Each year, our OPEN exhibition celebrates the creative ambition, critical thinking, and design excellence of students across the School of Architecture + Cities. As part of OPEN 2025, we’re proud to highlight projects that stand out not only for their originality, but also for their cultural insight and social relevance.

One of this year’s standout students is Nedal, who completed our Architecture BA and continued onto our MArch programme. Over the course of his studies, Nedal has developed a distinctive voice. His end-of-year project earned two awards at the OPEN 2025 Student Awards. The event drew support from industry sponsors including Foster + Partners, JCDecaux, the Rawat Family, Portman Estate, and VOLA.

We caught up with Nedal to hear more about his time at Westminster, the ideas behind his award-winning work, and what lies ahead in his journey as an architect.

What originally drew you to study undergraduate architecture at Westminster?

I was first drawn to the University of Westminster having researched some of the best universities for architecture in London. However, it was the open day and OPEN exhibition that helped me to make a final decision, with the creativity and ambition evident through the work.

Why did you choose to stay at Westminster for your postgraduate studies?

My decision to stay on for postgraduate study was shaped by my personal experience during my undergraduate years. The support from tutors throughout all three years was constant and meaningful. I also admired the level of work I saw year after year in the Master’s programme, so continuing here felt like a natural step forward.

Can you tell us about the project or work that led to your award?

My project this year, entitled ‘Memories of the Untold’, is a speculative journey through a reimagined Havana, told through the mind of a Cuban farmer, Miguel. An invisible, ordinary hero who guides us through the city’s hidden layers.

Inspired by Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, the project focuses on buildings as spaces that exist where public and private life meet, and where culture survives through everyday rituals. In a Cuba facing political pressures, Miguel preserves what is being lost: community resilience, shared memory, and lived tradition.

How did it feel to be recognised for your postgraduate work?

Winning awards for your work is a very personal thing, and it was a great sense of achievement to end a year of hard work with recognition by others.

How has your work or thinking evolved between undergraduate and postgraduate study?

My work has evolved from undergraduate studies to postgraduate studies mostly by being more experimental and less precious about the decisions I make. Trying new things and taking risks where possible has helped me develop throughout this academic year. 

What have been the highlights of your time at Westminster?

One of the major highlights has been collaborating with people from diverse backgrounds—it’s expanded both my design thinking and my overall experience at university. A standout moment was supporting my tutors, Nasser Golzari and Yara Sharif, in exhibiting Objects of Repair at the Venice Biennale as part of the Palestinian Regeneration Team.

What are your plans after graduation?

Upon graduation, I intend to explore different practices that offer a similar style and ethos to that of which I have developed throughout my time at Westminster.

To find out more about our architecture courses and the wide range of exciting student projects, visit the digital exhibition OPEN 2025

About Westminster  

As one of the most diverse universities in the UK, we are a global university with London energy, with more than 19,000 students from 169 countries. 

To find out more about the University programmes featured in our OPEN exhibition, visit the Architecture, Interiors and Urban Design page.