Ahmed’s passion for architecture began in elementary school when he would visit the construction site of his family’s new home and watch as it took shape from the ground up. Those early visits sparked a deep curiosity about how spaces are created. Around the same time, a school assignment challenged Ahmed to draw his own city, as part of an exercise that introduced him to the basics of urban planning. He carefully placed the library, school, grocery store, and streets—complete with a waterfront reminiscent of his hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. This experience was pivotal in shaping his understanding of how environments are designed and how they influence the way people live, work, and play.

Over the years, Ahmed’s innate ability to visualize places became a defining feature of his approach to both architecture and travel. Whether he was exploring the streets of Istanbul or Rome, or studying their architecture in books, Ahmed could intuitively map out the cities in his mind, understanding their flow and structure with ease. He is a go-to amongst family and friends for mapping out efficient itineraries.

Since beginning his professional career in 2011, Ahmed has focused his work across architecture, interior design, urban design, and placemaking. He applies his keen sense of spatial awareness and design sensibility to a diverse range of practice areas, from multi-family housing and urban planning to hospitality, workplace design, and the public sector. Thriving in both design and technical roles, Ahmed believes that “design skills strengthen technical knowledge, and technical expertise enhances design capabilities.”

Our Perkins Eastman

Ahmed serves as a bridge between leadership and emerging professionals in the Washington, DC, studio, where he is both a mentor and mentee. He is also active in the studio’s Design Practice and Operations committee and is a co-founder of its Project Designer group. Ahmed actively serves on the studio’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion steering committee as well.