PAD10 Architects + Designers, an internationally award-winning architecture+design firm, hosts creative minds in the fields of architecture and graphic design. Our cross-disciplinary practice emerges from a belief that spatial and visual communications operate in unison rather than in mutually exclusive spheres. Our international setup – with PADx Paris, PAD7 Beirut and PAD10 Kuwait – is backed-up with team-centric BIM (Building Information Modelling) technology, and Cloud file sharing system, to ensure optimal collaboration among different team members. Our offices are professionally licensed architectural practices in Paris and Beirut, with project management setup in Kuwait.
Our core belief is that each project and client are distinct in the challenges they pose, leading to unique interpretations and breeding inimitability to the project’s program and form. A rigorous understanding of the cultural surroundings, the political makeup, the economic infrastructure, the social superstructure, the programmatic pragmatics, and the client’s agenda form the framework within which the project is generated, with multiple iterations at work. Our underlying omnipresent agenda is for Architecture to operate beyond its bounds, as it is one with its social and urban surroundings; it shall act as an urban catalyst and social enabler.
The projects, from small scale logotypes to large scale masterplans, share a rigorous process and dialogue with the client, interpreted into a unique experience that holds prejudice towards no criteria, except that of expected formalism.
PAD10 engagement with its surroundings through participating in pro-bono design works, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and publications tune its professional practice with a critical outlook.
PAD10 cultural insight on the milieu it operates in, is documented by the ‘the Kulture Files’, a pamphlet it curates and circulates.
Recently, PAD10 was awarded a Merit Award from the AIA (American Institute of Architects) ME Chapter for Built-Work Chalet-66, was the only MENA region design architect to be awarded and qualify to Stage 2, as one of the 10 finalists, in an anonymous international competition for KFAS New Headquarters in Kuwait, organized by Phase Eins – Berlin, and was shortlisted for North Design Union HQ in China. PAD10 is contributor to the Venice Biennale 2016 ‘Reporting from the Front’.
Mr. Moujaes is the recipient of ‘Architects of Healing’ Presidential Citation by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Board of Directors, for his role in the design of the World Trade Center Memorial Museum in New York City, the Young Architects Forum Award, and the Emerging Voices by The Architectural League of New York.
Mr. Moujaes conducted a workshop, in collaboration with NCCAL (National Council for Culture Arts and Letters), Docomomo International, and Docomomo Kuwait on Kuwait Modern Heritage. He taught research and design studios on DisOrientalism, an architectural design studio with cultural focus on the Arab world at Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, and Rensselaer (RPI) School of Architecture. He has served as an architectural/design critic at AUK (American University of Kuwait), Kuwait University, PennDesign, Columbia University, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Princeton, and RISD. He spoke at TEDxUniversityofBalamand, debated at Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah, and lectured at AAVS Kuwait, NCCAL, ACK, YourAOK, The Architectural League of New York, the CCA (Centre Canadien d’Architecture), Monterrey Symposium in Mexico, Milan Triennale in Italy, and the Nordic House in Reykjavik, Iceland. Mr. Moujaes has served as jury member on The Architectural League of New York’s 2006 Young Architects’ Forum themed Instability; and for the NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts) Architecture/ Environmental Structures. He has exhibited at The Artists Space in New York City and participated in group exhibitions at The Drawing Center and MoMA in New York City.
His work has been widely published. Projects and interviews have been featured in ArchDaily, Archinect, Volume Magazine, Architectural Record, Metropolis Magazine, Praxis, The Architect’s Newspaper, The New York Times, L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, Japan Architect, Bidoun Magazine, Khaleejesque, Interior Design Magazine, and World Architecture.
His multidisciplinary early formation with Nadim Karam and Atelier Hapsitus included working on urban art installations at the National Museum in Beirut – Lebanon and Manes Bridge in Prague – Czech Republic, the graphic design for multiple art catalogues including Manes Bridge, Serpentine Gallery, and Voyage; a 400 page publication by Booth-Clibborn Editions.
He interned at Massimilian Fuksas Architetti in Rome – Italy and Rikken Yamamoto and Fieldshop in Yokohama – Japan.
Mr. Moujaes received his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1996, winning an Areen Award for Excellence in Design, his Master’s degree in Architecture from the Southern California Institute for Architecture in 1999, and his EMBA from AUB in 2021.
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The Shear House indoor living areas are open to outdoor living on multiple levels; sunken courtyards, side & front gardens, and a roof garden all vertically connected with the sectional shear of terraces on multiple levels.
The ground and first floors are the parents’ quarters. The second floor is divided among the two kids, while shared services and amenities are in the basement and on the roof.
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Maximizing the built-up areas above freed much of the ground floor garden. This pushed to cantilever the upper volume, serving as a shading canopy for the front garden underneath. The corner plot of The Shear House with the centrally carved volume, maximizes light penetration to the interior spaces. ...
A multi-family Shear House Residence designed on a corner plot.
Two independent entrances organize the program: one leading to the parents’ quarters, the other to the children’s apartments above.
A shared corner stair anchors the project, connecting to the common diwaniya that opens onto a sunken outdoor garden — a space for gathering, light, and continuity between generations
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This headquarters balances efficiency and elegance: a playful ceiling contrasts with a dense plan, while varied ceiling heights and semi-transparent walls let natural light filter through—maintaining openness without losing privacy.
Photo credit: @mashkanani
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A primary corridor, organized around the building core, anchors circulation and connects the various departments. This main spine links with a secondary double-loaded corridor, mediating between perimeter offices with panoramic views and the inward-facing support spaces. Along the way, pockets open to the city skyline—moments of light and relief designed both as present-day gathering zones and as adaptable voids that anticipate future extensions.
Photo credit: @mashkanani
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The offices of a leading real estate company efficiently occupy the 1,350 sqm surface area without compromising quality; a datum line separates between the playful ceiling and the dense plan.
Photo credit: @mashkanani
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In plan, the different elements and geometries on the site are influenced by Khaleejia tower’s structural grid, which partly supports the tensile shading. Sectionally, the trees and tensile shading posts gradually cascade down from the building all the way to the pedestrian sidewalk, resonating with the office tower and its commercial plinth. Along the outer edge, bounded by vehicular traffic, a water cascade’s white noise mitigates further this setting by visually separating the users from the passing-by cars. ...
Behind the scene ...
Khaleejia Square, an alternative beginning of the green belt to the hermetic Shaheed Park, buffers Kuwait skyline from the residential suburbs. A landscape, criss-crossed by multiple paths, connects the site with its city. Inscribed by concrete pathways, hexagonal pods of cobble stones and lawn intertwine to serve multiple users. ...
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲.
To communicate the design of the Kuwait Blind Association Sports Complex, we adapted cliché printing technology into braille-friendly drawing plates. With minimal guidance, board members could run their fingers across plans and sections, complementing our words and experiencing the project directly through touch — making the process as inclusive as the architecture itself.
Yet in reality, while we augmented vision and perception throughout the design process, the execution team proved the blindest of all — building with complete disregard for vision, standards, and the very values it was meant to embody.
#Architecture #InclusiveDesign #Braille #PAD10 #DesignBeyondVision
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𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻...
𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.
At the Kuwait Blind Association Sports Complex, space itself becomes tactile. The sectional model reveals layered ramps, courts, and volumes where circulation flows like rhythm — a choreography designed to be felt as much as seen.
𝗔 𝗳𝗮𝗰̧𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.
In the exploded axonometric, the envelope unfolds as a spectrum of color and light, guiding orientation where sight cannot. Each layer — from ground to garden to canopy — speaks in different senses, whispering direction through color, sound, and scent.
𝗔 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁.
𝗔 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿.
The Sports Complex redefines sport by designing for every sense beyond vision — proving that architecture can listen, smell, and feel.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲: two distinct ramp systems ensured accessibility and dignity, while also addressing local realities. Where men today shake their keys to avoid bumping into others, the design offered an architectural solution — parallel ramp flows that separated users without isolating them. Tragically, in execution, these ramps were disregarded, erasing both inclusivity and cultural sensitivity from the final building.
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𝗠𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻; 𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀.
At the Kuwait Blind Association Sports Complex, every space was conceived for touch, sound, and scent — from the rhythmic bounce of a goalball to the fragrances of the healing garden. Architecture was meant to be an ally, translating the invisible into experience.
We carried out the design pro bono to safeguard the Association’s land ownership. Yet the way it was eventually realized makes one wonder — was it truly a victory, if what stands today disregards standards, ignores concepts, and fails the very uses it was meant to serve?
#Architecture #CriticalPractice #PAD10 #DesignMatters #Kuwait
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Site Integration
Strategically anchored along the western edge of the site, adjacent to the main access road. The building nestles into the natural terrain, cascading gently eastward with the land’s slope. Its elongated form is articulated as two parallel ribbons, choreographed along the irregular polygonal boundaries of the plot. Rather than impose a rigid geometry, the building embraces the site`s jagged perimeter, allowing the architecture to adapt and breathe with its topography.
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Living with a View
Every resident is granted a “room with a view.” The private bedrooms are arrayed along the outer edges of the building in a rhythmic sequence, maximizing exposure to natural light and outward vistas. They are distributed over two levels: an upper floor floating above the landscape and a lower level gently embedded within it. Both levels are oriented to open unobstructed views of the surrounding hills and mountains, framing moments of sky, slope, and seasonal change. This continuous visual dialogue with nature affirms a sense of place, dignity, and daily renewal for each resident.
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Elderly Home
A continuum, not an end! Our architectural vision for the elderly home is rooted in a simple yet profound idea: aging is not a rupture from life: it is a deepening of it. This home is not a final destination, but a vibrant part of the community, seamlessly woven into its social and spatial fabric. We aspire to dissolve the traditional isolation of elder care by fostering continuity between past and present, individual and collective, architecture and landscape, building and community.
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The original design twist? A drive-in cinema screen!
The vertical fins that shield the building from Kuwait’s intense sun by day... transform into a projector screen by night, perfect for films and events in the forecourt.
Architecture meets experience. #SultanCenter #KuwaitDesign #PAD10 #DriveInVibes
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Every façade and interior element of Kazma Club is adapted to Kuwait’s harsh environmental conditions. The external fins, interior glazing, and refrigerated units are thoughtfully engineered to combat heat and humidity—pairing aesthetics with utility.
photo credit @mashkanani
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This Sultan Center branch is more than a supermarket—it’s an architectural statement in retail design. With its striking façade, multi-use infrastructure, climate-adaptive engineering, and luxurious interior details, it exemplifies how form and function can align in one high-performing, community-centric hub.
Photo @mashkanani
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The originally sloped site has been split to two plateaus; the upper opening to the kids’ bedrooms and the lower to the living areas. The lower plateau is elevated from the road to maintain privacy and enjoy an uninterrupted scenery of the mountains chain beyond. The living quarters are tucked in the stone masonry construction that fences and terraces the site, with three cantilevered structures housing the sleeping quarters above. #3FabChalets #Laqlouq #EcoRetreat #SustainableArchitecture #OffGridLiving #MinimalDesign #LebanonNature ...
“3-fab chalets” are located in Laqlouq, Lebanon. At an elevation of 1,780m, the site is close by a skiing resort and along a hiking trail; the small-scale chalets are an outpost to nature. With their E-W orientation, the asymmetry of the pitched roof, a regulatory requirement, maximizes the slope and area for the southern side to host the solar panels atop. The project services make use of the abundance of sun and rain to sustain operating with minimal carbon footprint. #3FabChalets #Laqlouq #EcoRetreat #SustainableArchitecture #OffGridLiving #MinimalDesign #LebanonNature ...