Mona El Hallak is a Beirut-based architect and heritage preservation activist, educated at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and Syracuse University’s Florence Program. She founded her architectural design studio in 2001, completing over 20 projects in Lebanon. In 2017, she joined AUB as director of the Neighbourhood Initiative (AUBNI), which aims to enhance the livability, vitality, and diversity of Ras Beirut, encouraging active citizenship through outreach and research.

Mona has led urban interventions addressing social and environmental issues, activating public spaces, and fostering community engagement, working with local leaders, designers, artists, NGOs, and institutions. She successfully campaigned for the preservation of the Barakat Building, now Beit Beirut, a museum and cultural center.

An active member of APSAD and ICOMOS, Mona is also a founding member of IRAB, for preserving Arab musical archives, and ZAKIRA, promoting photography’s role in documenting memory. In 2013, she received the Ordre National du Mérite au grade de Chevalier from the French President for her achievements in preserving Beirut’s architectural and cultural heritage.