Photo courtesy: Construction Week Online

Raya Ani, architect for New York-based Sonic Union’s audio house offices, has ranked in DesignMENA’s Top 40 Best Architects of the Middle East for 2016.
After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Master’s degree in Architecture, Ani maintained over twenty years’ architectural experience in New York, Boston, Frankfurt, Baghdad and Dubai, among others. She joined Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects (EEK) in 2005 and was swiftly promoted to Associate Principal and Design Director the following year. Ani was one of the seven female architects selected for this roundup.

Specializing in high-rise commercial and residential buildings, Ani developed the reputation of an analytic thought-leader, bringing her eye for detail from the initial planning stages to the meticulous final touches. Of design, she notes, “I shy away from being categorized, and am more interested in things I haven’t done before. I prefer to come up with fresh ideas and think outside the box instead of doing something more traditional.”

Sonic Union reached out to Ani for their studio redesign project in 2009. In the planning stages, Ani considered their unique location overlooking Union Square. She says, “Sonic Union overlooks Union Square, and I came up with the elevated park design in response to what they want. The space had very little light and Sonic Union wanted the complete opposite. A sense of being on the outside looking in was very important.” As an audio post-production house, sound and how it carries played a crucial role from a building perspective. Ani continues, “There is no sound transition in between rooms, and there is sound insulation as well as semi-private spaces for each room.”

Aesthetically, Sonic Union concerned themselves with the natural: natural light, salvaged resources and recycled materials. Ani instilled the studio with an “organic” shape, where natural light reflects from one surface to another to make up for a lack of long-lived sunlight. Structurally, the architect deferred to “green certified” material: recycled wood and fabric to “keep it natural.” Ani also spear-headed Sonic Union’s most recent renovations, which included the additions of booth seating in the kitchen area as well as shifts to make better use of the square footage in the space.

Raya Ani went on to found RAW-NYC Architects in 2012 and is universally acclaimed for her world impact focus and search for global good.