Growing up in Yazd, Iran, Zahra Sharifi shared a love of design alongside her parents, who were both artists. Her pursuit of architecture emerged as she saw the opportunity to combine some of her favourite courses—like geometry—with art in a professional setting. Zahra completed her Bachelor of Architecture from the Yazd Faculty of Art and Architecture before immigrating to Canada to complete her Master of Architecture at the University of Manitoba.

Inspired by Yazd’s vernacular earth structures and traditional wind catchers, Zahra wrote her thesis Nan/Nang/ (Earth And Us) on adaptive strategies for Earth’s structures within cold climates like Manitoba. Her thesis appeared on Study Architecture, an online resource for undergraduate and graduate students interested in the profession of architecture, for Part Eight of its Student Showcase series.

Zahra started her four-month student co-op at ft3 before continuing as a permanent architectural intern working primarily in the firm’s Health and Wellness area, including projects such as Boundary Trails Health Centre expansion and Camp Assiniboia’s retreat centre and sleeping lodge. Zahra hopes to continue exploring sustainable design, particularly re-using materials and building with natural materials.