Principal, AUTOARCH Architects
Farrah is a principal and director of planning at the Houston-based architecture firm AUTOARCH Architects. In this leadership position, she oversees all aspects and phases of design for the firm’s various assignments. Her qualifications as both a registered architect and certified planner enable her to effectively and successfully manage all stages of design, from concept programming and project management to construction administration. As a young leader, she combines her exceptional creativity, innovation and sustainability with proven leadership, project management skills and customer intimacy. Having worked in four continents, she has first-hand experience with international practices and design across cultures.
At AUTOARCH Architects, Farrah has created a planning department in which she heads all planning, program management and assessment projects. The projects range from community-based planning in Houston to large-scale master planning in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Large and complex projects under her responsibility have included heading the recovery work under FEMA for an entire higher education campus in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and leading the assessment, community planning, master planning and coordination efforts of a bond offering for a Texas municipality.
Farrah graduated with honors from the University of Houston’s College of Architecture. Following her passion for learning, Farrah furthered her education with two graduate degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts– a master’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in city planning. At MIT, she was actively involved in extra-curricular activities and rewarded with prestigious awards and nominations, including the Louis G. Seigle Award for Entrepreneurial Activity. During her time at MIT, she built on her curriculum and expanded her knowledge by completing courses in real estate, business, finance, economics and law and achieved a certificate in urban design. She is a LEED-accredited professional, focusing on sustainability in design and construction.
Farrah is an active civil servant in the community. She has honed her leadership skills as a graduate of the Fort Bend Leadership Forum Class of 2017 and is currently serving a two-year term as director on the board of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. Farrah is a director on the board of the local MIT Alumni Club of South Texas and an American Planning Association Ambassador. She works with numerous local organizations as an advisor and mentor. An avid believer in the power of education, she works with school districts, community colleges and non-profits to create new curriculum.
Farrah Sabouni Oranje, AIA, AICP,
LEED AP BD+C
Principal
AUTOARCH Architects
713-952-3366
