tangents ‘25 | May

May’s topic for our Tangents series explored the importance and personal journeys of traveling. Haneen took us on a unique trip through Palestine, Panama, Switzerland, Turkey, Paris, and Versailles.

For an architect or designer, traveling is not just a luxury, it’s a vital part of the creative process. For Haneen, each destination has been a layered source of inspiration, shaping not just her worldview but her design sensibilities. Seeing how people in different parts of the world build, decorate, and inhabit their spaces has deepened her understanding of the relationship between culture and architecture. It’s one thing to study structure and aesthetics from textbooks or photos, but walking through these places brings theory and ideas into vivid, tangible life.

Haneen shared with us her powerful connection to the heritage and resilience of Palestine. The buildings there tell stories of survival, tradition, and community, all qualities that we cherished as a group. Paris and Versailles introduced her to the elegance of classical European design, where ornamentation meets order and light is an intentional part of the architecture. She shared with us, what photos she could, of Zumthor’s famed baths in Vals, Switzerland.

These journeys don’t just fill our sketchbooks, they change how we see space. Traveling has taught us that good design listens. It listens to the land, the culture, the climate, and the needs of the people it serves. Each trip reminds us that architecture is not just about creating something new, it’s about honoring what exists, learning from it, and designing in dialogue with it. Through travel, we continue to evolve, not only as designerss, but as people who believe in the power of place to shape identity and experience.