Gabriel Khalife
Dipl.-Ing.
Vienna, Austria
Born in London and raised in northern Mount Lebanon, Gabriel Khalife completed his B.Arch. at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland and M.Arch. at the Technical University of Vienna, Austria. Architecture fascinates him above all as a discipline pertaining to a larger whole, which seeks to entwine humankind and the natural world, combine aesthetics and practicality, and think long-term.
His Master Thesis, House for an Expat: A Typology of Transience, focuses on documenting Lebanon's rich history of transient dwelling, linking historical architectural typologies like the caravansarai, crusader fort and hermetic cave systems to contemporary hotels and chalets. Alongside these, interviews with Lebanese expats form the basis for the proposal of a communal hub in Bejjeh, his childhood village situated in the Northern Mount Lebanon Massif.
Gabriel currently holds a position as project architect at Sandbichler Architekten in Vienna.
Experience
Sandbichler Architekten
Architect (Vienna, AT)
2025 – 2026
Mixed-use housing projects and competitions.
part-time
Archisphere – Gabriel Kacerovsky
Architect (Vienna, AT)
2025
Architecture and Interior Design, hotel and hospitality sector, private residences.
full-time
Tillner & Willinger Architekten
Working Student (Vienna, AT)
2023 – 2025
Residential construction, urban development, research projects, including energy-efficient refurbishment of existing buildings, re-use concepts, planning.
part-time
Schenker Salvi Weber Architekten
Intern (Vienna, AT)
2022
Competitions, model making, planning.
full-time
Berger Lenz Architekten
Intern (Klosterneuburg, AT)
2021
Visualizations, virtual walk-throughs, loft conversion of a detached house.
part-time
Wienerberger AG
Intern (Vienna, AT)
2020
Inventory, digitization of modular components, 3D scan, life cycle analysis and cataloging.
full-time
Academic
Technical University of Vienna
MSc in Architecture (Vienna, AT)
2021 – 2024
with distinction*
Mackintosh School of Architecture
BSc in Architecture (Glasgow, UK)
2017 – 2020
–
Publications
House for an Expat. A Typology of Transience
TU Vienna (Vienna, AT)
2024
Pocket Universe. Editions 4 – 6
UniVerse Creative Writing Society (Vienna, AT)
2023 – 2025
Competitions
Beirut Port Competition
International, Student
Inspireli (Beirut, LB)
2022
Workshops
International Summer School
BASEHabitat (Linz, AT)
2025
2. Austrian Conference on Earthen Building
TU Vienna, AZW (Vienna, AT)
2023
National Conference hosted by Netwerk Lehm
Planning and organising the conference at the Architecture Centre Vienna
Extracurricular
Stadtarchäologie Wien
City of Vienna (Vienna, AT)
2021 – 2023
Volunteer – Cataloguing and restoration of small finds (mainly ceramics, metals and bones)
UniVerse Creative Writing Society
University of Vienna (Vienna, AT)
since 2021
Member – Creative writing workshop with bimonthly meetings.
Monami Life Drawing
Life Drawing Vienna (Vienna, AT)
since 2021
Member – Regular life drawing event in cafés around Vienna.
TU Wien Alumni Club
(Vienna, AT)
since 2024
Technical University of Vienna Alumni
Alt-Schotten Vereinigung
(Vienna, AT)
since 2017
Schottengymnasium d.W.B. Alumni
factitious architecture
What's in a name?
The factitious (Latin factitius, from facere, meaning to do or make) signifies that which is artificial, i.e. produced by humankind. There is a close relation to the false, or deceptive, in that it opposes the natural, the real(m)—that which we see ourselves both part of and apart from. Of the same root stems the fact (Latin factum), product of a deed come to pass.
The fact and the sham. That duality inherent in human thought, and how we understand our place in the world, is also how we confront the question of dwelling, which architecture poses. Do we stand out or blend in? Do we adapt or bend to our will? This line of thought inspired both name and modus operandi of factitiousarchitecture, the creative studio founded by Gabriel Khalife in 2022.
My focus lies on implementing research-based design and branching out wherever possible into creative domains apart from architecture. That includes digital art, painting, print-making, animation, sculpture, poetry and much more.
Contact: gk@factitiousarchitecture.com
