Architects Sumayya Vally and Alejandro Aravena on challenging narratives and designing spaces that reflect us.
Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena is best known for his innovative social housing solutions that confront problems around rapid urbanisation and inequality. In 2016, he was awarded the Pritzker Prize, the highest accolade in architecture.
South African architect Sumayya Vally challenges conventional Western principles and celebrates the local textures and traditions of her hometown, Johannesburg. In 2021, she became the youngest architect to design London’s Serpentine Pavilion and is the 2023 director of the Islamic Arts Biennale.
In this episode, Vally and Aravena discuss how architecture is able not only to improve people’s lives but also better reflect who we are.