I INTERVIEW
WOMEN in Landscape
Landscape ME meets the female powerhouse at InSite. The urban designers and landscape architects share their stories of working in the region.
Tina Heers
Kerri Chuaquico
Ann Ibrahim
Landscape Architect
Senior Landscape Architect
Graduate Urban Planner
How long have you been in UAE and what brought you the here? Milica Blazincic, Landscape Architect of the Women I guess a sense of adventure and a desire to explore something new and unknown. Here I am 8 years later, still on the same path. Kerri Chuaquico, Landscape Architect of the Women I’ve been living in the UAE for over 6 years, I was discovered by CH2Mhill/ Jacobs with the help of Landscape ME and they offered me a permanent Job in Dubai. Ann Ibrahim, Landscape Architect of the Women I’m Middle Eastern and have been living in the UAE since 2017. I initially started working in the master planning industry in Cairo, Egypt in 2015 before moving to the UAE at the beginning of 2018. Shipra Narang, Landscape Architect of the Women I got a job offer to work at KEO and have been here now for 3 years; what excites me about the GCC is its limitless possibilities and continual focus on creating a better future.
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Noor Khalek, Landscape Architect of the Women I have been in the Middle East since 2007 and moved to the UAE a year later, which was the starting point of building my career and challenging my creativity. Tina Heers, Landscape Architect of the Women I was approached through LinkedIn with a job opportunity from a recruiter and decided to follow through with the interview. It has been four years since I arrived here and I’m still enjoying it thoroughly. What made you get into this industry? Milica: I kind of always knew that I wanted to be in creative circles. At one-point I found it difficult to choose between architecture and landscape, but in the end nature prevailed. I believe that we can offer so much more to the humanity then just a “pretty building” (this is where I get crucified by the architects). Jokes aside, I really love my calling and find it challenging and fulfilling. And never boring.
