Words by Walid Bhatt for New Architecture Writers.

Earlier this year, I worked on a project for Ruksana, a middle-aged mum in Walthamstow. Her brief was simple yet profound: “I was born in Nairobi, with an Islamic background. Geometric patterns, the soothing adhan, flowing water, and nature surrounded me.” Ruksana’s longing to bring Nairobi to London reflects the diasporic negotiation of home.

The Victorian house, with its domestic paraphernalia - a prayer mat draped off the end of a bed, calligraphy in the vestibule - struck a personal chord. It reminded me of my late grandma’s Birmingham terrace, rich with migrant narratives and cultural adaptation. This project became an exploration of overlooked knowledge systems in architecture.

Architect Shahed Saleem’s work offers valuable lessons. His mosque designs, whether adapted from pubs or built anew, juxtapose tradition and modernity, allowing new meanings to emerge. Saleem describes this process as “self-exploration,” where transforming spaces mirrors a community’s transformative journey.

For Ruksana, I proposed an internal courtyard to bring nature indoors, evoking Nairobi’s gardens. Picture-frame views to the garden reveal a water feature inspired by Islamic garden design, while the project’s rammed earth walls echo Kenya’s vernacular materials.

This wasn’t just about creating a functional space but about nurturing identity in a place that might resist it. In Ruksana’s case, the house becomes a place where she can feel at home, not just in London, but in herself.