Baghdad-born architect Nadia Tobia is putting her experience working on projects in the Middle East to good use at Toronto’s Farrow Partnership Architects.
Baghdad-born architect Nadia Tobia is putting her experience working on projects in the Middle East to good use at Toronto’s Farrow Partnership Architects.
Tobia, whose has more than 25 years of international experience, recently joined the planning, architecture and design firm as a partner. She now is leading initiatives in the Middle East and Africa.
Previously, Tobia was a principal at Perkins Eastman International/Perkins Eastman Black. She played a key role in that firm’s Middle East endeavours. She also acted as its leader on health-care projects in that region.
“This (the move to Farrow) was a natural for me,” said Tobia, who holds a bachelor of science in architecture degree from Baghdad University as well as a master of science in architecture degree from University College Dublin in Ireland.
“I grew up in Iraq. I’ve worked in the Middle East. I understand the culture.”
During her career, Tobia has been involved in projects in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China as well as Canada. She has acted as lead designer and project director on a number of large, complex projects. In the UAE, those projects include hospitals, a courthouse complex and a mixed-use waterfront development.
In Iraq, Tobia has worked on various tourism and hospitality facilities. At one juncture, she was a senior urban planner with the Japanese Consortium of Consulting Firms on development of a master plan for the city of Baghdad.
Tobia, who came to Canada in the 1990s and subsequently working on health-care projects in the greater Toronto area while at Perkins Eastman Black, acquired an interest in architecture at an early age.
“I grew up in a household surrounded by literature on architecture and design,” she said. “As a family, we travelled a lot. We visited a lot of cities and viewed a lot of architectural sights. I think that combination, as well as encouragement at home, led me on that path.”
In addition to leading the Farrow Partnership’s initiatives in the Middle East and Africa, Tobia also will contribute to the firm’s national practice.
The partnership’s practice areas include healthcare, seniors’ living and educational, institutional and residential projects.
She said her interest in joining the Farrow Partnership was sparked by its portfolio of work, emphasis on high-quality design, leadership team and its interest in expanding its international practice.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed