Iman Fayyad / project:if
Cambridge, United States
Iman Fayyad is the founding director of project:if, a design and research practice based in Cambridge, MA, exploring geometry, material efficiency, and the politics of building. She is assistant professor of Architecture at Harvard GSD and a 2024 MacDowell Fellow. Her work has been published in the New York Times, Technology: Architecture and Design, Nexus Network Journal, Log, and The Avery Review, and exhibited at venues like the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Roca Gallery in London. Her zero-waste construction research has received support from the MetLife Foundation, Architizer’s Design For Good Award, and the ACSA Faculty Design Award. Fayyad holds degrees from MIT and Harvard GSD and has previously taught at Syracuse, MIT, and Princeton.
2025 Biennial Project
Project Overview
Thin Volumes: In The Round
This radial plywood structure explores how flat materials can transform into curved, spatial enclosures. Larger than furniture but smaller than a room, it invites both gathering and solitude. Made entirely from uncut 4×8 ft sheets of plywood bent into cylindrical forms, the structure is assembled in a dome-like configuration with an oculus that opens to the sky. Interior and exterior seating doubles as structural support.
The installation demonstrates how standard sheet materials—born from industrial efficiency—can be reimagined into sustainable, ergonomic architecture. With minimal waste and no cutting, it challenges conventions of construction, offering a material and spatial response to standardized production, climate urgency, and the evolving role of design in shaping social change.
Venue
View moreChicago Cultural Center
Address
78 E. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602
Neighborhood
The Loop
Description
Completed in 1897 as Chicago’s first central library, the building was established as the Chicago Cultural Center, the nation’s first and most comprehensive free municipal cultural venue, in 1991. One of the most visited attractions in Chicago, the stunning landmark building is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as free art exhibitions, performances, tours, lectures, family activities, music, and more – presented by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and many others.
