovatively for individuals and the public. With open minds, we build for the joy of creating, collaborating and ensuring our clients’ success.”