During 40 years of practice, Mr. Arfaa has designed and managed a broad range of architectural and planning projects including institutional, municipal, medical, commercial, industrial, residential, recreational and correctional facilities. His strong belief that architecture is a service profession is the primary reason for the continued success of his practice. His award-winning designs have been published in leading professional journals.
As a founding partner at Friday Architects and Planners, Mr. Arfaa was partner-in-charge of a number of commercial commissions and community planning projects as well as directing the subsequent planning, design, and construction phases of urban renewal projects. At Sullivan/Arfaa, Mr. Arfaa was partner of the firm and director of the division of architecture. He was responsible for the design, quality control, and construction management of residential and commercial developments and governmental facilities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida.
As chair of Drexel University's Department of Architecture, professor, guest juror and lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, City College of New York, Cooper Union, The Philadelphia College of Art, and Temple University, Mr. Arfaa has played an important role in the education of architects. Additionally, Mr. Arfaa’s commitment to the education of architects has extended to his professional career. As an employer of design professionals, Mr. Arfaa has hired both alumnus’s and students of the various educational institutions he has taught at.
As director of the Pennsylvania Society of Architects and executive director of the American Institute of Architects, Philadelphia Chapter, Mr. Arfaa worked to broaden the exchange of technological information, design awareness, and business management ideas within the profession. As a trustee of the Philadelphia Architect's Charitable Trust (now the Foundation for Architecture), Mr. Arfaa encouraged the general public to appreciate and preserve Philadelphia's architectural heritage. In 1983, his service to the architectural profession and architectural education was recognized when he was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.