Zaineh Ghanayem, a 2026 graduate of UIC School of Architecture’s MArch program and the 2025 recipient of the Martin Roche Travel Scholarship, will be presented by the AIA Chicago Foundation at AIA Chicago’s Awards Ceremony on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The Foundation is an independent charitable nonprofit organization that supports scholarships, grants, and awards to strengthen Chicago’s architectural community. Ghanayem will share findings from her independent study, Temporary Permanence: The Urbanization of Jordan’s Refugee Camps.
Ghanayem’s research investigates how refugee camps in Jordan have evolved from temporary shelters into permanent urban settlements, revealing the relationship between architecture, displacement, and belonging.
Through photography, drawings, and models developed on-site in the Irbid, Zarqa, Wehdat, and Al-Hussein refugee camps, Ghanayem’s study connects architectural documentation with lived narratives, contributing to broader discussions on displacement, informality, and urban resilience.
Her work will be featured in an exhibit at MAS Context from November 14 through December 5, 2026, in addition to a forthcoming presentation by the AIA Chicago Foundation.