Lara Shihab-Eldin is an architectural designer, founder of LE Design in 2011, and co-founder of Collected Matters in 2017. In addition to providing architectural design services, her practices research and advise on sustainable materials with a light environmental footprint. With roots in the Middle East, the California Bay Area, NYC, and currently in the Hudson Valley, Lara’s work is influenced by varied landscapes and craftsmanship traditions. She volunteers to encourage environmental stewardship and interdisciplinary outdoor education in her community. Lara recently completed a children’s library space which brings together literacy, play, and ecological design, inspired by the history, landscape, and industry of a Hudson River community. She has worked for architecture and landscape architecture firms including Bernheimer Architecture, Allied Works Architecture, and James Corner Field Operations (on the High Line park in NYC). Lara received a BA from Brown University in Architectural History/Urban Studies, and an M.Arch from Columbia University.