The Immigrant Architects Coalition, a 501©(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering foreign- born architects and designers to build successful careers in the United States has released City Shapers, Volume II, edited by Mahbuba Khan, AIA, PAKC Chair.
An Immigrant Architect’s Story of Service, Resilience, and City-Shaping
The stories in this volume move beyond arrival and survival to explore growth, leadership, reflection, and responsibility. Contributors represent a wide range of cultural backgrounds, career stages, and design disciplines; yet, they are united by a shared willingness to speak honestly about their journeys. These narratives reveal the complexity of building a career in a new country: balancing identity, ambition, and resilience while also highlighting moments of transformation, agency, and hope.
From Dhaka to Federal Leadership: The Resilient Journey of Mahbuba Khan, AIA
The Immigrant Architects Coalition (IAC) recently published City Shapers, a book detailing the stories of immigrant architects in the United States. Chapter 14 features a biography of a leader central to our own committee: Mahbuba Khan, AIA, MPA, LEED AP BD+C, our current AIA Public Architects Knowledge Committee Chair.
Mahbuba’s profile in City Shapers highlights how global backgrounds and public service experience contribute to the field of public architecture.
Foundations in Public Service
Raised in Bangladesh by her district judge father, Mahbuba grew up living in historic government bungalows that sparked her early interest in architecture. She earned her undergraduate architecture degree from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, an institution established with Texas A&M pedagogy. Though later accepted to Texas A&M for graduate school, a sudden student visa denial forced her to lose her admission and tuition. During Architecture school, she supported herself creating watercolor renderings for developers, using the earnings to backpack across Asia to places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia which broaden her horizon on notable global Architecture. Despite the setback of visa rejection she ultimately immigrated to the US being noticed by a mid size firm president impressed by her portfolio.
Licensure and Professional Growth
After arriving in the U.S., Mahbuba began an eight-year process toward naturalized citizenship under firm sponsorship. During this time, she completed her NAAB degree evaluation, passed the Architect Registration Examination (ARE), earned her LEED AP credential, and also had three sons and cared for her mother and in laws. Her subsequent career spans three primary sectors:
- Private Practice: Founded MnKhan Architects in 2011 in Coppell, Texas, leveraging minority-owned business certifications to build a $40M+ public and institutional portfolio.
- Municipal Government: Managed bond-funded capital projects and historic restorations as a Senior Architect for the City of Dallas, while earning a Master’s in Public Administration with honors.
- Federal Service: Served as a Senior Technical Lead for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing life cycle planning for $300M–$900M federal healthcare project programs. Here, she helped updating USACE's design standards and sustainability policies. Mahbuba's communications skills during her time in the Inter agency & International Services was built on her immigrant background.
Community Leadership and Advocacy
Today, Mahbuba directs MnKhan Architects full-time, focusing on mission-driven civic work such as K-12 schools, all-access playgrounds, food pantries, and disaster-relief logistics centers, fair housing complaint multi families, . Her local civic contributions include eight years on the City of Coppell Parks and Recreation Development Board, where she participated in the city's 2040 strategic planning initiative.
Practical Advice for Emerging Professionals
In her chapter, Mahbuba offers three specific recommendations for foreign-born graduates entering the American architectural landscape:
1. Prioritize Degree Evaluation: Complete the NAAB foreign degree evaluation as early as possible to avoid delaying your eligibility to sit for the ARE.
2. Seek Broad Operational Exposure: Consider working within mid-sized firms or branch offices early in your career, as they often provide better exposure to clients, site visits, and the business side of architecture than highly specialized roles at large firms.
3. Utilize Peer Networks: Engage actively with local AIA chapters and groups, such as the AIA Dallas Small Firm Roundtable, to build a professional support system.