With the Connecting People and Places coming to a close, we can’t help but reflect on the fantastic support we have received from volunteers and the many venues in which we set up across the country. We spoke to Nabiha, our Consultant Exhibitor, to find out exactly what this opportunity has meant for this aspiring architect.

Nabiha, 22, worked with us over the previous few months, being instrumental in curating the exhibit – from researching venue locations and creating exhibition materials, to acting as guide at the Cambridge exhibition.

What does heritage mean to you?

Heritage means memory, culture, legacy, sentiment, livelihood, it means everything that was a part of a previous people’s history, whether that is buildings, traditions, rituals, practices, anything that demonstrates the significance or presence of a previous community. Being a second generation immigrant, it means everything my parents and their parents set up to make a living in the UK, the communities that were established, the ethnic enclaves that were formed, the import grocery shops that were opened and the culture we brought from our respective countries to a foreign place.

Why did you want to be part of the Connecting People and Places project?

I wanted to be involved in a project that celebrates spaces that are important for the heritage and urban fabric of the UK but are not often acknowledged. Some of the heritage and community sites that were researched in the project, I hadn’t known of until Connecting People and Places, and it is these sites that have been integral to the existence of different diasporas in the UK. To be a part of a voice that is sharing these stories, memories and special places is amazing.

Have you ever worked in the built environment sector or in the heritage sector before?

I have worked on the restoration/renovation of several mosques in London, one of which included the extension of an old library building in Edmonton into extra facilities for the mosque that was using the building. This involved careful surveying and intervention to the Grade 2 listed heritage site, in which we were able to learn a great deal about the existing archetypes of the library, as well as sensitively adding new architectural styles to it, mediating the old with the new and attempting to do so in a harmonious and delicate manner.

How has being a part of this project helped you reach your future goals in architecture?

It will help me to apply my extensive research on heritage sites, as well as the curatorial experience I have earned, in future roles that may be similar to this one.

To find out more about Connecting People and Places, visit here.