About this Event
In On Sacred Grounds, Meriem Chabani looks at architecture through the idea of anchoring, examining how people connect to places, memories and environments.
The lecture moves between different scales and perspectives, from personal experience to wider landscapes and territories. It considers what is visible and hidden, what is remembered, and what is still being imagined.
Rather than treating these as separate conditions, Meriem explores how architectural and spatial inquiry can create connections across seemingly opposing conditions.
With Shahed Saleem as a respondent, chaired by Edwina Atlee (Bartlett).
This event is part of the at the Bartlett School of Architecture.
Registration is essential
Please note this event has limited capacity and operates on a first-come, first-served basis based on registrations. Doors close at 18:40.
Speaker biographry
Meriem Chabani is the founder and Principal of NEW SOUTH, an award-winning architecture, urban planning and anthropology practice that puts the margin at the centre. Her work on civic spaces, memory and belonging includes the Taungdwingyi cultural center in Myanmar, the Globe Aroma refugee art centre in Brussels, and the upcoming Mosque Zero in Paris. She is currently a finalist for the National Slavery Museum of Amsterdam.
As an educator, Meriem has taught and lectured extensively. She has notably served as Aga Khan Design Critic in Architecture at Harvard GSD (USA) and currently teaches at Ecole Paris Malaquais (FR).
Her work has regularly been distinguished and showcased at a number of international architecture Biennials, including Venice, Istanbul, Oslo and Lagos. In 2020, Meriem won the Europe 40 under 40 award from The European Centre for Architecture and The Chicago Athenaeum. In 2023, she was one of the emerging women architects for AMC. In 2025, Le Monde named her one of the leading voices in culture in France.
Event venue & nearby stays
Christopher Ingold Auditorium (XLG2), 22 Gordon Street, London, United Kingdom
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.