Hi! I’m Maisa, an architectural designer passionate about urban narratives and human-centred design.
Architecture, to me, is about people before buildings. I am an architectural designer with a multidisciplinary approach that combines research, drawing, model making, mapping, and writing. My process is shaped by curiosity, careful observation, and a strong interest in how design can reflect everyday life, culture, and memory.I enjoy working at different scales, from detailed spatial elements to broader urban contexts. I am especially interested in projects that involve diverse communities and explore identity through inclusive and thoughtful design.
Collaboration and storytelling are central to my work. Whether through physical models, visual studies, or written reflection, I aim to create architecture that feels grounded, empathetic, and socially aware. My strengths lie in translating complex ideas into clear and meaningful spatial narratives that connect people to place with care and intention.
This thesis began with a personal question: “how did Whitechapel, a neighbourhood in East London, come to feel so much like home to someone like me: a Bangladeshi girl who grew up far from her homeland?”
As I walked through Brick Lane and Whitechapel, I heard the language of my childhood, smelled spices from my grandmother’s kitchen, and saw signs of a culture I thought I only knew in pieces. It made me wonder: “how did this happen? How did a community that once arrived here as migrants leave such a deep mark on the area?”
This project explores those questions. It looks at how the Bangladeshi community has reshaped Whitechapel’s streets and spaces, not just through buildings and businesses, but through presence, resistance, and resilience. To trace this journey, I’ve used historical research, site visits, and personal reflections with the help of postcolonial theories by Edward Said and Homi Bhabha. This thesis asks whether Whitechapel’s changes are simply about integration or something more powerful: a quiet reclaiming of space in a city once tied to empire.
This is a story about migration, memory, and making home and a way for me to find my own place within it.
The MArch Architecture is a two-year full-time or three-year part-time programme offering exemption from ARB/RIBA Part 2. It combines rigorous professional training with creative and speculative design exploration. In the first year, students join a themed design unit to undertake a creative building design project combined with a technical and professional report. In the second year, students pursue a comprehensive speculative architectural design project, and an in-depth theoretical thesis tailored to their personal interest. The programme fosters independent thinking, innovation, theoretical and technical excellence, preparing graduates for advanced architectural practice and ongoing professional development in a dynamic global context.
See further details on our prospectus page.
