Lina Ghotmeh Founder, Lina Ghotmeh Architecture david levene

Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh has been named as one of the world’s most influential rising stars on the Time100 Next list.

The founder of Lina Ghotmeh Architecture (LG-A), based in Paris, France, Ghotmeh was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon and is known for projects that bring together sustainability, heritage and craftsmanship as part of a philosophy she calls ‘archaeology of the future’.

Ghotmeh is currently working on the renovation of the British Museum’s Western Range galleries in London. This is part of a decade-long masterplan to transform the museum, with the aim of creating a modern, visitor-centric space that unifies the collection while also making room for new collection stores and research facilities. Initial designs are expected to be released by mid 2026.

“I am honoured to be selected for TIME100 Next and to walk the red carpet in New York alongside some of the most incredible changemakers of our time,” said Ghotmeh. “These moments remind me that hope and faith in the future of humanity are very much alive.”

Other ongoing projects include the AlUla Contemporary Art Museum in Saudi Arabia and the permanent Qatar National Pavilion at the Giardini of La Biennale di Venezia in Venice, Italy – the first new national pavilion added to the historic site since 1995.

Recent projects include the Bahrain Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, which was built from 3,000 pieces of un-engineered wood and designed to be ventilated naturally.

Ghotmeh is known for her materiality and love of craftsmanship. Her Stone Garden mixed use residential tower in her home city of Beirut, designed as part of the post-Lebanese Civil War reconstruction, features a meticulously hand-crafted striated façade. Ghotmeh was inspired by the layered limestone strata of Beirut’s Rawché Rocks.

The design was born from a desire to try to create a building that appeared to have risen from the earth, according to Ghotmeh, with the façade inspired by the process of gouging lines into a piece of clay with a fork. “From there the idea emerged,” she said, speaking to the BBC. “What if we actually started to comb the whole elevation? Really creating those striations, almost as though this is chiselled ground that is waiting to be seeded.”

“We’re always looking to push the boundaries,” said Ghotmeh, speaking about her work more generally.

“Today, responding to climate change and the issue of resources, one always has to think about buildings as banks of materials that can at any point be disassembled and reused.”

In her TIME profile, written by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, Ghotmeh is praised for her ability to blend historical awareness with forward-looking design.

“When I look at her work, I see simplicity combined with a strong-willed boldness, and a respect for tradition with a contemporary twist,” said Ingels. “She has a knack for embracing history in her designs. I’m looking forward to seeing her reimagine the labyrinthine galleries of an institution as historical as the British Museum.”