Born in 1957, Karam obtained his degree in architecture from the American University of Beirut and his doctorate in architecture from Tokyo University in 1989. He founded the Atelier Hapsitus, a multi-disciplinary company in Lebanon which has created large-scale urban city projects in Beirut, Korea, Prague, London, Tokyo and Nara, the capital of Hongshu Island in Japan. Karam’s work has been exhibited in the Liverpool, Kwangju Art and Venice ArchitectureBiennales and he curated Lebanon’s participation in the first Rotterdam Biennale. He has taught at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo and at the American University of Beirut. He has also served as Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, Art and Design at Notre Dame University in Lebanon from 2000-2003. His 1997-2000 urban art project for central Beirut was one of five worldwide that were selected by the Van Alen Institute in New York in 2002 to highlight their contribution to the rejuvenation of city life and morale following disaster, in reference to Lebanon’s war. He received three Australian awards for his