About
AMBS Architects is an international Architecture practice, operating across the UK, Iraq, and Morocco. Founded by distinguished Iraqi Architect Ali Mousawi in the early 1970s, the practice expanded to London with Co-Directors Amir Mousawi, Marcos De Andres, and Reda Zakaria.
Supported by a highly skilled team of Architects, designers, and engineers, AMBS Architects undertakes a diverse array of projects, spanning various scales and complexities.
From private residences to urban masterplans, our commitment to seamless service reflects our core values:
Purpose
Every project embodies thoughtful action, conscientious deliberation, engagement, analysis, and interpretation. We merge technology and cultural heritage to craft architectural buildings that positively impact users’ lives.
Quality
As a design-focused practice, we relentlessly pursue the highest standards, coupling design excellence with a keen understanding of our clients’ economic requirements.
Timelessness
We advocate for buildings that transcend temporal boundaries, engaging with users across generations, rather than being fleeting fashion statements.
Sustainability
Our sustainable solutions merge cutting-edge technologies with locally and historically relevant techniques. Whether at the macro or micro scale, our approach integrates solutions tailored to the environment, ensuring relevance for both present and future contexts.
Director’s Profiles
Ali Mousawi
Founder and Executive Director
Senior Architect & Consultant
Ali Mousawi, founder of AMBS, is celebrated for his extensive design and architectural experience over four decades. Emphasizing honesty, hard work, and creativity, his approach is known for integrating artistry with economic efficiency, responsive to client programs and building requirements. Initially focusing on both public and private sectors, his career has encompassed a wide range of projects.
Throughout his career, Mousawi has won numerous competitions in various sectors, including villas, public housing, university campuses, commercial centers, religious buildings, museums, and more. His designs reflect a blend of Iraq’s rich heritage and Islamic architecture with modern technology. Born in Baghdad in 1947, his deep cultural understanding and commitment to quality have fostered lasting professional relationships.
Amir Mousawi
Co-Founder and Director
Architect BSc(Hons) MArch Dip(Arch) RIBA ARB
Since 2007 Co-Founder and Director Amir Mousawi has been involved in every stage of the architectural process. He applies his thorough design practice to create intuitive, innovative buildings of the highest quality, seamlessly integrating form and function to meet user needs. Amir worked with a number of established architectural practices in London, before taking a position as a project Architect in northern Iraq. He was born in the UK and studied his masters and undergraduate at the University of Bath, with a year spent in Hong Kong University.
Amir has a vast knowledge of construction, and is a highly skilled construction manager. The practice is highly influenced by his understanding of complex computer programs, using his coding skills for parametric design, as well as being a proficient BIM user and 3d artist. He is also committed to intelligent and sustainable design; with an in depth knowledge of renewable and energy efficient technologies.
Marcos De Andres
Co-Founder and Director
Architect BA(Hons) BA Int Des Dip(Arch) RIBA ARB
Marcos’s approach to design advocates the process, understanding the context, the client and end users’ needs are the parameters that shape unique spaces. He considers the interplay of multiple influences to be instrumental for taking architecture beyond the nuts and bolts of building.
Marcos is responsible for guiding and overseeing the design teams through every stage of the design process, from initial conception to completion. He was born in Madrid, he studied Interior Design at the School of Architecture and Design. Following this he moved to London to pursue Architecture, completing his Diploma in Architecture at the prestigious Bartlett School of Architecture. Marcos refined his design skills, first working in the United States with progressive Californian practice Morphosis and then in London with Fosters+Partners and Make Architects.
Reda Zakaria
Director
BA(Hons), MArch, PGDip, DBA, RIBA
Director Reda Zakaria has been fundamental to the growth of AMBS Architects.
Born in Morocco, Reda has been working beween London and Marrakesh for the last 15 years and brings a unique perspective to the projects he manages.
Having studied Architecture at London South Bank university , he graduated from his Masters with a distinction, and was nominated for the RIBA president medals and other international awards.
Complimenting Redas unique and award winning design skills is a very pragmatic brain, which stems from his previous degrees in business. This combination of skills has allowed him to successfully manage a number of complex projects from feasibility stage through to completion.