What inspires one to become an architect? Ask Abeer Sweis, and she’ll tell you about a time when she was nine years old. On a Sunday afternoon drive with her family through the countryside of her native Amman, Jordan, she noticed a building unlike anything she’d ever seen. Set into the side of a hill with nothing but a glass front looking out at the world, it seemed as though the roof was built into the hill and nature had been undisturbed—as if it were meant to be and belonged.
In Jordan, buildings are made of concrete and stone and tend to take on a boxy quality that sit atop the land. But this home was stunningly unique and piqued young Abeer’s curiosity. She asked her father what it was, and he said it was someone’s house. Then she asked him who made it, and he told her it was an architect. At that moment, she announced to her family that she was going to be an architect.
A year later, her family moved to Los Angeles. While suburban Southern California houses were made of wood, like in Amman, they seemed as though they had been plopped onto the land solely to provide shelter. Inspired by California’s natural beauty, Abeer was determined to become an architect who would work with her environment to transform living and working spaces into organic, thoughtfully designed buildings.
After Abeer graduated from Woodbury University with a Bachelor of Architecture degree, she worked at a small, local architecture firm where she acquired both the technical knowledge and business skills necessary to build a successful design firm.
Armed with hands-on experience, two teaching positions at local universities and her innate people skills, she started her own design firm called Abeer Sweis Design, which later became Synthesis, Inc. In 2006 she partnered with her husband Jeff Kloss to create the construction side of the company and to realize their design + construct vision.
In 2018, in celebration of 20 years successfully delivering unique and sustainable designs, the firm name was changed to SweisKloss. Today, Abeer and Jeff lead this award-winning firm as its design and construction partners and continue the everyday journey of making a better place called home, work and community.
