MIIM mini-retreat

Our MIIM Team values.

Every two months, MIIM Designs takes an opportunity to have a mini-retreat. Each retreat can vary and can range from learning how to make pottery, hiking in SF swimming in Walden park in Boston and even, yoga.

During our summer mini-retreat, today, we explored our "Values" on an individual and group level.

We did several exercises on our own to discover our true intentions and deep values and then came together as MIIM Team to explore our values as a group. 

In order to run a successful and creative design studio it is important to touch base with our core values on both an individual and team basis.  

our personal values.

Summer has begun!

Make sure to follow us through-out our summer adventures with our projects as we upload them on Twitter and Facebook. 

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his...

Posted by Maryam Eskandari on Saturday, June 6, 2015

Cultural Poems in Process

In process for a private client, are a series of poems and graphics designed to represent the rich culture of the space. This particular image, describes a poem from Hafiz.

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Remembering A.H. Eskandari, Architect

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MIIM Designs joins CleanAcwa at Harvard's African Development Conference

On Saturday, Maryam will be a judge at the CleanAcwa’s Clean Water Ideathon on April 4th is a hackathon style competition; the keynote speaker will list out the general outlines and details of the topic at hand and mention what kind of solution he or she would like to see.

Then, teams are given four hours to make an innovative and new idea following the set guidelines and organize a presentation. Each team will then get 5 minutes to present their pitch to the entire conference and the winning team will get a free trip to Ghana to present their idea at the International Clean Water conference.

Both technical and policy oriented solutions are encouraged; we want diverse solutions pitched. The event will feature a workshop with IDEO about how to make a compelling pitch. CleanAcwa’s CEO Sangu Delle and renowned Professor Susan Murcott will give the keynote addresses.

This event will be catered.

More Info on Harvard's African Development Conference 

Sign up for the Ideation Hackathon

MIIM Designs: Maryam Honored at Harvard Iranian Gala

Tonight our Founder, Maryam Eskandari, will be honored at Harvard Iranian Gala: Preserving the Past, Building for the Future; along side some of the most renowned Iranian-American's professionals, artist, and academics. Maryam will be honored for her work as an Iranian-American working along side the American Muslim community. 

Read more about Maryam's work on American Mosque and Islamic Architecture from the United States of America - State Department and the Huffington Post.   

Maryam's interview with CBC Tapestry

Maryam's Interview with Mary Hynes

Maryam Eskandari is a woman, a Muslim and an architect. She doesn't want to be defined by any one of these words. But taken together, the three strands of her identity are shaping who she is and what she does. Maryam Eskandari is re-examining how mosques should be designed in North America. 
Full Interview Here

MIIM Designs Collaborates with Google for Wearable Technology  #AndroidWear

MIIM Designs was chosen as one of the five design teams to collaborate with Google for the new line of wearable technology from Android Wear. Visit the product website to learn more about the design and the new line of wearable technology.   

Happy First Day of Spring! 

Happy First Day of Spring and Happy Norooz

International Women's Day

Join Maryam this evening, March 8th, 2015, as she will be putting herself in the "Hot Seat" to discuss Mosques in America , on International Women's Day  ‪#‎InternationalWomensDay‬

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Crescent Moon Project

Proudly Presenting: 
A Four Week Pop-Up Space to Celebrate Iranian Arts and Culture 
March 2015 - Manhattan

Crescent Moon Projects in Manhattan is a four week Pop Up Celebration of Iranian arts and culture bringing together theater (The Little Black Fish), installations (The Peoples’ Freedom Tower) culinary arts (Making Marzipan Mulberries and Using Roses and Rose-water), lectures (Symbolism in the Persian Garden), performances, (Tarand Tonbak), more installations, (A Musical Self-portrait) photography (Iranian life on the Persian carpet), storytelling, dance, calligraphy, and a portable photography studio reminiscent of those from the 19th century.  

It is a space conceived for participatory, hands-on engagement where we can all enjoy the richness and complexities of Iranian culture, and examine what it means to be Iranian.  

JOIN THE KICKSTARTER MOVEMENT ---- as we count down to Norooz!

MASS Design Group Proposes a Strategy of Library Specialization

MASS Design Group
Michael Murphy, Michael Haggerty, James Martin, and Chitra Aiyar

MASS Design Group was one of five interdisciplinary design teams selected to participate in Re-Envisioning Branch Libraries, a design study organized by the League and the Center for an Urban Future in 2014. Read about their proposal below.

Developed through immersive research into the life and rhythms of branch libraries, MASS Design Group’s proposal seeks to amplify the distinct and exceptional qualities of individual branches and strengthen libraries’ role in the social cohesion of a community. To preserve and enhance the role of the library as a community anchor in the face of risk or change — whether demographic shifts or disasters like Hurricane Sandy — the team seeks to align the design of branch buildings with the unique social and cultural qualities of their neighborhoods. To do so, MASS proposes a strategy of specialization that better supports the distinctive services many branches already offer to their patrons in addition to the range of standard library resources.

Learn More about the project

2014 Tamayouz Award Recognizes Iraq’s Women in Architecture

The Tamayouz Excellence Award–the first award in the Middle East to recognize women in architecture and construction–has announced the 2014 winners who have significantly contributed to Iraq’s built environment. The esteemed judging panel–Angela Brady, Clare Devine, Jane Duncan, and Ali Grehan–has selected architect, academic and planner Shereen Sherzad for the Tamayouz Women of Achievements Award. The Emerging Women Architects Award was bestowed upon Venus Akef, an award winning aspiring architect and academic at theUniversity of Technology in Baghdad, focusing on architectural heritage and the cultural identity. In addition, a Special Commemorative Award was given to Neda Al-Juboory, an “outstanding community architect who engaged at local level and inspired all those who came in contact with her.” Sadly in 2007, Al-Juboory was killed in a car bomb explosion where she worked as the Director of Urban Planning at the Ministry of Municipalities. Ahmed Al-Mallak, Founder of the Tamayouz Excellence Award, commented on the significance of the awards for Iraq.

“It gives us great pleasure to announce the winners of Tamayouz Women in Architecture and Construction Award, both Shereen Sherzad and Venus Akef are still making outstanding contributions to the profession of architecture in Iraq and it is important to show the commitment and sacrifices Iraqi women are making and this is portrayed by the commitment of the Late Neda Al-Juboory who was killed during a ceremony where she was supposed to receive a prize for her excellent work. Women in Iraq are doing fantastic jobs and we will continue to highlight their efforts.”

Click here to read the Tamayouz Excellence Award 2014 announcement, online atTamayouz-Award.com.

Maryam Conducting Design Thinking Workshop

MIIM Designs founder, Maryam, conducting design thinking workshop on Climate Change at Harvard College,  January 21-24

This three-day symposium, offered by Harvard's FDR Global Citizenship Program, includes well-known guest lecturers focusing on three critical subtopics: water, energy, and infrastructure.  Mornings will be spent in topical lectures; afternoons will divide into three small seminars to participate in real-world problem-solving exercises organized around the principles of the conference. The final day, Saturday the 24th, will be dedicated to single topic: The Myth of Sustainability. 

For more Information: http://fdrfoundation.org/wintersession15/
To register: http://goo.gl/forms/PVBX1DeL0D