Hello, my name is Alaa Bou Ghanem, and I am the founder and owner of Architect Builder Group, AB Group for short. Although I am new to Charlotte like many others, I stand apart as a native of Lebanon. I consider myself a product of the American Dream, and I chose to travel to the United States to learn about a new culture as part of my college experience. I graduated from the School of Architecture at UNC Charlotte (Go Niners!) and have been working in Charlotte for 10 years.
Since my childhood, I have aspired to become an architect. Over time, my passion for contributing to a better world through art and design grew stronger. Later, I discovered that this passion has a name and is known as Neuroaesthetics – a field that explores the psychological impact of beauty in design. This field emphasizes that aesthetically pleasing designs have a positive impact on our well-being by blending beauty, functionality, and esthetics. This sounds incredible, doesn’t it? Are you wondering how this works?
Extensive research has been carried out in this field, and Jay Dee Dearness suggests that incorporating beauty in design through neuroaesthetic principles creates a sense of shared community and allows us to feel, among other things, grounded, safe, happy, and connected. As my family lives far away, it is crucial to me that I not only create a sense of community in Charlotte, but also help others feel connected through good design that provides safety, connection, and a sense of well-being that we all need.
Although we might have different opinions on what defines beautiful design, we can all agree that a clean and well-lit space with an open and airy atmosphere is the ideal environment for creative endeavors. Nowadays, modern office designs adopt the concepts of minimalism, simplicity, openness, and airiness, but we sometimes fail to realize the impact on our well-being until we are faced with an environment that lacks these features. Recently, one of my friends visited a vendor whose office was a typical 80’s style with a series of boxed offices, each with a small window and a door leading to a hallway. The atmosphere was dull, dark, and anything but conducive to creativity. My friend, who works in an open office space with ample natural light and designated areas for collaboration, was taken aback by the outdated design of this “Dark Ages” office and felt depressed sitting in the waiting room. Even though this vendor doesn’t work in a creative field, updating their space could bring about significant improvements. How?
Creating intentional design in the workplace can lead to several benefits such as lower employee turnover, increased positive emotional experiences, higher engagement, and positive effects on learning, and social and emotional wellness. Feeling safe and having a sense of pride in our workspace can greatly improve our overall well-being. As an employer, our goal is to ensure that our employees are engaged, have learning opportunities, and experience a positive sense of well-being.
Architects and designers are not solely responsible for good design. Engineers, builders, and you, yes, you can have an impact on helping entire communities thrive by understanding the positive emotional and psychological impact of good, intentional design.
Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have remarkable college professors and many mentors who have shared their journeys. As an emerging leader in the architecture and design field, I hope to be able to do the same for others through ScaleUp CLT. Good design, beauty, functionality, and giving back are the keys to being a good community partner.
