Professor Tahar Messadi Shares How Fay Jones School Remains 'His Place' After 20 Years

Tara Ferkel

Tahar Messadi, who joined the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design in 2003, is an associate professor of architecture and the 21st Century Chair in Sustainability. He is an expert in building systems integration and sustainable design.

Editor's Note: As the U of A strives to become an employer of choice, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is highlighting the faculty and staff who help the school excel.

Tahar Messadi, who joined the school in 2003, is an associate professor of architecture and the 21st Century Chair in Sustainability. He is an expert in building systems integration and sustainable design.

Messadi said he started his career in teaching after a colleague suggested it would be a good fit for him. Of all the classes he teaches, he said design studio remains his passion.

"There are not many programs at the university level that teach the student through one-on-one interaction. That kind of interaction is also very important because it centers the discussion much better when you have the student in front of you," Messadi said. "This engagement is worth every moment of it. I never tire of going to the studio, and if I ever do, that's when I know it is time to fold."

In addition to teaching in the undergraduate program in the Fay Jones School, Messadi serves as a faculty mentor for U of A students in the Environmental Dynamics doctoral program and has developed the curriculum for the school's Master of Design Studies concentration in integrated wood design. He also conducts research on the integration of sustainable materials and environmental technologies in the design process.

Messadi holds a Diplôme d'Architecte (Bachelor of Architecture) from the Université de Constantine in Algeria and a Master of Architecture and a Doctor of Architecture in Environmental Technology, both from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

As the father of teenagers, Messadi said he often uses his daughters as a metric in gauging his students' aspirations, and vice versa.

"It helps me understand who the students are, their aims, their aspirations, their curriculum or extracurriculars. I'm constantly looking through the lens of my daughters because that's a persistent preoccupation," Messadi said.

He said the birth of his daughters has also cemented his strong connection and allegiance to the United States. Messadi was born and raised in Algeria, speaking French as his first language. While the transition to living in an English-speaking country and teaching was far from easy, he said it's not something he dwells on but rather feels fortunate to understand more than one culture.

"I basically make students aware that, while there is diversity of backgrounds, we're all one country," Messadi said. "That's how I position myself rather than trying to speak about any other scenarios that would border on fiction."

But even if students are unsure who Messadi is when they first meet him, he said it's important for them to know that he is on their side.

When he first came for his interview in 2003, the quality of the architecture students' work impressed him, particularly those who were in the comprehensive studio. He said the dedication of the Fay Jones School to the issues of sustainability further helped him decide that this was his place, every day, for the last 20 years.

"Sometimes, I look back and think what would have happened if I'd never seen the United States," Messadi said. "I shiver at the thought, because it would have been like a large black hole in a world full of richness, and I would not have known any of it."

Read the full Q&A with Tahar Messadi.