Dr Mirna Pedalo is a London-based architectural practitioner, researcher and scholar interested in the intersection of architecture, urban development, finance, and environmental issues in post-conflict societies, particularly in the Western Balkans. Trained as an architect in her native Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mirna holds MAs in Architecture and Visual Cultures from the University of Westminster, and a PhD from the Centre for Research Architecture, Goldsmiths, University of London. In 2019, Mirna was a recipient of the RIBA President’s Award for Research in the Cities and Community category and is one of the founding members of DocomomoBH. She works as an Associate Lecturer at the Royal College of Art, University of Westminster, and Oxford Brookes University. Mirna is also a Steering Member and the Education Cluster co-lead at Architects for Gaza.
Architects for Gaza
Architects for Gaza (AFG) is a global network of architects, designers and environmentalists standing against human and ecological destruction in Gaza. Founded by the architects Yara Sharif and Nasser Golzari, whose professional and academic careers have been largely invested in working within the context of Palestine and with Palestinians, AFG is organized around two main clusters: Rebuild and Education.
Rebuild Cluster is dedicated to the advancement of citizenship & community development, and the relief of poverty and displacement in Gaza. AFG is committed to working in close collaboration with local populations and organisations, and supporting interdisciplinary self-help clusters located strategically wherever people have set up refuge. AFG is equally dedicated to exploring sustainable self-help prototypes to empower the displaced communities of Gazans and commits its skills and resources as built environment professionals to support Palestinians to rebuild Gaza and their lives. In close contact with local community actors in Gaza as well as international bodies, AFG’s aim is to enable support on the ground, provide technical and research support in kind, and to fundraise from the architectural and built environment community.
Education Cluster is dedicated to the advancement of education for the public benefit. Through the platform Gaza Global University, a hybrid virtual and physical institution brings together academics and practitioners to offer educational support to Palestinian students, scholars and academics of architecture and related courses, such as design and urbanism.
