Anthony Khoueiry

Anthony Khoueiry came to Solent University from Lebanon to study MSc Sustainable Building Design - he graduated in 2022. He now works as an architectural designer at Driven International Ltd. We caught up with him to find out about his time studying his master’s and how it’s helped him with his career.

Tell us a bit about what you’ve been up to since leaving Solent University

Ever since graduating from Solent University, I’ve been actively involved in the field of architecture and design. As a matter of fact, my career started even before graduating where I was lucky enough to land five job offers. In the year 2022, my mentality started shifting from a full-time student to a full-time employee when my career started at Driven International. This pivotal phase has provided me with invaluable hands-on experience, allowing me to implement my designs and ideas which helped me develop my skills and knowledge in the architectural field.

What does a typical day look like for you?

No two days are alike for an architect, our work is both exciting and dynamic. My day involves a diversity of activities such as client meetings, site visits, traveling, the creative process of designing, sketching, and learning new software and skills. The dynamic nature of my work constantly presents fresh and stimulating challenges where I get to work on many different projects in a field that is always evolving.

How do you think your studies at Solent helped prepare you for your career?

My studies at Solent University played a crucial part in preparing me for my architectural career in the real world. My master’s degree in sustainable building design helped me fill the gap between all the theoretical knowledge and the practical application of creative design ideas within the real-world job market.

One thing that I’d like to shed a light on and that resonated with me was my professor’s approach of recognising individual student strengths and guiding us in unique directions which made us thrive in so many areas. I believe this approach was instrumental in both my academic success and eventual triumph in the job market.

What advice would you give to those wanting to follow in your footsteps?

My piece of advice for everyone wanting to succeed in the architectural world is to make sure that you’re always ready, your curriculum vitae and portfolio are in order, keep on practicing your interview, design, software skills, stay flexible and open to new challenges, keep on evolving! It is a challenging and competitive career that one cannot enter half-heartedly. Work hard, be patient and always prepared, because opportunities knock only once, grab it or you’ll lose it.

Career highlight to date?

I'm an architect with a focus on the motorsport and automotive industry, currently contributing my skills at Driven International. I bring concepts to life through sketches, visualisations, drawings, and master planning. Beyond my love for motorsport, I'm dedicated to advancing my expertise in computational and parametric design, aiming for an innovative approach not commonly found in the world of motorsport architecture.

Working at Driven International was a career-defining experience for me. It provided me with the opportunity to implement my design idea right from the beginning of my professional journey. I got involved in huge projects around the world including a project in America- California, where I played a role in crafting the masterplan, designing the primary Pit building, a car show garage, and condos. I also contributed to the development of two proposals for Karting racetrack pit buildings in Jordan. Beyond that, I've been working on one of the Giga projects in the Middle East, by creating diagrams to show customer journeys and help the client understand the complex design and operation of a major motorsport destination.